Yes you can go back to Egyptian times or roman times were there too was makeup happening, I will be diving into more the modern makeup artists that before them the job did not exist, at the beginning of the 20th century. 

It started with the film industry as close up shots of actresses were being used more, and the actors themselves applied the makeup, continuity between scenes was being noticed. Makeup was melting and showing up pretty bad on camera… so the need for help in this area grew. Two men became stood out in history for starting the career of a makeup artist in Hollywood. That was Maksymilian Faktorowicz known as Max Factor and George Westmore. 

Max Factor (1877-1938)

He invented the term ‘makeup.’ 

Born in Poland and of Polish-Jewish descent, he began working at the age of 9 as a wig maker apprentice, which took him to Berlin and Moscow as a leading hairstylist and cosmetic creator. 

He successfully worked for the Russian royal opera and royal family, he married and had three children. In 1904 with worry about the anti-Jewish movement growing, he escaped the watchful eye of his role with the Russian royal family. He made his way to American with his family arriving with $400. 

Hearing of the growing film industry in 1908 he moved to Los Angles to make wigs and cosmetics for the industry. At that time makeup was in the form or greasepaint sticks, Factor felt the need to improve this, the lack of shades available and the application was too thick.  

So Factor started work on a better formula that could be applied thinner and look good on camera. In 1914 he created a greasepaint cream with 12 shades that would not crack or cake-up on the skin. 

It was a hit, and he had all the stars wanting his makeup products, and for him to apply it, a few of he’s regular clients became Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Gloria Swanson and Judy Garland. 

In 1930 with the desire to make lips look better in black and white films, he invented lip gloss! As with most newly launched makeup products of the time, it was only available to actresses but two years later the public. Factor was a true innovator and reformulated and repackaged a lot of makeup into more user-friendly designs like the lipstick tubes. 

The Max Factor beauty salon was right near Hollywood boulevard; he has a star on the walk of fame and received an honorary academy award in 1929.  

George Westmore (1879 -1931)

Migrating to Canada and later America with his family from Isle of Wight, England. Westmore worked in beauty parlours across different America cities as a hairdresser, Starting in Los Angeles and then St. Louis, Cleveland, San Antoni and then New Orleans. 

Westmore returned to Los Angeles with the plan to retire but noticed that actors needed help with makeup for on-screen. So in 1917 he set up the first-ever makeup department in a film studio with Selig Polyscope Company and later freelanced across multiple studios. 

It’s thought that Westmore was the first person to invent false eyelashes. imagen no false eyelashes, they are just so transformative in opening and lifting the eyes!  

But it did not stop with George Westmore, you see the Westmore legacy is entirely something, he had nineteen children, and six of those sons became film makeup artists in Hollywood. They became so successful in the business that he feel into depression, feeling that all of this own success was forgotten by the world. His life ended tragically in 1931 by suicide of mercury poisoning and took four days for the poison to burn throughout this body, tragic. 

Interesting history lesson here into how the makeup artist’s profession came about. These two entrepreneurial and very creative men saw the need for a makeup artist in the film industry. Now, around 100 years later, a makeup artist’s career can have so many directions or fields to work in, like weddings, film, SFX, advertising, events and on… 

Today, product options, textures and shades are genuinely endless. Factor and Westmore would be quite surprised at what the makeup industry looks like today. The possibilities are overwhelming even often for me as a working makeup artist myself!  

As always, say hi on Instagram!