Although make-up artist Clayton Leslie works for many celebs and is head of the cabin at several shows, he remains remarkably down-to-earth in the chaotic world. “It’s just make-up.” But hey, we find it incredibly nice that he is so down-to-earth, and that’s why we wanted to present him with all these beauty questions. Clayton Leslie is all yours.

Morning ritual

“To look somewhat presentable in the morning, I absolutely cannot do without my L’Oréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic moisturizer. It’s a nourishing cream that gives your skin just the boost it needs to look fresher. It feels wonderful to step out the door like this.‘

Inspiration

“My biggest inspiration is my sister. I have four sisters, which can be inspiration enough, but the sister in question did make-up and always knew how to make herself even more beautiful. This made me think: ‘I want that too’. I did think it wasn’t an official profession and didn’t know that you could actually make a living from it. But I had multiple interests. Traveling, interacting with people, and especially meeting new people. After training in that direction and jobs that always had one of those aspects, I thought back to make-up. And now I do something that encompasses all those aspects. I can draw further inspiration from everything. Of course, I love to travel the world for fashion weeks and keep an eye on the better magazines. Furthermore, people on the street inspire me, but also clothing, nature, and films. Actually, everything. I think the most important thing is to be open to inspiration and the beautiful things in the world. For example, I can be fascinated for 5 minutes by one pink flower in a green patch of grass. To let inspiration come to you, you just have to open yourself up to those kinds of beautiful things in the world.”

Trends

“Trends that have caught my eye are mainly fire-engine red lips, thin eyeliners, and fully outlined eyes in one color, for example in a pastel color. I think every look on the catwalk can be suitable for everyday life. The important thing is that you translate them to yourself: “what suits you?”, “how do you make it fit you?” and not to forget: “for what occasion is it?” I definitely think that almost every trend can be done at home. The only thing you need to do is listen to yourself and your surroundings. If you like it, then just do it and wait to see how your surroundings react. But the most important thing is that it makes you happy.”

Red carpet essential

“At a red carpet moment, it’s important to ensure that you don’t shine in the wrong places, like on your forehead and along your nose. We can certainly categorize that in the “don’ts”. On the other hand, a shine works very well on the cheekbones. Especially when photographed. Furthermore, it’s important to choose the right foundation color for your face. One that is not too light and definitely not too dark.”

Eyebrows or lashes

“If I have to choose, definitely the eyebrows. Every expression on the face is made by your eyebrows. Whether you look angry, happy, or surprised, everything happens with your eyebrows. So they are definitely the most important. That’s why I find it really important that they have the right shape. Not too narrow and not too round. An eyebrow that goes from wide to narrow, with a nice angle in it. And “an eyebrow drawn with one pencil line” is completely out of the question.”

Favorite perfume

“I have many different favorite scents for different occasions. One of them is Lolita Lempicka, Chanel Blue, and some more exclusive scents like Frederic Malle and Comme des Garçons.”

Undiscovered beauty product

“An undiscovered beauty product for me is the right eyeliner brush. It’s a very small brush, cut at an angle, just like the tip of a Tweezerman. You can really create the most beautiful eyeliners with it. And beautiful liquid shine products like Strobe by M.A.C, Copacabana by Nars also really work wonders.”

The tips for dark skin

“With dark skin, you always need to be careful that it doesn’t turn gray or dull. This happens quickly when products are used that lack warmth. For foundation, for example, that would be a red or orange tint. For eyeshadow, I would rather choose a bronze/gold/copper tint than a silver/white. Unless the color is a statement, of course.”

Shows

“The most beautiful show I have been able to do was my first big fashion week show as head of the cabin (head of the make-up team). That was a show by Claes Iversen, one of my favorite Dutch designers. The make-up was quite simple at first glance, just beautiful with a lot of shine, but if you looked closely, each model had a special touch. One had a yellow stripe in the arch. The other had a lip that faded in color and more of those ‘secret eyecatchers’. It was very fun to think of and create, and especially to wait for the reactions.

At my very first (smaller) show as head, I had decided that I wanted to give the models smoky eyes between the first and second round. Unfortunately, I should have tested that during the rehearsal. Because the models went on the runway in pairs during the second round, it turned out that I had much less time than I had calculated. My whole team was stressed, and some models went on the runway with one smoky eye. What a low point. Funny enough, after the show, people came up to me to tell me how cool they thought it was. They thought I wanted to show that you shouldn’t take ‘fashion’ too seriously. Amusing.”

Never leave home without

“I never leave the house without a mini jar of Vaseline. I don’t use make-up myself, but I always find it terrible when I, or someone else, has dry lips. It always looks so shabby. Completely unnecessary. A little Vaseline on it and it’s gone. And it also gives a nice shine.‘