Above, pictured on the AVN Awards Show red carpet (from left) are Ash Hollywood, Tasha Reign and Savana Styles; photos by Jeff Koga/@KogaFoto
CYBERSPACE—If you’ve ever wondered how professional porn performers get their on-set makeup just right—because proper makeup is, at least as much as in “mainstream” movies, an important element of an effective porn scene—the online edition of the popular beauty and fashion magazine Allure has the inside story, in an article published on the magazine’s site Tuesday that features interviews with makeup artists right before last month's AVN Awards Show.
"There were a few times where the model had a butt plug in during makeup, and it started irritating them. They're like, 'Oh, I need a minute,’” makeup artist Rebecca Lee Castro told Allure. “And they'll just get on all fours right in front of me and pull it out. I'm like, 'Whoa, that's more than I wanted to experience at this moment.'"
Castro and several of her fellow makeup artists were interviewed by Allure at last month’s AVN Expo in Las Vegas, when writer Lynsey G. caught up with them. Castro was working with performers who were appearing at the IWantEmpire.com booth—including Tasha Reign, Ash Hollywood, Riley Reyes and Jenna Sativa—and they were putting in long days signing autographs and schmoozing with fans, which would be followed on the last day of the show by an appearance on the AVN Awards red carpet. It's a demanding schedule that sounded even more grueling than the hard work they put in during a day on a porn set.
In fact, that level of on-set-exertion is a factor that the makeup artists must take into account. Unlike in Hollywood movies, where actors adhere to a “never let ’em see you sweat” ethic, in porn, working up a good layer of glistening perspiration only adds to the authenticity of the viewer’s experience.
But for Castro, adjusting for dripping-wet clients actually makes her job easier.
“The adult industry isn't too intense,” she said in her Allure interview. "There's not much of the ‘Oh, make sure they're not shiny,’ like there is on mainstream TV and film. Because on these sets, if they're sweaty, it's fine, because it's part of what's going on for the day.”
“The work we do is vigorous,” Reign told reporter Lynsey G. as Rebecca applied her makeup, agreeing that “The makeup has to hold up.” Then again, Reign added, “If I do a scene where my makeup’s not messed up, I'd think I didn't do a good job.”
The makeup effects that porn performers must achieve are also very different from what Hollywood actresses are likely to prefer. Allure spoke to performer Savana Styles, who was nominated for a "Best Double-Penetration Sex Scene" this year at the AVN Awards. Styles explained her makeup requirements to Allure. While most Hollywood actresses are fixated on looking young, Styles requires a makeup design that ensures she looks her actual age, which is 35.
“When you are 30 years old or more, you’re a MILF. I’m 35, so I always have the MILF look,” Styles revealed. “The heavy lashes to look older, the heavier makeup. … For my own productions, I love to be creative. I really love bright makeup.”
“It was amazing that Teresa and her crew got this kind of coverage,” Styles stated. “I love the Allure article because it lets people who aren’t in our industry know that we’re very much into glamour and looking good. The interview was fun to do and I was happy to be such a big part of it.”
Styles is being followed around by a Québécois television crew for her upcoming documentary that will exclusively air in Canada, which was also mentioned in the piece.
While the female performers have their own elaborate and specific makeup needs, the Allure story shows that male porn performers have their own makeup requirements—often designed to make their bodies look more “cut,” and traditionally masculine.
“For men, it's a lot of standard men's grooming: primer, foundation, a little sculpting of the face. A lot of it, though, is body sculpting,” said Dee Castro, a makeup artists who is married to—and often works alongside Rebecca Lee Castro. “They say, ‘Can you give me a little bit more definition? I just ate, I feel bloated.’”
Read the full Allure article, “What Being a Makeup Artist in the Porn Industry Is Really Like,” by visiting this link.
