The Arlt of looking good

Gregory Arlt's celebrity clients include the face of for M.A.C's Viva Glam V lipstick, Pamela Anderson.

Gregory Arlt is a self-confessed "beauty exorcist". But instead of grabbing a rosary and reciting the holy name, he invokes the power of Canadian makeup brand M.A.C and wields a mean set of brushes to get to the beauty.

"I love bone structure. I appreciate a woman's beauty whether she's a 16-year-old model or a 60-something housewife, I think every woman is beautiful. I don't like makeup to look masky on the face. I like to bring out the highlights of the skin, the natural bone structure and bring beauty out of the skin that's in all of us. Some people just don't know how to find it," says the Los Angeles-based director of makeup artistry for M.A.C. He was in the country recently to present next winter's makeup trends.

Not that he has to go far to find the beauty of many of the faces he has worked on. Sienna Miller, Nelly Furtado, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, Kim Catrall, Cher, Fran Drescher, Daria Werbowy, Pamela Anderson, Alek Wek and Lauren Bacall have all had their faces made over by Arlt, who used to have to beg his two older sisters to let him do their makeup.

In his 15 years in the industry, he has worked on celebrity clients, fashion shows in New York, Paris and Milan, magazines such as Vanity Fair, InStyle, Allure, Marie Claire and Elle, as well as having been the makeup artistic director for Cher's Living Proof farewell tour and Jane's Addiction Nothing's Shocking tour.

Arlt loves all his subjects.

He started doing Pamela Anderson's makeup after she became one of the spokespeople for M.A.C's Viva Glam V lipstick and Lipglass. All sales of the Viva Glam range go to the M.A.C's Aids Fund.

"[Pamela] is so much fun. We laugh from beginning to end. She's quick, she's smart, she's irreverent. She's actually launched a clothing line called Hot Sexy Bitch. I laughed and said 'I think I can fit your whole collection in my hand.' But she's doing these amazing faux leather handbags and is really dedicated to her cause." (Anderson is also a spokeswoman for animal rights group Peta).

"She's like a cartoon character, a Pammy doll. You see the big hair, the big eyes, the big lips, but she really is fashion. A lot of women in LA are emulating her look - the Juicy Couture aesthetic, the tiny tops. When you think fashion, the first thing that comes to mind is Sarah Jessica Parker but I think Pamela has such a California beachy aesthetic."

On how to look like Ukrainian-Canadian modelling sensation Daria Werbowy: "Surgery," says Arlt. "I'm just kidding. She's so gorgeous and hilarious and she tells me racy jokes."

One of his career highlights has been designing the makeup for Cher's farewell tour. "I used to beg to stay up and watch her show when I was a kid. She's a makeup junkie but she looks good with or without it."

Arlt has also begun doing long-time client Fran Drescher's makeup on her new sitcom Living with Fran.

"She plays a 40-something hot woman who has a 28-year-old boyfriend. It's very Demi and Ashton. But she's got the most amazing skin I've ever seen on a 48-year-old woman. She stays out of the sun, she sleeps with a humidifier, she washes her makeup off at night, she has an excellent diet, has no dairy and she sleeps on her back. She was saying when you sleep on your side a lot of women she knows get that whole wrinkly chest area. Her makeup is some of the easiest to do because her skin's ready for me."

It seems all his celebrity clients have amazing skin.

"They can afford to get facials," he says.

For the rest of us, he recommends concentrating makeup on the areas of mobility, such as eyes, and lips.

"If you have about five minutes, you've got the kids and the car pool about to happen, use a tinted moisturiser, a little bit of mascara and a gorgeous lipstick or gloss. If you have a little bit longer, you can get into a perfect cheek colour, maybe some eyeshadows. Get into little bit more maintenance on the skin. Use some concealer and do the old mascara at the red light trick - just not while I'm behind you please."

When you've got more time, highlighting products bring out the bones and brighten the face giving sheer, shiny skin. He's a fan of M A.C's Cream Colour Base in Pearl and, for darker skin, Fawntastic on the upper cheekbone and, using the fingers, under the eyebrow .

But for real backstage perfection, he suggests investing in a set of five or six brushes - one for foundation, powder, blusher and lips and two eye brushes. "Women ask if they can just use one. My question is 'do you cook'? If you do, you wouldn't make a cake with one spatula. Brushes are what give us the most flawless finish."