Beauty Secrets We Learned From Sam Visser

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As far as we know, there’s almost no such thing as effortless beauty. From facial treatments that leave your complexion dewy and luminous to the perfect winged eyeliner, experts reveal their most-trusted, insider hacks for CR‘s series, Beauty Secrets.

“I don’t want to create the girl next door, but I want to create the girl who just bought the house across the street,” 19-year-old makeup artist Sam Visser tells CR. His vintage-tinged touch and penchant for decadent, dramatic beauty aligns with the current craze of ’80s and ’90s fashion, and has been seen on the likes of Kim Kardashian West, Ariana Grande, Lily-Rose Depp, and Bella Hadid.

Visser began doing makeup when he was seven years old, and by 12, he began working professionally. After several years of making connections and working with the likes of photographer David LaChapelle and celebrity makeup artist Sharon Gault, Visser began building an impressive client list of his own. At 16, he moved from his hometown of Ventura, California to Los Angeles, enrolled in an independent study program to finish high school, and dove into his career as a celebrity makeup artist, working with the Kardashian-Jenner clan and other starlets. This year, Visser has recently moved to New York City and set his sights on pursuing more editorial work and “unlocking [his] creativity.”

The makeup artist speaks to CR about how social media has shaped his career, his favorite looks, and what products he loves.

You started doing makeup professionally at 12 years old. How did you interest in the beauty industry begin at such a young age?
“I’ve always loved art, I was always a creative kid. I loved to paint and to draw, and that is what consumed most of my days when I was a child. My mom and grandma loved makeup and had a lot of it. They would give me all of their extra makeup and I would play with it all the time. I would just have fun with it, and bless both my mom and grandma, because they would just let me do whatever I want on them. They would be serving these insane looks–they would have eyeshadow all the way out to their temples–and I would be like, ‘grandma you’re having some ’80s blush today.’ This was when I was like 8 years old, so there was a lot of trust. It was fun and that’s kind of what sparked it, and also my parents didn’t hold me back from it.”

Do you think growing up with social media has affected the way you approach your career?
“When I was 12, Instagram had just come out and it wasn’t a platform for makeup artists at all. I’m very grateful that I got to experience the time of doing makeup in the pre-digital age. You just had to know somebody and then you knew another person who would introduce you to somebody else. The in-person connection between you and another human is really very important for me as an artist. [Now] with social media it’s so easy to watch what others are doing, and a lot of times I have to delete Instagram and just sit and think about what I want to create. Back in a time when fashion magazines were the only resource to look at fashion, it was so easy to follow what was happening. Now, with an outlet where there are so many people and expressions of art and self and creativity, you can do whatever you want now. There’s a million ways you can portray yourself and do your hair and wear your clothes. I think we are living in a great time because we’re able to be whoever we want to be and we have this platform where we can create anything we want. It’s like a medium of art we get to showcase our work on.”

How would you describe your aesthetic?
“My aesthetic has definitely evolved over time. I began doing makeup and it was much more conservative and more ‘pretty’ makeup. Now my aesthetic is definitely dark glamour. I want the very fierce women. I love strong, confident, powerful both female and male makeup.”

Do you have any favorite looks you’ve done recently?
“I did Alex[ander] Wang’s makeup for Halloween. It was for his YouTube channel, and it was so cool. We turned him into a full-on Japanese siren character. It was the most beautiful thing ever—a custom Alexander Wang dress, the coolest hair, and we taped his face and did the most amazing makeup. And for Bella Hadid’s birthday, we did this really cool ’90s homage to Kevyn Aucoin. It was a deeper crease with a white brow bone, skinny eyebrow, and an over lined lip with a lighter color in the middle. I love ’90s makeup. That’s another one of my favorites for sure, and you can see that influence in my makeup where there is a feeling of intensity which is a theme of the ’80s and ’90s.”

What are your favorite products in your kit?
“I love the Surratt beauty concealer palettes. They’re so good for under the eyes and pin point-concealing on the skin, because it’s a thicker texture but is very thin as you apply it. It covers so nicely and it looks like skin. I also love Marc Jacobs Nudist lip liner. It’s a natural, nude liner that goes with every color, and it almost has a cool undertone to it. It’s great for defining right outside the lip line to create a fuller lip. It doesn’t wear off easily and lasts a long time, too. Also, Dior’s rosy glow blush–that’s a really good one. It’s a universal pink color that transitions into a natural flush regardless of what skin color you put it on. You can be really really pale, or really tan and deep skinned and it’ll adjust to your skin tone and give a rosy glow. It’s matte, too, so I love it for both natural or evening makeup.”

What’s your own beauty routine?
“I’m very simple when it comes to my beauty routine. Some may say boring, it’s true. My skin is very sensitive, so I can’t cleanse, exfoliate, or moisturize all the time. I only use cold water on my face, never hot water, and I don’t [cleanse] my face. I don’t use a toner, but I use rose water and Augustinus Bader rich cream. I only use that during the day time and it is my go-to moisturizer. It was meant for skin trauma victims and it helps heal. I had bad acne when I was younger, and this has made all of my acne scars go away. I have no discoloration or hyperpigmentation. I also drink a lot of water and a lot of tea. I think hydration is the most important thing you can do for your skin. If you drink water, I guarantee your skin will thank you for it.”


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