Catching Up With The Makeup Artists Behind the Met Gala

After trekking between The Mark Hotel and The Carlyle Hotel, the make-up artists behind style’s massive evening caught up over dinner, in partnership with Lashify and Instagram.

The dinner, which began whereas the Met Gala was nicely underway, came about at Veronika in Fotografiska, and was hosted by Pati Dubroff, Troy Surratt and Sam Visser.

Surratt mentioned the custom began years in the past, and has grown in scope to embody a plethora of recent and established artists.

“We started doing this in 2013, and it was just an idea of a small dinner, maybe 10 of my friends in town from L.A.,” Surratt mentioned. “We never get to see each other since we always team up with hairstylists. I thought it would be a good night with everyone in town to build community, and it’s grown every year.”

Cohost Dubroff, who had come into city from Italy only for the occasion, mentioned the day’s antics have been par for the course, and that the artists’ dinner was all the time a spotlight.

“I’ve been part of the dinner since the beginning, too, and it’s just evolved. It’s my favorite part of the Met. You get to come to dinner with your peers,” she mentioned. “There’s many artists I know, but so many young ones I’ve been dying to meet. I got to check them off the bucket list, like Mario [Dedivanovic].”

Dedivanovic’s shopper for the day, Kim Kardashian West, might have arrived on the Met with a cloaked visage, however the artist wasn’t off the hook from his typical duties.

“It’s probably the most interesting Met Gala I’ve ever done because she was wearing a mask. Her entire head is covered, but we still did a full face underneath for when she takes it off later,” he mentioned. “This is my 22nd year in the business, so at first, part of me was like, ‘Yes, I don’t have to do anything today!’ But I always approach it as my favorite red carpet of the year, and I was happy for her because she looked incredible.”

Dedivanovic’s personal model, Makeup by Mario, is arising on its first anniversary. Despite cosmetics turning round in 2021 and his strong social media following, launching his namesake line got here with its personal trials and tribulations.

“Launching a brand last year was very, very challenging. It was difficult, but the past year has been incredible, and aside from the brand, the amount I have learned from my team is unimaginable. It’s nothing like I thought it was, it’s way more difficult. But also, I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he mentioned.

Dedivanovic’s entrepreneurial spirit was shared by Katie Jane Hughes, the make-up artist who launched her personal line of brushes in partnership with the U.Okay.-based model Spectrum. “They sold out in two-and-a-half hours, which is amazing. The consumer doesn’t know how much a brush can really elevate your makeup game, so through content and clear education, I’m able to really translate for our audience,” she mentioned.

Hughes is eyeing different classes for growth. “I’m launching my own project next year that’s going to be education first, product second. I want to sell product via the education,” she mentioned. “The concept of brands is so easy, and I want to make slightly more complex products with the opportunity to teach people how to use them to give them more flexibility and range out of their makeup bag.”

The night concluded with an after celebration subsequent door on the Chapel Bar.

For extra from WWD.com, see:

Mario Dedivanovic Is Working on a Makeup Line of His Own

The Best Beauty Looks on the 2021 Met Gala

LaQuan Smith Met Gala After Party