Behind the Scenes: Amelia Favazza, Makeup Artist

Amelia Favazza is a 17-year-old junior at Brentwood. She specializes in working with makeup and has been interested in makeup since the summer before 6th grade. “My older sister was into makeup during the prime of Youtube makeup,” Amelia explained “I saw her watching a lot of makeup Youtube videos. I wanted to try out makeup.” 

The first types she started doing were standard makeup and colorful styles. She started working with makeup on herself. As she got better, she started doing makeup on other people. For those who don’t know, standard makeup is the same as everyday makeup. For example, it is the makeup you would put on going to school or work. The products used for this look are foundation, concealer, blush, highlighter, eyeshadow, and more.

Amelia can now do more detailed looks; she taught herself how to do glam and colorful styles. She learned mostly from Youtube videos. Amelia says, “Recently, I have gotten more into doing special effects makeup and contour for the play,” said Amelia, referring to Brentwood’s upcoming production of Arsenic and Old Lace.

Despite all the looks Amelia can create, challenges still come with it. She says, “You need to have a good understanding of facial anatomy, what each product does and accomplishes.”

To use common makeup products, you need a good understanding of how they work. For example, when using foundation or concealer, you must always use foundation first. Foundation is used to create a base for the makeup look and blends onto your skin. Next, apply concealer; it hides dark circles and skin discoloration. You don’t need to use concealer all the time if you have good skin. Another challenge is having patience when doing makeup. 

Amelia would love to do makeup as a career. She says, “Realistically, I can see myself being a hairdresser. I currently go to cosmetology school, and makeup is a side job.” She goes to South Tech and takes a cosmetology program; a course focused on studying the face, skin, makeup, and hair. Amelia would love to be a celebrity makeup artist. In the future, she wants to work on Broadway and off-Broadway shows, but she would also enjoy working on runway shows. 

The fall play is Arsenic and Old Lace. Amelia describes the play as “full of surprises and overall interesting.” I asked her what types of looks she was doing for the play, and she said, “Standard stage makeup; main characters will have a glam 40s look. Dabble in aging makeup. One character is going to look deformed and has plastic surgery.”

Amelia says she is very excited to learn new makeup techniques and is looking forward to continuing her hair and makeup design career!