ST Y LE
BEAUTY
LIFE
CU LT U RE
T R AV EL
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Kate Lee
The Chanel celebrity makeup artist takes us through a jam-packed day in her shoes BY NATASHA WOLFF
FALL 2021
34
DUJOUR.COM
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There is nothing I love more than helping someone to feel incredible. —K ATE LEE
nglish makeup artist Kate Lee has become the go-to makeup artist for stars like Lily-Rose Depp, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley. But it didn’t start out so glamorously. “I started right at the very bottom,” says Lee. After moving to London to study fashion and makeup interpretation at The London College of Fashion, Lee got a job at the Shu Uemura makeup counter at Har vey Nichols department store. “I learned so much and held that part-time position for many years to support my early career,” she says. The years that followed took her to Europe, where she assisted notable artists like Val Garland, Linda Cantello and Carole Lasnier. “Val was my absolute hero and a true mentor to this day,” Lee explains. “The years I spent alongside her were what formed me as an artist. She really helped me to position myself and to see clearly which part of the industry I was most suited to.” Having a mentor was so important to the young makeup artist as she navigated the industry. “There have been many people who have helped me along the way—too many to mention, but I appreciate each and every one of them.” A chance meeting with actress Kate Winslet before Titanic made her a household name was a big breakthrough for Lee in her burgeoning freelance career. “We were both babies and got along like a house on fire!” she says. “Kate taught me a lot about makeup and the industry and eventually she asked me to work on a movie with her. We are still friends and she has not changed a bit.” Since those early years, the breadth of Lee’s work has expanded from fashion shows to celebrity and editorial work. “I love the diversity of work that I am allowed and, as much as I love editorial work, red carpets are really my joy,” she says. “There is nothing I love more than helping someone to feel incredible, and I’m looking forward to returning to the red carpet circuit. I love seeing what people are wearing and their different interpretations of glamour.” Here’s how the makeup artist spends a typical day.
