Bio

With over 20 years in the beauty business, Dominic has credited his ongoing search for makeup knowledge and strive for perfection as his reason for his unwavering passion for all things makeup. Having worked for some of the worlds greatest designers and photographers and alongside the most iconic Makeup Artists, he is full to the brim with tips, tricks, hacks and inspiration making him the go to artist for creative thinking.

Being labelled as ‘A must to follow’ by various online and printed publications, Dominic’s Instagram feed has been the go to destination for all his MAC and Backstage related work. “I wanted to show people the incredibly wide variety of work you do as a MAC Global Senior Artist. From the backstages of New York or Paris to the front rows of London’s West End. Each day is different and each day brings new inspiration. With Instagram I found a way to let people in and join me on the ride.”

One of the greatest aspects of his work is getting the chance to engage with and mentoring new talent. “It’s the new generation of makeup artists that will be pushing those boundaries and raising that bar and as part of the established group of working makeup artists it is our responsibility to nurture and develop that new talent pool.”. So getting the opportunity to work on a TV show such as BBC Threes Glow Up was a dream come true. “Not only am I able to help develop skills and give constructive feedback to a group of inspiring new artists, Glow Up also lets me show the world all the incredible paths that being a makeup artist can take you. It’s shone a torch on the beauty world and shown it as a credible career.”

Growing up, life as an artist was always his goal. “I always wanted to be an artist living in Paris in a cold and lofty apartment, victimised by the weather, that was always the plan. However, the poetic vision would never hold up against the cold hard reality.” He went to art school and got into photography but he became obsessed “with the idea of makeup as an addition to the image rather than something separate.” And then M.A.C. happened.

As for his trademark curlicue moustache, it’s kept in place with sheer will and un-discouraged faith, plus a little hair product combed through with a disposable mascara wand.

How it all began

My very first recollection of makeup as an art form was watching Blade Runner. I must have been about 10 years old but I’ve got older brothers so I was always doing things I wasn’t really allowed to do for my age. But watching Daryl Hannah spray the black paint across her eyes was the first time I saw not just makeup but makeup as a creative form. After that I would get out my mum’s makeup bag and smother the face of anyone who would sit down long enough.

In my later teenage years I grew up in Switzerland and there was little exposure to urban culture and what I saw coming out of London. Then one day at the local train station I remember seeing a cover of 'The Face' magazine styled by Judy Blame. I was obsessed and afterwards, I would take the images and try replicate the look.

Makeup evolution

I found the leap from art to makeup very easy. It seemed very obvious: colour theory, application, tools - there was no issue. The only issue was the confines of society about how makeup is perceived, how it’s seen and used as an identity as opposed to a form of creation.

When I was a painter, you have to add texture to create depth and 3D imagery. And the overriding aesthetic for me would always be texture. For me there is nothing more dull than a matte face, there’s nothing of interest there. Whereas slip on a bit of gloss - on the eyes, the lips, wherever - and suddenly it’s really interesting. It’s alive. Something to catch the eye, make you stop, stare and think about. After all, isn’t that what Art is all about?