Karen’s Beauty Basics

About Karen Kubeck

Karen Kubeck has been a Hollywood make-up artist since 1979. Her specialties include straight makeup, beauty, character, blood effects and special effects make-up. During her career she had the opportunity to work on such projects as Splash, Full House, Back to the Future Part 2, Dick Tracy, Cone Heads, Matlock, and much more. She also is a makeup artist for television, print, music & rock videos, fashion, fitness, commercials and industrials.

As her life transitioned to more of a family focus, she became an esthetician with her own business, Karen’s Beauty Basics based in Santa Monica, California. Through this adventure she has been in the fitness industry in print and pageants and made up many fitness body builders including Linda Murray, Miss Universe for 5 years. Plus, on Extreme Make Over the last three years with Dr. Ava Shamban. Behind the scenes with such celebrities as Darryl Hannah, Demi Moore, Helen Hunt, The Pointer Sisters, Tom Petty, Jonathan Winters, Don Knots, Mel Brooks, John Stamos, and many, many more.

Interview Questions

Tell us how your career with Hollywood compares to your Beauty Basics personalized salon?

They are both so different. When you work in the film industry as a make-up artist the trick is to be on time, organized and be open to the actor and director. Even though you are a trained professional, the actor and the director also have their own ideas of the look they want. Some directors don’t want a lot of make-up or they don’t want a lot of blood, but others do. So you have to work as a team. Most actors have a particular look that they like to keep. They believe that if they look a certain way they will always be recognized, for example, Brooke Shields and Elizabeth Taylor and their full eyebrows. So it is important to listen to the actor and give them what they want. A make-up artist plays a huge part, but must put their ego aside because it is not about them. Working with celebrities is easy if you are willing to listen.

Being an esthetician is different. It is not as creative as being a make-up artist except that I love to design eyebrows or give personal make-up lessons on simple day to evening make-up. An esthetician works alone in a small room one on one with a client, not on a big set with hundreds of people working on one project together. An esthetician is like a one-person clean-up crew. Some of my tasks include waxing, facials and micro-dermabrasion. The real difference between working on a set and working in a salon is the joy of having long term relationships on an individual basis. I feel that I make a bigger difference in people’s lives.

From your work with preteens – what suggestions do you have for those just getting started with makeup?

Keep it simple. Start with some fun lip-gloss, light blush and mascara and don’t forget to brush your brows. Brow sealers help keep the brows in place. Later, try lining the eyes with brown eye shadow instead of pencil. It will stay on longer. If you line only half way from the middle of the eye out instead of lining the whole eye they will look larger.

Any tips for teens on ways they can enhance their beauty, but still look young and natural?

Yes. Keep the eyebrows as full as possible especially at the beginning of the brow (sometimes they just need to be trimmed). I think teens should experiment with make-up. They are young and can get away with different colors, glitter and dramatic looks. But here’s the problem, if a teen screws up her eyebrows she will unknowingly hide it with lots of make-up. When the brow is not shaped right, or it is too thin, you don’t feel complete and therefore apply more make-up. If the brows are full and intact, then she can wear a natural look and get away with it.

Tell us about your training at the Joe Blasco Makeup School.

When I decided to go to make-up school in 1979, the school was new; I happened to be in the second class ever. Joe Blasco was very excited about his new venture and the teachers were make-up artists themselves.

In the early days of film and television you became a make-up artist by getting an apprenticeship. All the make-up artists were men at the time. It was a very prestigious career. Highly skilled make-up artists would train people right on the job. After working so many days and months, a person would then be able to join the make-up union, but only after passing a very sophisticated practical exam (mine went eight hours). As time went on the studios became rental houses and no longer staffed make-up artists. It became impossible to find proper training. Joe Blasco wanted to put professionally trained make-up artists out into the field, so he started one of the first schools.

The last day of school, was to be my final exam, practical and written. I had been studying day and night and working six nights a week putting myself through school as a cocktail waitress. When I arrived I discovered that the practical test was already one hour in progress and learned that it was an hour later due to daylight savings. Joe Blasco told me that it was too late and I would have to go home. That was not an option for me. I had worked too hard in school and too hard as a waitress that I wanted to get out there immediately and start working at my newfound craft. I couldn’t imagine not being able to take the test and having to wait until the next class went through. I begged my teacher to let me try to catch up and he “Okayed” it. I started an hour and a half later than the class and was able to catch up with them. During the written portion of my exam (the entire practical and written tests went thirteen and a half hours), Joe Blasco came up to me and asked me if I wanted to work the next day on a commercial. I was so honored. I indeed took my first job the very next day. Then from that job I got other jobs and was able to quit my waitress job. I really appreciate what Joe Blasco did for me; he believed in me and helped me get started.

What advice do you have for individuals interested in a career in makeup art?

Get educated first. Go to a film and television make-up school. Hollywood has come along way from cotton and spirit gum. Make-up products used in the film industry have improved dramatically. The make-up that you learn in cosmetology or esthetician school is geared for salon make-up (weddings, events, etc.) not for film and television. The proper school will help you start a portfolio of your make-up.

The one thing that I would do differently is learn how to style hair. Either go to cosmetology school or take some private classes. When you start in the business it will be on non-union jobs, which means smaller budgets. Most of the times they only want to hire one person to do both make-up and hair.

I am going to be honest. The film industry is not for everyone. The hours are very, very long, standing on your feet for hours at a time. It is not a steady job working for one company. You have to look for work all the time. If you are young and don’t have any responsibilities and love to travel then go for it. But if you are a little older and are thinking about settling down and wanting to start a family then maybe it’s not for you. When I decided to have a family I left the industry for more normal hours. I would suggest getting a college degree first and then go to make-up school. It’s good to have something else to fall back on if your life style changes.

What is your favorite makeup product to wear and why?

I like a brow sealer or sometimes it’s called a brow tamer. This is a clear liquid that is brushed on to set your brows in place. What most people don’t realize is that they usually like their left brow better and hate their right brow. That’s because the right brow hairs grow down and the brow tends to look round. With a brow sealer you can brush the brow up and towards the nose and set it to match the left brow better.

Any other things you would like to add?

Embrace your femininity. Don’t hide behind too much make-up. Natural beauty is fresh. Full eyebrows are smart.

Contact Information

If you would like to contact Karen Kubeck, she can be reached from her office at 310-453-5566.

Take a few mintues to also read her guest article at LoveToKnow, Eyebrows.