Today on the blog we have the one and only Cat Mignano.
Cat is a makeup artist to the stars and you’ve probably seen her work on Ariana Madix, Mellisa Wood-Tepperberg, Campbell Puckett aka Pookie, and Lisa Barlow. You’ve also seen lots of her work over the years on our very own Lauryn Bosstick.
Whenever Lauryn travels to New York she is sure to book (or have Katie book) Cat almost every single day.
In this post, Cat is here to tell us how she became interested in makeup, her favorite products to use on Lauryn, favorite products to use on herself and the skincare practices needed to create a perfect canvas for makeup.
With that, let’s welcome Cat Mignano to the blog.
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Introduce yourself to The Skinny Confidential audience.
Cat Mignano: Hey TSC, my name is Cat (aka CAM) & I am a Professional Makeup Artist based out of NYC. Art has always been a passion of mine; growing up I always painted, drawn and loved art. It was in middle school when I discovered beauty creators on YouTube, that my love for makeup began. Rather than going to college, I went to makeup school. Best decision I ever made! I never thought I could do this full time, but all it takes is a little confidence in yourself & you can do anything.
What’s a makeup trend you love right now?
CM: Right now I’m really into less is more. Focusing on enhancing someone’s natural features brings out a different kind of beauty. I keep finding myself going back to basics and keeping my makeup looking more classic. Keeping it minimal, clean, and not complicated. So I guess my favorite trend right now is to not follow the trends!
What’s a makeup trend you never want to see again?
CM: This was an easy answer. The 2016 square block, aggressive, harsh eyebrows. The Anastasia Beverly Hills brow pomade was definitely the star of the show for this trend. I’d love to keep this trend in the 2010s.
What’s your favorite look to give Lauryn?
CM: Lauryn is my natural glam girl. We love to prep Lauryn’s skin with her colostrum moisturizer. This makes her skin super glowy and prepped for make up. Then I like to use the Chanel le teint Velvet foundation. This provides coverage, but still looks like skin. The first time I worked with Lauryn she told me that she wants her brows to stick straight up like a boner. I will never forget that and to make sure that they do, I like to use the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow freeze gel. I use a dark brown eyeshadow and a small angled brush to create a wing on the outer corner of her eyes, this lifts the whole face.
With lashes I like to use individual lashes and just focus them on the outer corner to enhance the lift. For lip I like to give Lauryn a natural overline. I’ve been using the Anastasia Beverly Hills deep taupe lip liner nonstop. Then I really love taking whatever cream blush I used and patting it onto the center of the lip, and then topping with a juicy gloss; my favorite is by Refy.
Great makeup starts with great skin – what are your skincare tips for creating a beautiful canvas for makeup?
CM: Skin prep is probably my favorite part of the whole makeup application process. When preparing a client’s skin, I almost always start with the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance pads. They even out the skin texture, & boost radiance. Depending on their skin type, I like to go in with a serum, moisturizer, eye cream and/or oil. I think that eye prep is very neglected and this makes the biggest difference if your product gets cakey or creases under your eyes often. I love to take my time and use my hands to massage the products in so it’s not just sitting on top of the skin.
BUT, really good skin starts at home. I recommend to my clients to shave their face at home to exfoliate, remove peach fuzz and dead skin cells. Shaving your face allows your skincare products to penetrate better into your face. My fave is of course by The Skinny Confidential. Make sure you wear sunscreen daily and take your makeup off before you go to bed!
If someone was stranded on a deserted island, what are the top 3 makeup products you recommend they have?
CM: Definitely a brow gel. My favorite is the Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel. A Tweezerman eyelash curler– curling your eyelashes with no product on makes your eyes look so awake and open. I think the third would have to be a lip balm specifically Summer Fridays.
I can’t go longer than 30 minutes without reapplying lip balm. Also, if you’re on an island, maybe you can find some cherries, bite into them and use them as blush and a stain for your lips.
Can you tell us your favorite, CLEAN makeup brands?
CM: There are so many incredible clean makeup brands now. Some of my favorites are Milk Makeup, Kosas, Saie beauty, Merit beauty, and Persona Cosmetics.
Can you walk us through an easy no makeup, makeup look we can do at home?
CM: This is something I do pretty much every day just to even out my skin tone and make me look alive. I start with the Anastasia Brow Freeze and brush my brows up. Curl my eyelashes with the tweezer eyelash curler, take some of the Charlotte Tilbury color corrector underneath my eyes to neutralize my purple undertones.
Sometimes I don’t even put concealer on, and I will just go ahead and take a concealer that’s closer to my skin tone, and spot conceal any blemishes or redness on my face. The Makeup by Mario skin enhancer has been my obsession the past couple of months. I like to use this to bronze up the face but also it adds such a beautiful finish to the skin.
For low maintenance I love Benetint lip & cheek stain by benefit. I think it gives a really nice flush to the cheeks and then I put some on my lips for a sheer wash of color. I don’t put mascara on every day, but when I do, it’s the Hourglass unlocked mascara. I love that this is a tubing mascara so it doesn’t leak onto my under eyes.
What’s a book, podcast or resource you recommend that helped you build your business?
CM: In make up school we had a three week course on business. When I was taking the class, I always felt like I didn’t have to pay attention because I thought I’d never use it in my life. Fast-forward six years later, I look at those notes at least once a week for guidance. I’d love to soon help other starting artists in knowing more about how to be your own boss.
I’m not just saying this, but I truly have learned so much from The HIM & Her Show. Not only from the incredible, inspiring guests that they have on but from Lauryn and Michael themselves. It’s really my go-to podcast & I know from listening I’ll always either grow my knowledge or learn something new.
WORK HARD & MANIFEST YOUR DREAMS!
Where can everyone find you? Pimp yourself out!
CM: You can find me on all social media @cam.artistry. CAM is my initials— sometimes it gets confusing because my name is Cat. But you could call me either one. xx
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If you’re in need of a makeup artist in NYC be sure to get in touch with Cat. She is incredible at keeping things natural and enhancing your already gorgeous features.
Be sure to follow @cam.artistry for tips, tricks and preview her fabulous work on your favorite celebrities and influencers.
x, The Skinny Confidential team.
+ Glowy tips to prep your skin for makeup.
++ How to get the no makeup makeup look.
CAT’S MAKEUP RECS:
