Rae Morris has long worked at the forefront of the beauty industry and is Makeup Director to L’Oreal Paris. In addition to working with fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Rolling Stone and InStyle, Rae has earned her reputation by sculpting and polishing the faces of celebrities including Cate Blanchett and Jessica Biel, and top models Catherine McNeil, Miranda Kerr and Dotzen Kroes. With three best selling books behind her, Rae continues to share her tricks of the trade with RM Brushes. Professional Beauty’s Nina Richards caught up with her to find out more about her career and new brush range.
Q: Which aspects of your job do enjoy most?
A: I love the fact that I have the opportunity to travel and see places I wouldn’t normally be able to visit. I often stay in beautiful six-star resorts I could only have dreamed of before working as a professional makeup artist.
Q: Which products are always in your tool kit?
A: My makeup brushes – of course – and mascara. L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara, which has a comb wand, is my current favorite mascara. I also take my MAC Airbook laptop with me wherever I go so that I am able to research looks before I do them. I get great inspiration from seeing other’s images and discovering who’s shooting what.
Q: Why have you decided to launch a brush range now?
A: Crown Brushes, who already made my makeup brushes for me, kept asking me if I would be interested in launching my own brush range. I was very busy and thought that what I wanted would be impossible; I wanted my brushes to be better than what I already had, yet affordable to all makeup artists with an individual brush working out at $35. I also wanted the brush handles to be made using recycled bamboo and, of course, be cruelty-free. They said that they would be able to meet this criteria so, after two years, I agreed. It was important for me to visit the production factories in China to ensure that the employees had fair working conditions with normal working hours. I was also eager to check that each hand-made brush was of the same high quality.
Q: Tell me about your brushes. What is different about them?
A: They come in a set of 26 – I think 26 brushes are the minimal amount a professional makeup artist requires. They are all distinct in what they do, and some are multi-taskers. My moto has always been to "buy less makeup and have more brushes." They are easy to use and you can be lazy when using them! The main way in which my brushes differ to others on the market is their shape. The majority of brushes around are square or rectangle in shape and quite firm – this creates a hard makeup line which needs a lot of blending; one brush also doesn’t allow for contrasting eye shapes and sizes. Hard brushes are hard to use on older, less firmer skin as they often move the skin rather than the makeup. I have created my brushes to be very soft and more pointed – taking inspiration from calligraphy. Using my eyeshadow brush you should be able to create blended eye colour in just three strokes as the brush blends easily and doesn’t move the skin. I have also created three eyeliners taking into account different eye sizes. Being so soft also means that the brushes are suitable for sensitive skin. They are made of synthetic fibres and also blue squirrel hair.
Q: Which are your favorites?
A: My Square Kabuki brush since it is cheaper and firmer than others on the market. It should be used to add contour or blush to the face. I also love my Foundation Brush which is a large rectangular, soft brush, ideal for both liquid and powder foundations. Each brush comes with a face chart to explain how to use it and I will be adding some demonstration videos to You Tube.
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Q: What makeup application benefits can be achieved from using professional brushes such as yours?
A: One of the main benefits of using makeup brushes is that less product is used and wasted. They are therefore a good long-term investment. Brushes also allow you to blend colour quickly and get a flawless finish.
Q: When and where will you be distributing your brushes?
A: Australia is where we will be launching my brushes first; followed by Berlin, UK, USA and France. We will release 500 sets at the IMATS Makeup Show in Sydney on the 24th and 25th September, which a deposit of $100 can be put down for via my website www.raemorris.com. The total price is $899 for a set of 26.
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Q: How should your brushes be cleaned?
A: A good brush cleaner or dishwashing liquid and hot water; I like to swirl the brushes on a white plate until the colour runs clear and you know that they are clean. For personal use, I would recommend cleaning them once a week.
Q: Do you plan to launch any other products?
A: In the future I hope to launch travel- and mini-brush sets, and perhaps make the brushes available to purchase individually. As for makeup products, I have never wanted to be a makeup artist that has a whole product range as your focus inevitably changes. I am happy to leave the makeup ranges to the Francois Nars of this world! Plus, being Makeup Director to L’Oreal Paris, and having so many beautiful products at my fingertips, I have no need to create my own makeup range.
Q: Do you have any beauty secrets you can reveal?
A: Yes. For close up model-shots using macro-lenses, when you need your model’s skin to be really clear, a top tip is to mix your own gentle, but amazing, exfoliator using Sodium Bicarbonate and a fragrance-free cleanser such as a Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser.
Q: Do you have any advice for those wanting to work as a makeup artist?
A: Research is key. Use models.com and style.com as your bible for following the latest fashion looks. It is important to be aware of who the top makeup artists in the industry are, and the techniques they are using and the looks that they are creating. Immerse yourself in elite fashion websites/magazines like Vogue and get inspiration from photos. Try doing every face from every fashion show such as Chanel and Prada. Try the looks on different skin types to improve your techniques. The In Beauty magazine which is published twice a year is also full of inspirational makeup looks and a good buy. Make it your goal to be the best at makeup. If you would like to get into editorial makeup it really helps to gain contacts through assisting a professional makeup artist. Often agencies won’t take you on unless you have been referred. You should eat, drink and breathe makeup, and ask yourself whether you would still be doing it if you weren’t being paid and no-one was watching… If your answer is yes then hard-work and determination can also get you a long way.
Visit www.raemorris.com and www.crownbrush.com.au for further information.