You've probably seen Lexi Lazaro modeling for Brightside Boutique or come across her wildly popular Instagram page and beauty blog. I talked to her about being a makeup artist and beauty blogger.
Tell me about yourself (where you grew up and what you do now).
I think questions like this always remind me of how boring I am! I was born in Maryland but I moved to Ohio when I was two. I lived there till 6th grade when my family moved back to Maryland. I think that’s why people always think I have an accent - people think it’s southern but I guess I get it from spending my youth in the cornfields that we call the midwest. Now I’m working in Chevy Chase as a Beauty Studio Coordinator at Sephora and running a beauty blog. It’s not where I thought I would be but I love it.
How did you get into makeup artistry?
To make a long story short, being a makeup artist was never a career option for me. My parents always wanted me to take the logical/scholastic route. I went to college for law, which I was good at but never 100% passionate about. Makeup was always a side thing… something I did on my sister and her friends for dances but nothing more than that. It wasn’t until I got into law school and moved across the country to California that I decided that following my own passions was more important than the “logical” straight and narrow route. I had a boyfriend at the time that really pushed me to do what made me happy and not what my family expected from me. Without even giving it much more thought I jumped ship on law school and found a job in makeup back DC. It’s probably the biggest, most stressful, and most spontaneous decision I’ve ever made but it’s also one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
When painting a face, you begin with a blank canvas. What inspires you?
It kind of depends on the situation. When I’m trying to work with a client to find what works best for them, I get a lot of inspiration from their personality and style. I really like the makeup that I do on them to show their personality but when left to my own artistic devices I work a little differently.
My inspiration comes from a mix of abstract art and 19th century Romanticism. I love the mix of color and texture in abstract art and I love how art from the Romantic period has an amazing contrast between dark and gritty imagery, peaking light and soft flowing forms. I love mixing soft and gritty colors and textures together to create clean yet dark looks.
What items do you always have in your kit?
I think that my must have products are pretty vanilla. I always have the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder on hand; its my absolute favorite powder to set with because it never leaves a white cast and it has such a nice velvety finish. I also always have my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pro Palette because I have truly fallen in love with using powder in brows whenever possible (it doesn’t always work for everyone but still) and I also always have my Make Up For Ever Chromatic Drops which have saved my butt in creating the right foundation shade on more than one occasion. None of these products are probably very exciting but they are pretty necessary if you ask me. (laughs)
How would you describe your signature look?
I think my signature makeup look when given my way with clients is a warm, earth-toned, smokey eye with a super clean complexion, soft contour, and highlight paired with a neutral lip. The intensity of the smokey eye may very a bit but I would say that’s always my signature. If I’m really feelin' it I’ll throw a winged liner in there too.
Get the look: Too Faced Born This Way Foundation and Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. Sephora Collection Contour in Tranquil. Chaos Makeup Artist Highlighter in Ethereal. ColourPop Brow Pomade in Bangin Brunette. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder in Dark Brown. Viseart Dark Matte Eyeshadow Palette. M.A.C. Eyeshadow in Coppering. Luxy Lashes Mink Lashes in Babydoll. Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Bow n' Arrow.
What beauty trends are you looking forward to in 2016?
I really enjoy that matte lips are continuing on strong in 2016. I hope matte lips never die… its probably wishful thinking but whatever - matte lips for life!
If you could give any celebrity a makeover, who would it be and what would you do?
I don’t follow pop culture too much to be honest so for some strange reason I’ve never really thought about it really. I think that’s kind of shocking since everyone I know has that one celebrity they want to be able to doll up. If I had to pick though I would probably say Krysten Ritter. I just love how she has an edgy vibe that feels like it’s just embedded in who she is as a person. I would definitely do something pretty grungey on her like a a mustard yellow and yellow-toned brown smokey eye with smudged out black liner. I would probably keep the complexion pretty clean but super chiseled and I would top it off with a nude matte lip.
Check out Lexi's beauty blog and read all of her in-depth product reviews and tutorials. You can also keep up with her on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.