Emmy Winning Makeup Artist Camille Calvet: Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry
Know your craft! That’s my mantra. You need to know everything; beauty makeup, straight makeup, makeup effects, hair work, wig-making, sculpting, mold-making, running foam…everything! Get a good background, go to makeup school, then just get out and keep pushing. Never say no, just keep pushing, don’t stop.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Camille Calvet, Two-Time Emmy Award-Winning Makeup Artist.
From Jennifer Aniston to Cameron Diaz, Rob Lowe to Tom Cruise, two-time Emmy-Award winning makeup artist Camille (Camille Calvet) Della Santina has built a 30-year legacy in making some of Hollywood’s biggest stars ready to lead in iconic films. On top of a successful career in Hollywood, Camille is the game-changing CEO and founder of award-winning skincare line, SilcSkin, dedicated to developing non-invasive solutions for the safe and effective removal of wrinkles and fine lines. As an innovator in the beauty industry, Camille can speak to the process of how she built her brand and continued to adapt her products to succeed.
Her mission is to develop anti-wrinkle products that are safe and of the highest quality. Since 1999, Camille has spared nothing in order to bring consumers the absolute best products that she can. That’s why SilcSkin’s medical grade silicone pads are made here in Los Angeles and are manufactured using an expensive platinum curing process to make them residue free and long lasting. To put it simply, the pads work to get rid of wrinkles, safely and effectively. This is why her pads are the best-selling anti-wrinkle pads in the world.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Early on in my career, I worked for a year on two Tom Cruise films, Vanilla Sky and Minority Report. You have to be at 110%, on the top of your game, because he is and expects the same from his crew. It was absolutely exhausting, but equally as rewarding to work side by side with all those different experts and crafts at the pinnacle of their careers.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
I think my first major tipping point was at age 29 when I was hired to head a Sam Raimi Film, Army of Darkness. I had always prided myself in learning every aspect of Film and Television Makeup, which included Beauty, Character and Prosthetics and that paid off in landing a show with that caliber of Director.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Alan Apone got me started in makeup when he would not let me hang around his special effects makeup lab anymore without attending makeup school.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The global beauty industry today has grown to more than a half a trillion-dollar business. Can you tell us about the innovations that you are bringing to the industry? How do you think that will help people?
I was the first to bring noninvasive alternatives to injections to the industry with 100% medical grade silicone pads. I wanted youth to be affordable, accessible and effective for men and women of all ages. I continue to innovate different shapes and sizes for the entire body. I also created hand cream and cleanser along with my line on anti-aging pads. These innovations can help anyone with any skin impurity or insecurity they may have, whether its wrinkles, fine lines, stretch marks, scars or sagging skin.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the modern beauty industry?
- I love that younger and younger people are looking at preventative beauty treatments.
- It makes me proud to see that independent beauty brands are up in sales.
- Out of necessity, we have shifted to create the spa experiences at home.
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to improve the industry, what would you suggest?
The beauty industry seems to only cater to younger audiences at times, does oversexualize young women and could be more diverse as well. I think by making sure all women are represented in advertising this can easily target people of color and older women as well without diminishing them and I think a focus on beauty rather than sex can eliminate some of the other issues as well.
You are an expert about beauty. Can you share a few ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?
Well of course I’m going to say SilcSkin Products. Such an easy product, with great overnight results!
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, Can you please share “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”. Please share a story or an example, for each.
1. Know your Craft, in and out, every aspect
Knowing every aspect of your craft will make you more employable and sought after in every profession. As a professional Film and TV Makeup Artist, I could have just pigeonholed myself and only become proficient in just basic beauty makeup. However, there is so much more to learn as a Film Makeup Artist, I chose to learn it all including Beauty Makeup (MU), Character MU, Special Effects MU, Special Effects MU Creation (Lab work), Painting, Sculpting, Mold Making, Fabrication, Hair and Wig work.
2. Learn everything about your business and industry as you can
And always keep abreast of all the latest products and techniques. Knowing all aspects of my craft, I got to have a 30-year Emmy-award winning career in which I got to travel the world doing films.
3. Don’t stop learning new things
Throughout my career, I worked to master every aspect of my craft so I could be more than employable, so I could be valuable. My dedication and work also gave me the knowledge to create my line of SilcSkin Anti-aging Silicone Pads.
4. Keep current & keep innovating
On Kill Bill, I was brought in by the Effects Group KNB, to finish out the end of the film doing Special Makeup Effects.
We were doing the Trailer fight scene where Uma Thurman’s character rips out Daryl Hanna’s remaining eye and steps on it.
I was there to apply Daryl’s ripped out Eye and some prosthetics on Uma. They had already shot the close ups of the “Eye” Gag in the studio. So, we were basically doing some “pickups” on the scene. So, here we are in the middle of the desert, about a mile from our base camp, when Quentin Tarantino asks me for the “eye” to get stepped on. That scene was already approved, so the Lab had not provided me with this prosthetic prop.
But Quentin does not take no lightly! So, relying on every bit of creativity I could muster, I sent a production assistant up to Base camp to get me some hard-boiled eggs. I cut the back off the Egg, removed the yolk, painted an eye on the front and filled the cavity with some bloody “nerves” which I created with some latex scraps and puss goop in my kit.
And Viola! An Eye to step on. I attached the “real” Eye. Mine was never seen in any close up but was more for the realistic experience for the Actor and Director.
5. Understand what your clients are looking for, even if they don’t
Bringing it back to Kill Bill, no one knew it was a hard-boiled egg they needed to help film the scene, but I was determined to do my job as best I could given the resources I had. In this case, when life gives you eggs, make an eye.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
As a mother, wife, entrepreneur, Emmy award winning makeup artist, and thyroid cancer survivor, I want to inspire others to be whoever they want. There is no limit on how much you can accomplish if you’re determined and committed. I wish I could start a movement that gave everyone a chance to try to do something they love and go after their dreams.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Know your craft! That’s my mantra. You need to know everything; beauty makeup, straight makeup, makeup effects, hair work, wig-making, sculpting, mold-making, running foam…everything! Get a good background, go to makeup school, then just get out and keep pushing. Never say no, just keep pushing, don’t stop.
How can our readers follow you online?
Instagram @silcskin
Facebook @silcskin
Twitter @SilcSkin
Website https://www.silcskin.com
About the Interviewer: Jilea Hemmings is a staunch believer in the power of entrepreneurship. A successful career revamping Fortune 500 companies was not enough for her entrepreneurial spirit, so Jilea began focusing her passion in startups. She has successfully built 6 startups to date. Her passion for entrepreneurship continues to flourish with the development of Stretchy Hair Care, focusing on relieving the pain associated with detangling and styling natural black hair. For far too long, people with tender heads have suffered in pain. Until now.
