Celebrity Makeup Artist Mario Dedivanovic Gives Back

Makeup Artist Mario Dedivanovic with his client, Kim Kardashian

Mario Dedivanovic is a celebrity makeup artist whose work and portfolio are truly impressive. 

But more on that later. 

Most impressive to Nineveh, of course, is the work that Mario is doing to make the world a beautiful place.

Mario told us that he tries to give back as much as he can by using his makeup skills and his time.
  

"It's the least I [can] do and I look forward to giving back more in the future." 

During fashion week last year, Mario invited recording artist and actress Adrienne Bailon to The Lower East Side Girls Club.
"I gave a full makeup demo on Adrienne to a room filled with young women and even some boys from the charity. 

I wanted them all to see the amount of work that is put into magazine covers and red carpets in hopes of raising their self esteem and showing them that no one is perfect. 

I also taught the girls a bunch of simple makeup tips that they could use on themselves daily or for college interviews, etc.   I reached out to a few makeup companies that sponsored and gave me a bunch of product to gift all of the girls with.  The energy in the room that day was spectacular.  The kids were so happy and grateful for everything, and so was I."

Recently, Mario was asked to be the key makeup artist for The Inspiration Gala fashion show.  The entire events proceeds went to amFar - the Foundation for AIDS Research.  

"I didn't think twice to say yes, and in fact, I was very honored to give my time for such a great charity.  I brought in my team of artists who all devoted their time to work on the show.    

Smashbox cosmetics gladly sponsored me, and as always, they provided us with all their amazing product.  Love Smashbox!"

Mario also recently hosted two workshops in L.A. for Industry Art Shops, which allowed him to choose a charity of his choice to give a percentage of the workshop proceeds.

"I chose an amazing charity called CARRY - The Coalition for At-Risk Youth. CARRY is an non-profit organization dedicated to changing the lives of foster youth suffering from debilitating skin disorders. I look forward to soon meeting the beautiful children at CARRY and to continue to help change the lives of all children who suffer."

In addition to his charitable work, Mario is a full-time Makeup Artist. I asked him which projects or people he has been most proud to work with.


"I enjoy so many jobs that I work on and the people I work with as well. One I'm very proud of is my first global advertising campaign.  It was for Pioneer Electronics.  Genius photographer and good friend David Field shot the three day campaign, and one of the images is a black and white of a model morphing into a butterfly.  It's framed and hangs on my living room wall for years [now].  I guess that job made me feel 'official'. 

I have to of course mention my work with the beauty, Kim Kardashian.  Whether I make her up for a red carpet, a beauty campaign, a Harpers Bazaar shoot or for her TV show, I am always proud of my work on her.  Kim carries  every look with such grace, beauty and class.  Doing her makeup is hardly a job. Its a beautiful experience. "

Based on his work in the field with beauties like Kim, Mario has inevitably had opportunities to create a product or tool to help in his professional work. 

He has already created a product called Eye M Glam for Giella Cosmetics, which he describes as "a gorgeous all over highlighter that gives your skin a sheer golden glow, and it's truly a universal shade.  I created the product while sitting on my apartment floor one evening.  It was for myself to use on my clients and I never thought for a second that it would be available for sale.  When Giella saw Eye M Glam, she wanted to include it as a product in her line.  Within a couple of months people from all over the world were ordering Eye M Glam from Giella.com.  The reviews have been very positive, and it's getting more popular every day."

For aspiring makeup artist's, Mario's humble starts are an inspiration. He worked at a fragrance counter at a department store. He was constantly mistaken for a makeup artist, and as he began offering his advice, his natural talent and ability in makeup artistry became evident to him and those around him, and he pursued the field wholeheartedly.  


I asked him what advice he has for those who are considering a career in makeup artistry.

"My advice to those of you considering a career in makeup artistry is to pay your dues by testing a lot for your book and assisting bigger artists as much as you possibly can.  You will learn the tricks of the trade and be better prepared to deal with any issues on a shoot or job. 

I think it's also critical that you research  the industry past and present. Understand the looks from each era and be familiar with the names of designers, models, photographers, hairstylists, agencies, etc. You can never know or learn enough."

You can check out Mario's website at:
http://blog.makeupbymario.com/

Mario's tweet about this article. :)