I grew up with a foundation in the arts and with creativity always encouraged. As long as I can remember, I’ve been playing with makeup. I was given a Kryolan theatrical makeup set to play with as a small child, and when I went into stage performance as a slightly larger child, I peppered the makeup artists with questions on how to achieve various effects. I would go on to help various productions I was in with makeup for other performers. My lifelong love of monster movies certainly didn’t hurt either. I’d been introduced to classic horror literature by my mother (and the movies that went along with them) at an early age.
Just after I graduated from college, I’d begun experimenting with more advanced special effects and learning how to airbrush. It was like a switch flipped in my brain at that point, and I knew what I now wanted to do. I abandoned my original performance career plans and forged full steam into makeup and learning how to design and fabricate prosthetics, masks, costume pieces, props, and anything I could think of.
My path since then has led me all over the place, from numerous film and television projects, back to designing for theater, fashion shows, commercials, Halloween attractions, music videos, dabbling in stop motion, and not to mention all sorts of photo shoots and makeup demos. My work has taken me all over the world as well, and I have worked in LA, New York, and Hong Kong.
I am passionate about my work to a ridiculous extent and my favorite part of it all is the collaborative design process with directors, talent, designers, or clients. I love storytelling through the looks, and working together to create characters through simple and complex makeup choices, whether to utilize prosthetic pieces or add tattoos, and so on. I love elevating the experience for private clients and making them feel like their best selves. Makeup is transformative.
Claire Amadea 