June 24, 2016

Meet Sherman Oaks Makeup Artist: Lusine Galadjian

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lusine Galadjian. She’s a rising star in the LA makeup community and we are thrilled to share her story with you. Check out excerpts of our interview with her below:

Lusine, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

My passion for art and beauty started at a young age. After receiving a BA in Communications Studies, I accepted an internship at a record label coordinating photo shoots and music videos. I realized then the importance of makeup artistry and decided to pursue my childhood calling! Realizing the direct correlation between good skincare and makeup, I decided to obtain my Esthetician license, giving me the added knowledge. As an Emmy nominated, celebrity makeup artist, I can say I’ve worked with some of the most talented people in the industry. I specialize in red carpet glamour and bridal makeup and am best known for creating a flawless face while allowing my client’s natural beauty to shine through. I’m truly blessed to be able to do what I love – everyday.

Has it been a smooth road?

I started before all the social media, you tube and Instagram craze began.. It’s both a good and bad thing. The bad part is that I didn’t have access to all the YouTube tutorials makeup artists these days have. They’re very fortunate to have the ability to go online and learn things much more quickly… Whereas makeup artists back then had to learn the hard way. We had to assist several artists in order to see how things were done and learn that way. The good thing is … Even though we learned the hard way, we had real life experiences on set. We made real life personal connections with real people.

What are your plans for the future?

I’d love to use my talents to help people in need. One way. Is to start a makeup line that gives a portion of the proceeds to children and single mothers in need and the second is putting together an educational program for single women in need of jobs trying to support their kids and give them the tools they need as well as inspiring them to believe in themselves. This isn’t limited to but includes a used women, women who have gone through a time financial time and want to start over, women who are battling some form of disease and can use makeup as a way of focusing their attention on something more empowering. I can go on and on… But my love for children and those who care for them is truly real as I have 3 children of my own and couldn’t imagine them going through a difficult time in life.

Let’s dig a little deeper into your story. What was the hardest time you’ve had?

I’ve been through hard times in my career of course, times when I wasn’t sure if I made the right decision as far as becoming a makeup artist. I grew up being expected to either become a lawyer or a doctor, but makeup was my passion. So during the times when I wasn’t booking jobs, I was scared. I wanted to have a stable career so I could support my kids as I was going through a rocky marriage. But I stuck though it and didn’t give up. I kept doing free work just to showcase my skills and try to secure jobs.

Do you ever just stop and think WOW – I’ve made it?

There’s 3 moments in life when I thought yes, I’m on the right path, and I’ve made the right decisions!

The first moment was when I met with an agency who reviewed my book and decided they were going to represent me… I was over the moon!

A second moment was when I first worked with Mariah Carey (I’d been doing makeup for about a year and a half at the time) I’d always been a fan of hers and one day I was listening to the radio and heard about her tough times and how she got through them and thought to myself, wow I wish I could work with her. She’s so inspirational, and 2 weeks later, I got a call from my agent asking me if I could go and do Mariah’s makeup. She was so sweet and humble.

A third moment. And one that I will never forget was when I found out my makeup department was nominated for an Emmy award and I got to attend with my son and one o my favorite clients, who’s also like family to me, Victoria Justice. The show we worked on was also nominated as well as the hair department. It was truly a moment I will cherish forever.

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