Current Vine

By Denise Tong

As a child in Madison, Wisconsin, Chris Newburg first ventured into the beauty world like many little girls do—by cutting her Barbie dolls’ hair and stealing her mother’s sample Avon lipsticks. Unlike most little girls, she turned her makeup play into a career.

Despite her love of cosmetics, though, Newburg wasn’t a makeup artist right out of the gate. In cosmetology school, the vast majority of the curriculum was hair-related; she later started her career as a hairstylist in a salon. When the management needed an additional makeup artist one day, she began her transition into cosmetics.

Newburg began to do makeup on photo shoots for clothing designers and test shoots for up-and-coming models; she also freelanced for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. Due to scant opportunities in Madison, however, she eventually began to thirst for more creative fulfillment. She moved to New York City in June 2006.

Since settling in New York, Newburg has worked on shoots for designers Lauren Moffatt and Giovanni Ravello, clothing line Doie, and forthcoming cosmetics line LaLeet. She also works part-time at Sephora, where she beautifies women at the cosmetics counter.

Newburg chatted with Current Vine about skincare and helping women feel good about themselves.

***

CV: What has been your most memorable makeup job so far?

CN: I was the only makeup artist for a Mother’s Day fashion show [in Madison]. There were 60 models; I had maybe five minutes per face, if that. I learned to do makeup very fast!

CV: Which current beauty trends do you like?

CN: The return of the natural brow. Also the return of sheer foundations and tinted moisturizers. I like to keep up with the trends by reading lots of magazines, watching fashion shows, and researching online.

CV: Which makeup artists do you like?

CN: My favorites include Pat McGrath, Charlotte Tilbury, Billy B., Dick Page…so many, I couldn’t name them all!

CV: Whose style do you admire?

CN: I find Kate Moss to be incredibly stylish—she can start a trend at the drop of a hat.

CV: What is the best beauty advice you’ve ever gotten, and what is the best beauty advice you could give?

CN: The best advice I ever got was: Take care of your skin and you’ll need less makeup! I think that came from my mom.

The best advice I could give: Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Women don’t realize how damaging the sun is—and also fluorescent lighting and even computer screens. Always apply something with an SPF! I tell this to every person whose face I touch, no matter how young or old. You know what they say: An ounce of prevention…

I never leave the house without a sunscreen on, and a lipgloss in my pocket.

CV: Where are you headed professionally?

CN: I like doing traditional beauty and fashion shoots—nothing avant garde or too wacky. Eventually, I would love to work backstage at fashion shows here and abroad.

CV: What are the most fulfilling and difficult parts of your job?

CN: The most fulfilling part? It’s really cool to see an image in my head be translated to print. And teaching women how to do their own makeup and helping them feel beautiful is really rewarding.

The most difficult part is that women are so hard on themselves! They list all their perceived flaws instead of looking at their positive features. I’m on a mission to turn that around, one person at a time!