First Look Fridays: Makeup Artist Kaarin Lanyi

Kaarin Lanyi certainly has a diverse celebrity clientele. She's worked on everyone from JB Smoove and Michael Cera to KT Tunstall and Kristin Davis! A passion for dance led in a roundabout way to her career as a makeup artist, and she certainly has enlightening tips and tricks that everyone can use and appreciate. Read on to discover the cuticle cream that makes it look like she just got a manicure, her number one tip for a great complexion and so much more.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I grew up in La Crescenta (a suburb just outside of Los Angeles) where I spent my childhood studying dance and playing piano. I attended UC Irvine for two years majoring in dance until I started to feel that it wasn’t the right profession for me, as much as I loved dance itself. At the same time, I was feeling disenchanted with Irvine and craved the complete opposite environment of such a utopian master-planned city so I moved to New York! I love it here. Every day is inspiring, challenging and unpredictable.

How did you first become interested in makeup, and what led you to become a makeup artist?
I’ve always loved makeup. It may have had something to do with stage moms putting blue eyeshadow up to my brows from the time I was 3 for dance recitals. I always did makeup for my girlfriends in high school for dance performances and school dances but I never dreamed of becoming a makeup artist professionally (I didn’t even know that it was an option!). My first roommate in NYC was a production assistant on a TV show and I used to do her makeup for production parties. There was one time her producer pulled me aside to ask why I wasn’t doing makeup for a living. She gave me my first job on a pilot for TBS and I’ve been doing makeup ever since!

What are your top 5 favorite products?
1) Alchimie Forever Excimer Gentle Cream Cleanser. Perfect cleanser and makeup remover.

2) Simmons Paw Paw Salve. Best lip balm ever.

3) Poshe AHA Cuticle Care. As long as I use this once a day it looks like I’ve just had my cuticles manicured.

4) Decleor Aromessence Neroli. It smells like a spa and leaves my skin perfectly glowing.

5) YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara. No other mascara compares if you’re looking for volume. It’s perfect a week after it’s been opened.

What are your top 3 beauty tips?
1) Exercise. I never receive more compliments on my complexion than after I’ve just exercised.

2) Exfoliate. It’s really important to exfoliate regularly but not to overdo it. On days between more intense exfoliation treatments use a warm, wet washcloth to remove your cleanser and gently remove surface skin cells.

3) Protect. It’s been said millions of times but sunscreen is the best way to prevent premature aging. I attribute the condition of my skin to being a devout sunscreen user year-round.

What is the most rewarding part of what you do?
I never feel more satisfied than after a successful collaboration with other creative minds. There is something very rewarding about feeding off of each others' ideas and capturing the culmination in a photograph. I essentially get to play when I work. What could be better?

Being a makeup artist must be fun -- but what do you do in your spare time?
I love cooking! I almost never eat out because I love cooking so much. I also try to get out of the city whenever I can to be around nature. I always feel renewed when I come back to the city after a good camping/hiking trip. When I’m in NYC I take a lot of long walks observing people and looking at architecture. There’s certainly always something new to see!

Visit Kaarin's website here.