Getting to Know the Glam Squad: Makeup Artist Rachel Goodwin

Meet Emma Stone and January Jones' face-painter

By Cinya Burton Jul 08, 2014 10:14 PMTags
January Jones, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Rachel Goodwin, Glam SquadJason Merritt/Getty Images, Dominique Charriau/WireImage, Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Let's face facts: sometimes red carpet makeup can get a little boring. You know, that same old red statement lip and standard smoky eye. Luckily that's never the case when Rachel Goodwin is at work. Chanel's celebrity makeup artist is not one to play it safe—hence why so many of her famous clients are constantly popping up in our Daily Beauty Moment. Whether she's applying a fuchsia lipstick on Emma Stone or creating a multicolored cat eye on January Jones, Goodwin knows how to keep things fresh.

Quite the feat considering her client list—which includes Kat Dennings, Diane Lane, Jodie Foster, Sheryl Crow, Amber Valetta, Cindy Crawford, Greta Gerwig and Diane Kruger—keeps her very busy. So we asked the famous face painter about her inspiration among other things. Here's what she shared:

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How long have you been a makeup artist?
I've been a makeup artist for over 20 years.  

Where did you get your start?
I started right out of high school and never looked back. I began by taking stage makeup classes at the San Francisco opera house, worked for Shiseido, Make Up For Ever and Mac Cosmetics as a freelance artist then moved to New York City to follow my dream of working in fashion. I was lucky enough to assist some of my all time heroes including Linda Cantello, Mark Carasquillo and James Kaliardos.

What was your big break?
Somehow or another on my very first trip to LA from NYC in 2000 I was lucky enough to be suggested to David La Chapelle, who was looking for a make up artist for a FLAUNT magazine cover he was shooting with a young actress named Brittany Murphy. I remember being so nervous to work with David because I had been such a fan of his. That was my very first cover shoot and launched my career in Los Angeles. I relocated a few months later.  

Jason Merritt/Getty Images, Steve Granitz/WireImage, Sipa Press

What are a few of your favorite red carpet looks that you've created?
Emma Stone for The Amazing Spider-Man premiere in Paris a few years ago. Her whole look had a real 1930's movie star glamour feeling to it but with a modern twist. It still gives me goose bumps when I see it—it was such a great red carpet moment. Two of my other all-time favorites would be January Jones at the 2011 Golden Globes and Penelope Cruz at the 2009 Oscars.

What was a near-fiasco that you've had to deal with? Or a really stressful moment in your career?
About six months ago I arrived in Hawaii to shoot a beauty ad at 2 a.m. and the airline lost my makeup kit. I had to be on set at 5 a.m. so it was a real Project Runway kind of moment. I just had to "make it work" as Tim Gunn would say with none of my regular tools or makeup. I found out what I was capable of that day, that's for sure! 

Jason Merritt/Getty Images, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

What items are always in your kit?
Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
Beauty Blender sponges and cleaner
Make Up For Ever face and body makeup
Kevin Aucoin skin enhancer
Dyptique floral water
Votre Vu Arch De Triumph eyebrow gels
And, of course, my Chanel brushes.

What new item are you currently obsessed with?
Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Smooth-Effect Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Sunscreen.  It's just incredible!  If you want immaculate refined looking skin that still breathes, look no further.

What is your favorite drug store buy?
I'm a huge fan of Revlon's lip crayons and find them hard to resist at the drug store.

What's the best thank you gift you've ever got?
A client once surprised me at the end of a particularly long job with a Hermes ashtray with the most beautiful Indian design on it as a 'thank you'. I was so touched. I keep it by my front door and place my keys in it every night—it always makes me smile. 

Who have you been working with the longest?
I've been working with January now for over a decade. She was one of the very first actresses I was introduced to when I moved to LA and we've been collaborating ever since. I adore our working relationship and feel like we have shared so many amazing red carpet moments as well as life moments together. She just gets me as an artist. We both share an appreciation for fashion, film, art, music, photography and books. We both have sons a few months apart and we get to share that experience now too, it's a really special bond that I treasure.  

See more of Rachel's work (and inspirations) on her Instagram.