Scene: Moving On: Linda Mason’s Art Retrospective. Linda, British born, is a makeup and visual artist famous since the 1970s for her creative and exciting use of color. Her shop and gallery The Art of Beauty by Linda Mason opened in SoHo in 1988. Linda launched her own makeup company, Linda Mason Elements, Inc., in 1987.
I first experienced Linda’s creativity when I went to a Willi Smith fashion show at the Puck Building. She created the makeup look and I remember how exciting the dayglo colors looked on the models. I then met Linda while I was at Revlon, and asked her to collaborate as a makeup artist for a beauty fashion shoot. We continued to work together on projects for Almay, Bergdorf Goodman, a Cynthia Rowley fashion show and others. Photographers who were involved in these projects include: William Garret, Steven Klein, Jean Pagliuso, Matthew Rolston, and David Siedner.
Scene: Ines and her daughter visiting from France.
Scene: Jeorge Napoleon, Hair Stylist and creator of HydroHair. “I saw this man whose job was to make people beautiful and happy,” Jeorge recalls. “Men and women would go into his salon and come out looking and feeling their best. I was just a kid, but I thought, that’s what I want to do!”
Scene: From the back, Michael DeVellis and Linda Elmani chatting with Thalita. Michael, Founder and Executive Director of The Powder Group, and Founder and Editor of On Makeup Magazine. Linda, Makeup Artist.
Scene: Jody Shields and Paula Roberts. Jody was Design Editor of the New York Times, a Contributing Editor at Vogue, House & Garden and Details magazines. Author of two nonfiction fashion books, All That Glitters and A Stylish History and two novels The Fig Eater: A Novel, and The Crimson Portrait.
Paula was the official Psychic Consultant to the Broadway revival of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, in which Angela Lansbury plays medium Madame Arcati. Paula is known as The English Psychic.
Scene: Linda’s daughter Daisy Mason and son, Siraj, and dad’s hand. Daisy is a Songstress and Linda’s Muse. She is wearing Linda’s hand silkscreened astrological dress.
Scene: As a visual artist, Linda’s work includes painting portraits, exploring multi-media collage and glass art. Linda has published several books all of which are beauty and makeup focused. Makeup for Ageless Beauty featured Model and Actress Carol Alt on the cover.
When Linda and I collaborated together we always had a fabulous time working with great models that I selected for the campaigns. Models such as Linda Evangelista, Yasmin Le Bon, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, Stephanie Seymour, and Veronica Webb.
Scene: Nadine was helping at the event behind the scene.
Scene: Al Noor Mughal and son Siraj. Al Noor, Designer and Builder.
Siraj, Adorable!
Scene: Lynley, Marketing Intern; Thalita, Linda’s Premiere Makeup Artist; and Gabriela, Trained Makeup Artist who also likes to sew, design and style. They are wearing Linda’s hand silkscreened astrological dresses made by Gaby herself. Each are wearing their own sun-sign makeup to complete the look from Mason’s Astrological Melodies collection.
Scene: Monica and Presley working the scene adding cheer.
Scene: Jene Hernandez getting a refreshing Pallini Limoncello.
Scene: Daisy Mason and Alva Chin. Alva was one of the first African-American woman to grace the cover of Vogue, and is a former Halston Model. Fashion Designer Oscar De La Renta is the godfather of Alva’s son. She now teaches several forms of yoga and Pilates. “My focus is core strength, flexibility, building breath capacity, alignment, and an overall sense of well-being!”
Scene: Harvard student Gussie with her mother Dana Roc, a Motivational Speaker. Guests enjoyed the Pallini Limoncello and two delicious rosés, La Rose Gorge and Pueblo del Sol.
Scene: Natasha Donnellyi, Makeup Artist.
Scene: David Dumas and Laura Buck, Makeup Artist. Laura said “When I first moved to New York I was lucky enough to assist the legendary makeup artist, Linda Mason, for two and a half years.”
Scene: Jene Hermandez and Kyle Kerr. Jene is an Entertainer – Actress, Singer/Soul-R&B Artist, and Model, who has appeared and performed in Film, Television, Stage and Music. Kyle is a Model and Firefighter.
Scene: Jayne Rockmill, Linda’s Literary Agent, with some of their books.
Scene: Katelyn and Gabriela (Gaby).
Scene: Mia, an Artist interning at The Art of Beauty Gallery next door to the shop. Linda’s paintings at the gallery.
Scene: Jennifer Baginski shopping the Astrological Melodies, one of Linda’s makeup collections, with Thalita.
Scene: Laughter, smiles and conversations.
Scene: Miriam Casal and Alejandra Pena.
Scene: Christine de Lassus and David Dumas. Christine is a world renowned Fashion Stylist, Fashion Editor, and Fashion Consultant. Christine and I met when I was at Revlon, and asked her to collaborate as a stylist for the Untamed Eyes promotion. Also selected for the shoot was Brigitte Nielsen, the Danish Actress and Model who was seeing Sylvestor Stallone at the time, and Photographer Steven Miesel.
David is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Fashion Film Factory.
Scene: Jody Shields and Page Starzinger, both former Editors at Vogue. Page is a Poet. Her book of poetry, Vestigial, publishing August 10, 2013.
Scene: Linda with Zhenya Merkulova and Paul Gates, Gates Merkulova Architects.
Scene: The Art of Beauty by Linda Mason.