All products featured on Self are independently selected by our editors.
However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Makeup artist Lora Michael, like most self-employed creative professionals, takes whatever gig she can get.
Ken Stachnik / kenstachnik.com
Some days, that means doing hair and makeup for weddings, head shots, and video shoots.
Other days, that means airbrushing a porn stars butt.
MichaelsTechnicolor hairand broad smile are a natural icebreaker.
Makeup artist Lora Michael.
These women are so comfortable being nude that theyll sit naked for two hours.
Theyll ask me, Hey can you cover up the zits on my ass?
Yeah I can do that, she jokes.
At the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, Michael did creative body paint on adult film actress Ziggy Star.
SELF sat down with her to learn more about her experience.
Lora Michael: I never ask what a gig is for [when I book it].
She said, “Oh, its for porn.”
I made sure to give her a look that would really stay put.
Thats how I got the reputation of dickproof makeup.
For most shoots, thats a good thing, so [the producers] hired me for more work.
Makeup artist Lora Michael.
You mean how to make yourlipstickdickproof?
[Laughs] Pretty much every long-wear lipstick has the same first ingredient, isododecane.
Its an oil that evaporates and makes everything seal to your skin.
Its the magic ingredient.
You also need to start with hydrated, exfoliated lips.
The coconut oil soaks in and moisturizes.
I have had to glisten someone up.
Ill use a little bit ofhighlighteror moisturizer on the cheekbones so it doesnt look so matte.
It doesnt look sweaty, it looks like youre about to get sweaty, which is kind of sexy.
For thin lips, go with a pretty, light color.
Dark lipstick on thin lips can make it look like you have a little angry line across your mouth.
Red can look inflamed or make a person look older, but pink always looks sexy.
It makes everything pop up and look full and pouty and sexy.
Ill also put a little bit of a contour underneath the bottom lip.
Always line the lips.
One of the things we lose as we get older is the natural line of the lips gets fuzzy.
Keep that sharp and you’ll automatically look younger.
Thats not what happens when youre naturally flushed, though.
Apply it onto the cheeks and back toward the ear.
My favorite color isNars Orgasm.
It looks pink and happy, and has a subtle gold sparkle that gives a glowing, flushed effect.
This is also important for women with darker skin.
They tend to skip blush, and will tell me, I thought I was too dark.
Ill use a deep copper for blush on dark skin.
I say its really not a thing at alleveryone has the same issues.
Its really pretty easy to cover.
People overestimate how dramatic their blemishes are.
Its really never as bad as anyone thinks it is.
All it requires is a little bit of color correction.
If you don’t have an airbrush,Sally Hansen Airbrush Legsspray works pretty well.
Just get a color that isnt too dark for your skin.
Fake tans are awful.
One, they almost never actually look real because thats not the color of human skin.
Two, they smell like dirty gym socks.
They also rub off unevenly.
Everyones already the color theyre supposed to be.
Its very different when its woman-on-woman pornography thats made for women.
Its usually about having a partner who looks like themselves, and who doesnt look overly done.
Theres not so much fake eyelashes or hairspray.
With the company that I work with, everyones always safe, polite, and cool.
On the shoots I work on, the performers have a lot of control over the situation.
It’s a pretty fun atmosphere, really.
We have set pets.
Yes, baby kittens.
I do, but it has ups and downs.
But that doesnt happen very often.
If someone really isnt into it, Ill help them leave or help them get out of that situation.
Generally its really funpeople want to be there, and its portraying a fantasy.
The women feel pretty, and I feel good because I made them feel pretty.
