Joe Dulude II Interview

With huge awards and achievements, Joe is the makeup designing mastermind behind hit productions Wicked, Grease!, Follies and many more. He's recently begun to share his talent through theatrical makeup master classes, after fifteen years of freelance, work at MAC, runway shows, makeup for TV appearances and broadway makeup. If all of that artistic experience wasn't enough, Joe is also a fine artist and photographer in his spare time.

Recently, I've had the pleasure of being in contact with Joe and arranged an interview about all things makeup. His wisdom and experience of the industry shines through in every response. 

01- What made you want to get in to the makeup industry?

I always loved makeup as a kid.  I loved watching old monster movies like Dracula and Frankenstein and wanted to do that makeup on me.  I did a lot of theatre when I was growing up (acting) and so would practice doing makeup on myself or my young nieces.  I love being able to create a character and dressing up in costume.

02- Which brand of makeup do you predominantly use?

I use a lot of different brands.  MAC eyeshadows and blush, Make Up For Ever HD Foundations, powder, flash color palettes, Temptu airbrush makeup, Graftobian creme foundations, Ardency Inn foundations (my new fav), Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (amazing loose pigments, liners and lip tar), Ellis Faas concealers, Cozzette brushes, Crown brushes.  I think it's important to branch out and use different brands.  You get different pay offs with different lines.  Of course MAC still has my favorite shadows.

03- Out of your work, what looks are you most proud of?

I love my design for Madame Morrible in Wicked.  It probably is my favorite character I have ever designed.  I like that the makeup can transform as the actor transforms their character.  And there is only one small change in the makeup as well.  Also overall, I love my design for Follies, that starred Bernadette Peters.  It was such a creative high for me to be able to design makeup for all these amazing women and have it set in 1971.  I had to decide if the characters would be current with makeup in the early 70s or whether they would still be a throwback to when they were a star in the Follies.  Then I also got to design the ghosts of these ladies, all played by younger women.  I had to make them look period (early 1900s through 1940s) and yet make them look ghost like.

04- What is one piece of advice you would give to someone wanting a job similar to your own?

RESEARCH!  When you get a job, you need to know the time period, the style, etc. of the makeup.  Find as many reference pictures as you can, and knowing that sometimes there are multiple styles of makeup during that time period, depending on who the person is.  Be knowledgeable about it, so that you can back up your work.  But also know that you will have to adjust it to make it work for stage.  You can't do a straight period makeup and expect it to read perfectly on stage.  So sometimes you have to alter it so it looks right to the audience, yet still looks period.

05- What's one thing you wish you'd learned sooner than you did about makeup?

I wished I had learned to be confident in myself and my work.  I think I learned that long after I should have.  And that is another piece of advice.  Confidence.  If you are confident, employers will like that.  If you make a mistake, don't make a big deal out of it, just fix it and move on.  It shows you to be reliable and knowledgeable about your work.

06- What's the first thing you consider when you're about to design a look? 

There isn't just one thing.  I consult with the costume designer and find out time period, feel, theme of the show.  Then I find out about each character individually.  You need to take all aspects into consideration before starting your design.  If you just focus on one thing you will lose so much in the design and it won't be correct for the show.

Huge thanks to Joe for lending me his artistic expertise for this post, and for all of the great advice that I'll hold on to. 

Alice.

Liebster Award

Picture- Rachel's post.

I'm sure most of you are aware by now what the Liebster award is all about, but for those that don't: a blog with less that 200 followers is nominated and given eleven questions to answer. The idea behind it is to discover new bloggers and share a little bit more about your blog. I was nominated by the lovely Rachel from Raytoria, so thank you Rachel! 

Questions from Rachel

01- What's your favourite thing about blogging?

I love the community that comes with blogging, the friends you make from sharing an interest in it. I also love how much you learn from blogging, since it prompts you to read other blogs more regularly. That's two... I couldn't choose. 

02- Who are your blogging icons?

VIVIANNADOESMAKEUP and LILYPEBBLES have been my favourites for a long time. I've met both and they're so lovely and inspiring. 

03- What is your dream job?

I'm about to start training for a diploma in Hair & Beauty with Photographic Makeup, to then go on to Theatrical, SFX and Media Makeup with hair in college. These are building towards a job in theatres doing makeup, which I'd love. Making a career out of blogging would also be incredible. 

04- What is the one object you couldn't live without?

I'd have to say my camera. I currently use a Panasonic Lumix G2 (more info in my FAQ section), and I'm not sure how I'd manage without aimlessly snapping away on special days.

05- Do you like to travel? If so, what is your dream destination?

I love to travel, and I'd love to go on a snowy holiday. That, or New York. I've been to America twice but only Orlando, NY fascinates me and I think I'd enjoy the shopping opportunities. 

06- What do you do as a hobby?

Before reading this question, I wouldn't have put myself down as someone with a hobby. I guess that this blog is my hobby, as well as photography, travel, makeup, football. Perhaps I might have a hobby or two...

07- Describe yourself in three words.

I dread these sorts of questions, I'll go for creative, happy and unreserved.

08- What is your favourite quote?

I have so many, but the simple 'have a little faith' is big to me at the moment.

09- If there was a movie about your life, what celebrity would play you?

This is such a weird question to answer, but if it were down to me I'd have to pick Leighton Meester.

10- Who is your favourite band/musician/artist? 

I go through phases of different music genres so I could easily say the Arctic Monkeys or Hozier, but I've been listening to a lot of Beyonce and Bruno Mars lately.

11- Any guilty pleasures? 

Glee / Hairspray / Grease / Christmas songs at any time in the year.

Now I've done my questions, I nominate other bloggers and set them eleven questions. There's also a few rules/instructions that you pass on with your post;

- Link the person who nominated you.

- Answer their questions given to you.

- Nominate eleven other bloggers with less than 200 followers. // I stuck to five, but eleven is the usual amount to nominate //

- Link and notify these bloggers.

- Create eleven questions for them.

MY QUESTIONS

01- WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK AND WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR?

02- AN OLD SONG YOU STILL LOVE?

03- WHEN DID YOU START BLOGGING // WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO START?

04- WHAT IS THE FIRST BLOG YOU STARTED READING?

05- PET PEEVES?

06- WHAT'S YOUR GO-TO NAIL POLISH?

07- WHAT'S YOUR BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE?

08- BEST AND WORST SCHOOL SUBJECTS?

09- FAVOURITE LIPSTICK COLOUR?

10- DREAM JOB?

11- FAVOURITE ONLINE SHOPPING WEBSITE?

 I nominate:

FASHION FIXES HEARTS

TRUTHFULLY ELLA

BEAUTY CHECK - LADY SHAZ

RAINY ALLIE

KACI'S SPACE

If I nominated you and you write the post, be sure to leave the link below!

Alice.

EDIT

After being nominated by BEAUTY CHECK - LADY SHAZ (thank you!) I've decided to answer her questions on here, to keep everything together.

01- Why did you choose to blog?

After following so many blogs for such a long time and having such an interest in beauty/fashion, it seemed natural to start my own. I love to write and I often have a lot to say about everything, haha!

02- What would you do if you got 1000 followers?

Besides from shock and joy, I'm pretty sure a giveaway would be in order. 

03- What's your favourite joke?

What did the buffalo say to his son when he left for college? // Bison.

04- How would you describe yourself?

I like everything artsy, and I laugh a lot.

05- Who's your favourite YouTuber?

Lisa Eldridge (although I see her less as a YouTuber and more a general makeup artist) makes incredible videos, I always learn a lot from watching her.

06- What's your favourite novel or book?

Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella and John Green's The Fault in Our Stars have been my favourites recently, but I'm always changing them.

07- If you could only shop at one store, which would it be?

If Boohoo counts, I'd pick that. They sell everything I could need. If not, Forever 21.

08- What do you do in your spare time?

Study // watch football // blog.

09- What's your favourite tea flavour?

I love green tea but peppermint would probably beat it for me.

10- If you were stuck on an island for one month with only one person, who would it be?

If I knew them probably a parent or my brother, or any friend. If we're meaning anyone, perhaps Alexis Sanchez? Ed Westwick? 

11- What's your dream job?

Theatre makeup artist // full time blogger.

