Conversations with Cheryl Calo

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Calo.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
At a very early age, maybe 5, I was asked, “Cheryl what do you want to be when you grow up?” and my reply was, “I want to be a chemist, so I could make my own makeup.” As far back as I could remember I had an obsession with makeup. So much so, I use to eat it!! Now I’m not promoting that, but I loved it so much, that I had to have it!

I would sneak into my mother’s bedroom, open the drawer with her brand new lipstick, that had a perfect point, you know how brand new lipsticks look and bite off the top. Roll it back down and put it away back in the drawer. Later on, I’d hear my mom yell “Cheryl!! What did you do??” I just had to have it, so I guess you could say,… it’s in my blood. I always went for my dreams. at the age of 15, I submitted myself into a beauty pageant, competed against 70 other girls, and won! I was Miss Connecticut National Teenager 1983. I then went on to study Fashion Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn New York, and in my last year of college, my teacher submitted me into a competition and I won that too! The Young Fashion Designers Competition. I represented the United States and went to Paris France to compete against 20 other countries. Mary McFadden & Christian Lacroix were two of the judges. It was a marvelous time. I was featured in Woman’s Wear Daily and was headhunted to design my own line of clothing. I lived in Kowloon, Hong Kong creating my own line of clothing, complete with two salesmen and showroom on Broadway Ave in the heart of the Fashion District in New York City. But three weeks before market week, The company that hired me, went bankrupt. I knew that I wanted to be in the fashion industry, so I went back to my roots and love for makeup and never looked back. Back when I started as a makeup artist, many people had no idea that this could actually be a career. We didn’t have social media, reality TV and influencers to push the idea. After I was developed and paid my dues, I secured an agent, Cloutier Remix, who to this day, still represents me. I’ve worked on hundreds of models and celebrities for red carpet, print campaigns, Advertising, Music videos, TV, Commercials, and Film.

When I joined the IATSE Local 706 Makeup Union in Los Angeles in 2006, I took extra classes to become a Journeyman. The union requires all of its member to take “Safety Pass” Classes to stay in good standing. They teach you all aspects of working on a union set. One class in particular, focused on hazards and chemicals. As makeup artists, we handle many chemicals each day on the job, Glues, removers, etc. but it was when I raised my hand and asked what kind of chemicals are in quick-drying makeup brush cleaners, to my horror, I was told of the solvent cleaners and the extreme toxicity they carry. The are Carcinogenic “forever Chemicals”. If handled incorrectly, for example, holding a paper towel in your hand, dipping into the solvent and wiping the makeup brush is the worst thing you can do because your skin is the biggest organ of your body. whatever you touch, sinks through your skin and goes directly into your bloodstream and that chemical then stores itself in your spinal column fluid and will just build up and build up over time. Learning this information changed my life. Knowledge is priceless. I decided I must create a non-toxic way for artists to clean their makeup brushes and Crystal Clean Pro-Brush Cleaner was born.

I was very busy working on different jobs, that I put off my idea until Covid-19 hit.

Nobody was working, all the studios shut down, so I decided to Get to Work on my dream. After trials and adjustments to the formula, I’m proud to say that Crystal Clean Pro-Brush Cleaner is the first of its kind. As most makeup artists can confirm, especially when working on a show, and with covid protocols, each actor has their own makeup bags with their own brushes that are used on only them in order to not spread any germs. At the end of the day, it use to take so much time to clean all the brushes that have accumulated throughout the day. With my product, its a Non-Toxic powder that you mix with water to create a solution. The amazing thing is that there is no need to wash each brush individually. You put all your brushes, blenders and tools into the same vessel that you have your solution mixed in and soak them for five to ten minutes. With Crystal Cleans effervescent action all the tedious work is done for you. You can have peace of mind knowing that your brushes are clean, and safe for your client, safe for you to handle, and safe for the environment.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As soon as I created the formula for Crystal Clean, I thought to myself, the best way to get my product out there is to get it in the hands of my colleagues, and other makeup artist that I work with. any job I was on, I would give the artist a bottle to try, gratis, in the hopes that they would post about it on social media. I also asked for feedback. I had such great response and with a little tweaking here and there the product has been perfected.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Artist/ Creative/ business owner/inventor.

I am a journeyman make up artist in the IATSE local 706 makeup Union, I also am very good at hair. I am a licensed cosmetologist. I am most proud of being a Department Head. and Key Makeup artist.

I’ve had the privilege of working on iconic TV shows such as Veep, How I Met Your Mother, Dollface, The Shrink Next Door, 1923, and movie Tenet., Also working on STING for his remix of his song “Roxanne”… I think what sets me apart from others is that I have 30 years of experience. When I department head, it’s imperative, that my crew is extremely talented in our craft, organized, drama free and keep their stations and makeup brushes clean.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I think the most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is that there is always enough work for everyone and there’s no need to stress over where my next job will be coming from. It always comes in and it’s usually always the right opportunity. I also feel that immersing yourself in the knowledge of your craft, being aware of your products, and their content, knowing what you’re handling every day is very important. Also, don’t be afraid to go for your dream as long as you apply yourself every day doing just a little something to further your dream, you’ll get there eventually. Consistency and faith.

Pricing:

• 8.5. oz bottle – $19.99 (plus tax & shipping)
• 4 oz bottle – $10.00 (plus tax & shipping)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.crystalcleanproducts.com & www.cherylcalo.com
• Instagram: @crystalcleanprobrushcleaner
• Facebook: @crystalcleanprobrushcleaner
• Twitter: Linktree – https://linktr.ee/crystalcleanproducts
• Youtube: Twitter- – @mkupart
• Other: TikTok – @crystalcleanpro & @cherylcalo IMDB: Cheryl Calo

Image Credits
Headshot: Paula Marshal
Additional photos: Kelly Fajack @kellyfajackphoto