Spotlight Pearl Louie— she does faces, too

Pictured above, left to right: Parissa backvertising stunt, special FX makeup for The X-Files.

Pearl Louie was the makeup artist on our backvertising stunt for Parissa Wax Strips. It definitely takes a pro to turn a man's hairy back into a walking billboard— one that had Kits beach-goers coming up to take photos and feel the hair for themselves. We asked her to tell us a bit about the work she does, outside of grooming hirsute men...

"I started working as a makeup artist in 1977. Like many of my colleagues at that time, I came into the film & TV industry from theatre, where I was enjoying a career as a dancer and choreographer. I didn’t set out to be a makeup artist, but it was an easy transition from performer to technician, and I’ve been fortunate to have worked steadily since then.

"Over the years, I’ve put makeup and hair on anything and everything: horses, dogs, goats, babies… I’ve styled Barbie, Dora the Explorer, and a plethora of dolls in the Mattel and Fischer Price stables. I’ve worked on everything from big budget films, TV series, commercials, and print photo shoots to fashion shows, weddings, and beauty pageants. I love it all, although I have an affinity for working on television series and shows with special effects. My two favourite TV projects have been 21 Jump Street and The X-Files.

"The Parissa project for Rethink was a joy even though it was on a tight schedule. The guy had a hairy back to begin with, but it wasn’t thick or dark enough to write with, so I painted his own hair to match the letters I had made. The letters… well, I made them by hand-laying strands of yak hair onto fine wig lace (yes, yak hair because it has the right texture— don’t ask where you find the yak, and one with the correct colour of hair, on short notice…). The hairs were all cut down to length and the lace trimmed so I could glue the letters onto the guy’s back with medical adhesive. It was very labour intensive, but the only way it would look right. I was there on Kits beach throughout the shoot, re-glueing and sunscreening when necessary. The reactions were often hilarious— some people couldn’t believe what they were seeing and some people had to touch his back and feel the hair. The concept was clever, as befits Rethink’s reputation, and certainly brought out the smiles that day."

Shown above: Pearl's glamour and fantasy makeup.

If you’d like to work with Pearl Louie, contact her at rockstardesign1..@gmail.com.

If you’ve worked with Rethink and would like to be considered for Spotlight, contact lian..@rethinkcanada.com.