Celebrity Makeup Artist Lyndsay Zavitz On Her Success + Today’s Beauty Standards and How They’re Affecting Young Women
Lyndsay Zavitz moved to Los Angeles three years ago hoping she would find work as a make-up artist. Today, her clientele includes Chrissy Teigen, Shiva Safai, Marianna Hewitt, Paula Abdul, Pia Toscano, Fifth Harmony, Courtney Lopez, Sazan Hendrix, Joelle Fletcher, Whitney Carson, Kristin Cavallari, Renee Bargh, Rachel Platten, Dorit Kemsley, and many more of Hollywood’s biggest names.
But of course, celebrities aren’t alone in their quest to look their best. Beauty is a standard we’re all trying to reach, and makeup artists along with plastic surgeons and physical trainers are in high demand these days, and not everyone can afford access to these luxuries.
We can’t help but wonder, just how confident are these models and celebrities who can?
No stranger to the pressures women face in today’s highly visual world of constantly streaming images, Zavitz says that at the end of the day, everyone is affected by modern standards of beauty. “Being a celebrity doesn’t exempt you from being human,” she says. “We all have our insecurities. We all have our thing that other people don’t see. The only difference is that they have to be in the public eye, which can make it even worse, because it gives people the right to pick on their flaws.”
And it happens often. Many magazines do pick on women’s flaws. And almost every major women’s publication is promoting some type of beauty or workout regiment. Of course, the images of models are always immaculate. To make matters worse, there are sections of magazine and segments on TV shows dedicated to comparing women to each other, or to criticizing their clothing.
“The young girls who look up to influencers and celebrities should know that there’s a team behind them,” Zavitz tells BTI. “Yes, they’re beautiful, but their hair and makeup artists are there to enhance that beauty, and girls should never feel insecure or compare themselves to that standard.”
Social media also plays a big part, but to be fair, that’s part of what helped Zavitz earn her following and clientele.
In Los Angeles, there are tens of thousands of make-up artists trying to make it big on social media. For most, a manager position at Sephora is considered “making it.”
Humble as can be, Lyndsay was eager to share tips on how she made it, so that perhaps others who are trying can follow in her footsteps.
First and foremost, you have to have a dream, and a strong work ethic, she says.
“I think staying true to yourself is key, and not comparing yourself to other people. Mentally— you need to have that drive.” Zavitz moved to Los Angeles from Canada without a job prospect and without any friends in the city. “It’s a dream that I’ve always had and it’s something I’ve never thought I could achieve—moving to L.A. on my own,” she says.
Zavitz was initially supposed to move with her friend who ended up bailing two weeks before they were supposed to leave. “It was the biggest blessing in disguise because we planned it for a year, but if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have had the courage to quit my job and move in the first place.”
“I had a good cry and decided I was still going to go. I had invested so much at that point. I kept thinking—what’s the worst case scenario? I fail and I come back home.”
When Zavitz first came to L.A. she reached out to hundreds of makeup artists offering to assist for free even though she had already been a makeup artist for 14 years.
“I knew that meant nothing here in L.A. One thing I knew I could prove is I’m extremely loyal and hardworking. I understood the bigger picture.”
She also credits her friend Patrick Ta for contributing to her success. “I took a makeup class from Patrick Ta and offered to assist him that day. Ever since then I assisted him. That was the turning point.”
Today, Zavitz teaches her craft around the world, and lends her voice to important social causes (anti-bullying, body positivity, et al.).