“In The Chair” spotlights the incredible hairstylists and makeup artists in our community who are giving us major inspiration. Each week, they discuss their personal beauty and career journeys, what they’ve learned from their clients, and their top glam tips.
“When I was little, I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup,” makeup artist Delina Medhin tells ESSENCE. Because of that, “it kind of became this forbidden fruit.” So, when she finally started wearing it, her mother was the first to point out if a shade didn’t match or a color, unflattering. “That was the first training,” Medhin says.
By 16 years old, she started freelancing at a MAC Cosmetics counter, then went on to Lancôme and Bobbi Brown. But, it wasn’t until she moved to New York that she got the chance to assist the Greats, including Pat McGrath. From assisting to having her own assistants, “I found my niche in connecting with people,” she says.
“That’s why I think I ended up working with celebrities, specifically comedians.”
With her work now on comedy specials, red carpets, and television, her client list spans Issa Rae, Debbie Allen, Alfre Woodard, and more. “I learned so much from them, which is why I think I started my podcast,” she says about her series, It Takes A Village with Delina Medhin, which she’s spearheading when she’s not helping brands like Tower28 create products, such as their latest, and first, foundation. And, next up, she’s even launching a new Substack. “I’m so happy I followed my heart and kept doing that.”
Ahead, Medhin tells all about her favorite makeup looks, tips, and debunking myths.
What She Loves Most About Makeup Artistry:
I’ve been doing makeup for 20 years now and the thing that really has kept me in it is being a trusted advisor to so many people. That’s the part that I love the most.
Her Favorite Makeup Products:
I’m absolutely loving the Tower 28 Foundation which I helped to formulate. It’s great for eczema and acne-prone skin. Another product that I absolutely love is MAED Beauty has a lip balm. For a girl who’s always had chronically dry lips, she has a three-step process to exfoliate your lips. I also really love Chanel Baume Essentiel. This is one of my favorite products that they make and it’s just so easy and simple to put on. And, Saie Concealer. It’s almost like a corrector and a concealer in one.
Her Favorite Makeup Look:
I really love touching up my client’s brows before we start. That’s a really big thing that I always do. I don’t just draw over them. I’ll look at them. I’ll shape them. I’ll pluck them. I’ll make sure that they look good because to me, making sure that they look good before we start makeup is really important to me.
Also, really hydrating the skin. I spend a good amount of time putting hydration onto the skin and really prepping it before we start makeup. Skin-focused makeup is definitely more of my thing.
Her Top Makeup Tip:
People are always worried about underneath the eye. So, making sure that it’s hydrated, but also taking off that hydration before you start is going to be a big game changer in making sure that your makeup actually stays. If it’s too much hydration there, then everything’s just going to slide around and you’re going to be fighting to put that powder down.
Makeup Myths She’d Like To Debunk:
The way that you create the product and intend for people to use it isn’t necessarily intuitively the way that somebody is thinking about using it. For example, I think that when people see a foundation, they’re hoping that they just put it on, boom, it’s done. Whereas I’m like, ‘Wait, powder.’ That’s my first thought.
I found that sometimes we have expectations for something before we actually receive it or try it, and then we just do it the way everything else is.
Author: Akili King and India Espy-Jones
Read the original article on Essence.
Leave a Reply