Val Garland

Val Garland is a very respected and well known London based make-up artist in the fashion industry who started out as a hair stylist and colourist in Australia where she lived for a while. While Val was working in Australia people used to compliment her make-up and would suggest that she did make-up for people and on shoots as well, while reluctant at first Val filled in once for a make-up artist who didn't show up at a shoot and the image ended up being published in a magazine and it all began from there. However itt was when she moved back to London in 1994 her career really took off. She has since worked for designers such as Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, celebrities such as Kate Moss and Lady Gaga and been published in magazines such as i-D, Vogue and Dazed & Confused. Val does such a large range of work from catwalk to editorial to celebrity make-up and likes this variety as there is never a dull moment or a routine which she doesn't like. 
"I like that today I'm doing a master class here, and tomorrow, I'm working on a film. The next day, when I arrive in London, I get off the plane and I'm working with a celebrity. I like the mix. But, I do especially love doing shows because I like the mania and the manic panic of 'how the hell are we going to get this done,' and then we just do."

 

Val was the brains behind Lady Gaga's bizarre looking cheekbones and horn-type-things on her head in her Born This Way video. (Images sourced from Google images) She wanted to do something different and thought about prosthetics, experimenting with bits of folded paper and placing them around Gaga's face before sending images to a prosthetics specialist. 

 

She has had a long and strong relationship with MAC after being approached in the early 90's by MAC's senior vice president of make-up artistry Gordan who offered to sponsor her to use their make-up, Val is very passionate about MAC products because their products work and are consistent with their quality, where as she has found with some brands that their products look good, however don't deliver the way they should. As a huge fan of MAC this is good to hear coming from someone as experienced and professional as Val Garland, I know that I am not wasting my money and everything I purchase is a good investment. Her favourite products are the mineralize foundation, cream colours and the prestigious Ruby Woo lipstick! A quick tip I have discovered during my research from Val Garland herself is to soothe and calm red and irritated skin, she recommends spray Evian water spray onto the face every fifteen minutes and uses this technique when a model arrives with bad skin.

I love the work of Val Garland as it is the kind of make-up that made me want to be a part of the industry in the first place. Her work reminds me a bit of the work of Pat McGrath who is another of my favourite make-up artists. I have had a look through images of Vals work and have uploaded to this post some of my favourite images of her work that inspire me.

 

 

 This image is my favourite piece of Vals work that I have discovered so far. I love the mixture of colours used and also the softness of the image even though the make-up is quite extravagant. I am a lover of gold and metallics so adore that aspect of the image but it also reminds me of something that was partially inspired by the make-up worn by the nobility during the Elizabethan era due to the pale powdery looking skin, soft circles of blush worn in the center of the cheeks and the red lip. Even the eyes remind me of the Elizabethan era even though this make-up would never have been seen during that period! I think that is because the make-up around the eyes although being striking and bold, they are not defined using eyeliner so have a lighter and more subtle effect, but that is just my opinion.

 

This is a very striking and bold image, I think the make-up is very modern and has a young feel to it teamed with the fun hair style and funky looking garment. The blue and orange eye make-up not only matches the clothes and hair, but are also complimentary colours on the colour wheel and I think this is why it works so well.

 I really loved graphic eye liner at the moment and would like to do some work using similar techniques myself and incorporate it into some work in the near future, I like that this look was teamed with a simple and flawless make-up with flatting lips and contouring with the undefined eyebrows so that the eye liner could do all the talking.

I love this image as I think the painted on bottom eyelashes are so beautiful and effective and really flattering which you wouldn't normally think. By looking at some of Vals work I think she understands completely that with certain looks that feature something really bold that makes a statement like this and the graphic eyeliner above (for example), she doesn't need to do that much with the rest of the make-up. I love the fresh dewy looking skin and natural look used here and the brushed up eyebrows really work.

References:

Images sourced from Google images as well as the links listed below

http://www.refinery29.com/val-garland

http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2013/04/5-reasons-we-love-val-garland-makeup-artist.html

http://showstudio.com/contributor/val_garland

http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2013/04/08/val-garland-make-up-artist-interview-kate-moss