DIY Brush Pots

If, like me, you're a sucker for a nice candle every once in a while, you'll know that it's surprisingly disappointing when it's come to it's end and it's time to throw away the empty glass pot. This hits even harder when it's of the likes of Jo Malone and comes with a fee over £20. It's because of these pricey wastes that I started to up-cycle my empty candle jars, using them primarily for makeup storage. 

• To start, you'll need a completely burned out candle. You could probably use one with a bit left, but I just assumed that it's best not to waste a candle with a working wick. 
• Next, use a metal spoon to gradually remove the leftover wax.
• Once the wax is gone, gently prise off the wick holder.
• Using a little hot water and some washing up liquid, get rid of any black marks on the glass. 
• If you're removing the label, do so and either put the pot through the dishwasher or simply scrub off the remains with washing up liquid. If you're not, be careful not to get the label too wet.

You may now fill your up-cycled jar with whatever you please. I use mine as pots for my makeup brushes. If you don't want to stop here, you can always decorate the jar; mod podge and glitter or some simple twine help to customise the storage to your own space.

What do you keep your brushes in?

Alice.

The Winter Mani

Even though a catering GCSE course has got me bare-nailed 3 days a week I do still like to keep my nails relevant to the season. Festive nails are my favourite, and these are the colours that I tend to reach for in winter. It's a mix of pretty much the same colour scheme within a range of price tags.


Rimmel 60 seconds nail polish in Rapid Ruby - I love a deep red at winter time as much as the next girl, and this shade hits the spot. I find that it matches the colour scheme of any outfit that I pull together during the colder months, meaning I wear it the most out of all of these lacquers.

Accessorize nail polish in Rose Gold - For dressing up any deeper shade I like to add a few coats of this to my ring fingers. Perfect for parties or nearer to Christmas, or if you just fancy something a bit more special! 

Kure Bazaar nail polish in Or Rose - I can remember being obsessed with this polish last winter. It's the kind of shade that you re paint on your nails for months without getting bored of it's sight. Works all year round, but looks particularly darling at winter time. 

OPI nail polish in Skyfall - Whilst I'm pretty sure I bought this for the name around the preview of the film, the colour does scream Christmas. It's the deepest red you could imagine. If you've read John Green's Paper Towns, it's the kind of shade that I imagine Margo to be wearing in chapter four.  

Chanel nail polish in Tulip Noire - For the deep purple metallic shade that makes winter, winter. A colour so pretty that it's interesting. 

Barry M nail paint in Berry Cosmo - And for the non-metallic version of that deep purple. Again, it look stunning with some rose gold glitter by it's side. 

Alice.

What's your go-to winter polish?

DIY Orange Hot Chocolate

I wouldn't particularly pass a Terry's Chocolate Orange off as a classic Christmas chocolate, but I would pass oranges off as a classic Christmas fruit. For me, the smell of oranges screams Christmas. I think that once you've visited a Christmas market you'll agree with me. Hot chocolate is also popular in winter months, so a chocolate orange hot chocolate served in orange peel cups seemed pretty relevant for Christmas time. This recipe is divine and my entire family loved theirs, so it's worth giving a go. I promise. 

I got all of my ingredients from Sainsburys, for those wondering. I wasn't able to find paper straws, so I just used the oranges without the lids as cups. Not as cute, but you still get the zingy taste. 

*To serve 4*
You'll need:
- 8 Segments of Terry's chocolate orange
- 200ml Milk (I used semi-skimmed)
- 4 Large oranges
- Paper straws

Directions for the orange cups:

• Using a sharp knife, cut the tops off of the oranges to act as the lids
• Hollow out the oranges using a tablespoon (save & sieve the insides for fresh, smooth orange juice!)
• Using a small knife, cut out the 'stem' of the orange lid, creating a hole for the straws
• Cut the straws to the correct length

Directions for the hot chocolate:

• Gently heat the milk in a saucepan, stirring constantly
• Break the chocolate into segments and add to the milk
• Keep stirring until the chocolate melts
• Using a ladle, fill the orange cups with hot chocolate and enjoy!

Make sure you buy larger oranges so that they are sturdy, meaning they won't roll over.

Let me know if you try these out.

Alice.