Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Hummell.
Hi Stacey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
1984. Four years old. I stuff beautiful, soft, fluffy makeup brushes into the pockets of my pinafore dress whilst accompanying my mom to the salon. She makes me return them (sobbing) and apologize to the store owner for my crime 1995. 15 years old. Day 1 of a family vacation, our minivan is stolen…with all of our bags inside. And while that is a crazy story for another day, the end result is an insurance payout and a mom-sanctioned $100 allotment to buy replacement toiletries. With the only $100 bill I had ever held tucked into my jeans pocket, I spend hours in the cosmetics section of our local drug store carefully considering all of the pretty paints and pencils and poofs. I can still feel the excitement and endless possibilities of *legal* makeup procurement
1995. Four months later… I am given Kevyn Aucoin’s iconic 1st book, “The Art of Makeup” by my older sister for Christmas. It is instantly my most prized possession. I pour over every word, every picture. For years, I “recreate” the looks on anyone who will willingly sit in front of me. I send friends and sisters to parties and dates, faces painted by me with…ummmmm…varying degrees of success. With each application, I learn more. I learn how to shade match, how to apply shadows and liners to different eye shapes, how to gently, respectfully, and authoritatively touch another human’s face. I utilize the techniques and tricks I’ve learned as I perform with my high school’s advanced drama class. I go to a theatre conservatory for college, and without realizing it, always find myself approaching characters face first.
2003. I move to Los Angeles as an actor. Within three months, I am unmistakably clear that acting is not my path. UGH. What the hell am I supposed to do now. 2004. I am at a house party with my best friend from the acting conservatory. Her actor friend is telling us how she is getting new headshots taken but isn’t keen on going with the suggested makeup artist. Without missing a beat, my bestie says, “Well, Stacey’s a makeup artist…”. I stare at her, awestruck, “I am??” She pulls me aside, “Duh. Of course you are. You do it all the time.” So, I say yes. I am.
I (again) find myself in front of the cosmetics section at my (different) local drug store carefully considering all the paints and pencils and poofs. I pick up everything (on clearance) that I think I’ll need (I don’t really know), hoping I can (but knowing I really can’t) afford it. I do the job and know almost immediately that this is my path. I feel it in my guts. It’s unequivocal.
After that, I keep saying yes. The headshot photographer invites me back for another shoot. I say yes. An actor whose headshots I do tells a director friend that I’d be great for a short film. I say yes. The jobs pay nothing. I say yes. The jobs pay $50. I say Hell Yes! The jobs pay $100 and I am sure I have made it.
This is how my years in the industry play out. I say yes to the opportunities that somehow keep coming my way. I vow to be an asset on any set I work on; I am kind, respectful, hardworking, and I become one hell of a Makeup Artist.
2023. Present. It’s (unbelievably) been almost 20 years. I’ve painted the faces of legends, supermodels, new moms going to their sister’s weddings, incredible actors, my gorgeous daughter, sisters, mother, people struggling with the effects of chemotherapy and everyone in between. True, I get to be a bit more discerning with my time these days, but the absolute foundation of everything I do boils down to what is my only piece of advice for anyone who wants to do what I do… Say Yes, and trust yourself. Nobody knows what they’re doing ’til they do it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Is there such a thing as a “smooth road” in the entertainment industry? If so, I haven’t heard that story yet. There have been the 18-hour days on short films for “copy, credit, meals’, the inappropriate asks by inappropriate people for inappropriate things, the early reality of scrounging together change to buy a product I desperately need for my kit, the hours (and hours and hours and hours) spent trying to hunt down nefarious producers who conveniently go missing before paying the crew.
We’ve been impressed with RadMakeup, Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Being an artist is one thing, running a business is a whole other can of worms. RadMakeup is my brand, RadMakeup Inc. is my business, but when you boil it down, it’s mostly just lil’ ol’ me.
Email my website? I’m responding. Scheduling? Secretary Stacey at your service. Social Media? Well, I have an amazing (millennial) woman for that – my Gen X brain just refused to get on board.
What can you expect when you work with RadMakeup, Inc.? 20 years of professional makeup experience including beauty, theatrical, and special effects makeup. You can expect to feel heard, supported, guided and celebrated. You can expect to look gorgeous, feel stunning, and know that even if we have to do it in the backseat of a car weaving through Hollywood traffic at rush hour, I’ll have you feeling confidently red carpet ready when we get where we’re going.
What makes you happy?
Working with people I love and respect, cooking for people I adore, finding solutions to *impossible* problems, hiring my incredibly talented 16-year-old daughter as my assistant and watching her thrive as an artist in her own right, lifting heavy weights at the gym, the moment a client looks at themselves in the mirror and I see how beautiful they feel, fudgey brownies, reeeeeally good catering and craft services on set, kindness. Kindness makes me so very, very happy. I mean, we get to do this crazy life thing together. Let’s all just be kind and do rad stuff!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.radmakeup.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/RadMakeup
Image Credits
Andrew Arthur Birdie Thompson Emman Montalvan Clayton Hawkins
