Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvonne Boyiazis.
Hi Yvonne, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t think I would be working in makeup; I have done traditional art all my life, and I knew I would keep art in my life at least as a hobby, but I didn’t think doing latex and cotton makeups on myself in my bathroom could translate to income and wonderfully fun collaboration with others.
When I was eight, I went to my first Monsterpalooza—a horror and special effects makeup convention in Burbank—and I remember being enamored with someone painting a silicone prop head. Likely puzzled and amused by me, the artist offered to show me how to use an airbrush and let me practice painting numbers and letters on the head, and when I was about to leave the booth, he let me take an airbrush. My uncle, a brilliant painter who loves working with resin pieces, was with me at the convention and since then has taught me how to paint.
Ironically, the best thing that ever happened to me was getting rejected from all of the colleges I applied to—enough outside skeptics had me believing I had to have a “fallback plan” in case a creative career wouldn’t prove to be lucrative (not my parents, though, they have always been fabulously supportive), but it pushed me towards going to makeup school instead of pursuing a degree in animation, hoping that would give me an into working on student films for both CGI and makeup. After high school and a forced break due to Covid, I graduated from Cinema Makeup School, where I now work as well as taking set jobs.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Makeup isn’t easy, but it’s definitely fun, so I feel any obstacles I’ve encountered have been justified by the joy I’ve experienced in the struggle. I’m definitely at the advantage of being a native Californian with a supporting family. Most of the struggle is internal pressure I put on myself and the occasional blindness I have to the fact I can’t realistically compare myself to those who have been in this industry for years longer than I have.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have at least some experience in most facets of the makeup effects pipeline, but my primary focus is painting. Not only do I enjoy it most, but I find it to be the thing that can make or break a makeup: the sculpture and application can be flawless, but if the paint isn’t right, it throws the whole character out of artistic alignment.
What were you like growing up?
Uninterested in doing what other people were doing, I was strange growing up. The villains were always my favorite characters in cartoons, I loved Halloween, and I had imaginary friends. Oddly I feel like my personality hasn’t changed much from childhood, I do feel like I’ve always been the same person (minus the imaginary friends, thankfully I have real ones now). That’s part of why I subliminally knew I was meant to do makeup: I took a summer effects makeup class in high school, and everyone was like me. Not that we were all alike, but we were all of the same stock.
Contact Info:
- Website: yvonneboyiazis.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/yvonneboyiazis
- Facebook: facebook.com/yvonneboyiazis
