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MAKING
MAKEUP MAGIC
By
Virginia Leeming
THE
VANCOUVER SUN
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"We have magic in our hands," says the man who figured out how
to keep Kate Winslet's makeup from running during the filming
of the Titanic, found a glamorous new style for Diana Ross and
helped restore Faye Dunaway's complexion to close-up quality when
she was filming The Eyes of Laura Mars.
Celebrity makeup artist Peter Lamas is talking about his three-decades-plus
career as an image-maker when he talks about having magic in his
hands. But during an interview in Vancouver following a weekend
lecture in Whistler, he displays a down-to-earth quality that
extends beyond his work with movie stars. He recently founded
Beautywalk.com, a Web site dedicated to helping women discover
their potential, and to realize that beauty is both inner and
outer. The site contains information on fashion, makeup, cosmetic
surgery, growing older with grace, along with a host of other
topics of interest to women.
He is developing a line of cosmeceuticals (they bridge the gap
between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals), to be launched next year
on the site, and is working on a book about his career, which
he says may be published late next year.
He stresses that real beauty comes from within. "Grace, confidence
and personality play a big role in attractiveness," he says, adding
that the media talk down too much to women, and the images shown
are unrealistic. Don't try to look like a naturally slender Kate
Best or other models, he says. "Do what suits you best. You can't
force your body to be what it isn't," he advises on his Web site.
Having breakfast with Lamas before his TV appearance on The Vicki
Gabereau Show is a pleasure. He talks naturally and with candor
about his life and work in the decades since he decided to enter
hair-styling school at 19.
One of his most unusual duties was to make up Judy Garland for
her wake. He's worked with - and will talk about - Barbara Walters,
Diane Sawyer, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Faye Dunaway,
Diana Ross, Sharon Stone, Cindy Crawford, and Kate Winslet.
So it was particularly obtuse of me to think that I could slip
into the powder room at the Metropolitan Hotel at 8:30 a.m. to
put my lipstick on before calling his room for the interview.
There he was, in the lobby, stepping forward to greet me without
an introduction. His travel agent had mistakenly put the Metropolitan
Hotel Vancouver, when he was actually booked in to the Hotel Vancouver.
He walked town to avoid any problems resulting from the mixup.
At 56, the Cuban-born father of three is a going concern, admits
he lives out of a suitcase, and playfully attributes his absences
from home as the reason his 36-year marriage to Victoria Lamas
has lasted.
And he's not slowing down, despite a career that has included
operating three salons in New York City, developing makeup and
hair styles for films, working on fashion shoots with some of
the world's most recognized photographers, and a Who's Who list
of celebrity clients.
His relationship with Diana Ross began in 1971 when he received
a phone call at 3:30 a.m. He didn't believe the star was really
calling, and was polite but firm that he didn't enjoy crank calls.
But Ross, having seen the makeover he did for a friend of hers,
persisted, saying she would not sleep that night until he gave
her a consultation.
He bundled his wife and five-year-old son into their car to open
the salon for the 8:00 a.m. appointment.
In through the door bust the pregnant Ross, wearing a wig, under
which she wore a stocking cap. She was also sporting a soiled
sweatshirt and unzipped jeans to accommodate her changing shape.
Her own hair, which was voluminous and fluffy, was tucked under
the wig. As a result of their meeting, her hair was cut short.
He colored the silhouette (out perimeter) a caramel color - a
groundbreaking technique at the time.
Lamas subsequently did a photo shoot with her of Vogue. Of course
her bone structure is wonderful, he agrees, but to help balance
her wide-set eyes, he added shadow on the inside corners and lined
the inner lids dark. She was delighted.
Jacqueline Onassis also had wide-set eyes, he recalls. A client
for years until her death from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1994,
Onassis asked him to come to her Fifth Avenue apartment to make
her up.
"It was a privilege," he says about the 17-year relationship,
which he terms "professional," and based on her trust in him.
She always colored her hair, so he dyed it regularly, he says.
After her death, he wondered if the hair dye had contributed to
the disease. Although concerns have been raised for years about
links between hair dye and the illness, a University of B.C. associate
professor of dermatology discounts them.
"There is no clear relationship between the disease and hair dye,"
says Dr. Jason Rivers."
Lamas' biggest challenge over the years was on the set of The
Eyes of Laura Mars shot in 1978. Even before reaching the star's
trailer, he could hear Dunaway's shrill voice, sharp and impatient.
"She's very highly strung," he explains.
On her face, Dunaway was sporting a very unwanted boil-like pimple,
which was holding up shooting and the many close-ups featured
in the film.
"Are you the makeup artist?" demanded Dunaway, who has a reputation
for being difficult. He convinced her to let him try to reduce
the inflammation, swelling, and redness of the boil. She had refused
to have it lanced, as it would require stitching, cause scarring
and hold up the shoot.
Lamas suggested she soak a cotton ball in alphahydroxy acid, which
is derived from fruit, milk and other natural substances. It acts
as an exfoliant to remove the outer layers of dead cells.
It's not exactly new, he says, "Cleopatra exfoliated in wine."
(I thought it was ass' milk, but never mind.)
Every half-hour Dunaway was to hold the compress against the area
on her cheeks. The following day, the problem had diminished but
the area was still red and slightly swollen. Using a technique
every man must know, he applied a styptic pencil (which stanches
bleeding while shaving) and eye drops, reducing the redness. Then
he swabbed the area with Preparation H (used to shrink hemorrhoids).
Problem solved.
After that, he says, "I could have walked on water as far as she
was concerned." Nice work.
Has she had any plastic surgery?
In the battle for most surgery, the only star who has had more
is Cher, says Lamas without hesitation.
Would he have surgery to correct his own face?
He ponders for a second, then replies, "My eyes, the top lids
are a bit droopy," but adds that thanks to using his soon-to-be-available
serum and gels, he has helped reduce the little pockets of fat
that become jowls, and diminish the lines between his nose and
mouth. He shows me a tiny photo on his driver's license to show
the improvement. It seems real enough.
But he draws the line at a little face rearrangement, and won't
have liposuction, "I've lost two dear friends" in botched surgery,
he says.
Does he dye his hair?
Absolutely, he says, Gray hair with his brown hair and olive skin
would make him look awful. It is a deep chestnut now.
As for The Titanic, he is particularly proud of the opening scene
showing Winslet in a wide-brimmed hat in a great closeup. During
the movie, the star had to have jets of water splashed on her
face, raising problems with makeup running.
Tina Henshaw, the makeup artist, was wringing her hands over the
issue. "You don't say not to James Cameron," (the director of
the film), observes Lamas. It was a three-day headache until late
one evening he had one of those "Aha!" moments.
He realized synchronized swimmers always look perfectly made up
in the pool. Through a few phone calls, he discovered they use
a water-based silicone makeup. "I developed a water-durable spray
applied with the person horizontal, to get a smoother effect,"
he explains.
Can't say I would like to have an open coffin when the time comes,
but Lamas can use my face to practice on any time.
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