J Guerra of Larchmont now a celebrity makeup artist

Westchester based mostly celebrity makeup artist, J GuerraJ Guerra, a Larchmont based mostly celebrity hair and makeup artist has grow to be a common on many of Westchester’s film units.Mark Vergari, Rockland/Westchester Journal NewsJ Guerra was 16 years outdated when he requested his finest buddy if he might do her makeup.They have been hanging out in her bed room in Mamaroneck, and as he watched her apply her makeup, he knew what would look good.The ensuing daring “smokey eye” look received him legions of followers amongst buddies.Throughout his time at Mamaroneck High School, the Colombian-born Guerra had no scarcity of fashions to observe on. He’d additionally go along with his buddies on purchasing journeys to Sephora and MAC to purchase cosmetics.TikTok: Yorktown duo changing into well-known for his or her meals challengesSubscribers: Where to eat like Stanley Tucci in ‘Searching for ItalyWeekfinish: 5 new motels to check out in Ulster County“I’d simply stand there and watch the makeup artists mesmerized,” mentioned Guerra, now a Larchmont-based celebrity hair and makeup artist. “I used to be simply taking all of it in and observing and making an attempt to be taught and taking a look at their method,”  he mentioned.  “I knew this was the world that I wished to be in. I felt like I belonged right here.”Fast ahead 13 years and Guerra now has a roster of celebrity shoppers: from music artists Wyclef Jean and Young M.A to sports activities stars Cris Carter, Rob Gronkowski and Oscar De LaHoya to tv personalities resembling Bethenny Frankel and Dr. Drew.Guerra, 32, not too long ago received two International Beauty Industry Awards, together with one for “On-Screen and Makeup” class for the creation of a bald cap for actor Donnie Keshawarz, who performed the financier JP Morgan within the 2020 film “Tesla.”His work on “America’s Next Top Model” winner Jaslene Gonzalez for the cowl of “Vive Magazine,” a life-style publication, earned him the “Best High Fashion Makeup” award.Guerra, who grew up in a time earlier than makeup tutorials on YouTube and Instagram, discovered inspiration from watching music movies and finding out glamor magazines, resembling “Vogue Italia.”“I keep in mind that MTV was a huge factor for me,” he mentioned. “I’d have a look at the makeup within the music movies. It was one thing that made sense to me as a result of it was issues that I understood, like shade idea and placement and textures and shapes.”Starting out on the mallThe first time he purchased his personal makeup as a excessive schooler, it was on the insistence of his buddy Jennifer Sarmiento, who instructed him he had what it took to be within the trade.The duo went to a native drug retailer and acquired $100 price of makeup.Soon, he had his first paid gig: bridal makeup for a household buddy. From there, it was all  phrase of mouth, and he was busy with shoppers on most weekends.After highschool, Guerra enrolled at SUNY Purchase, however quickly realized he was not lower out for school.“I understood makeup, though I did not have the coaching and I did not have the method but. I simply knew that it made sense,” he mentioned. “When I used to be in school, none of it made sense. I am unable to stand sitting at a desk and studying and doing homework.”His aspect hustle, a job at MAC within the Westchester mall, saved his ardour alive and helped him hone his craft whereas making a living.“The MAC artists, I checked out them as nearly like celebrities. They have been so glamorous,” Guerra mentioned. “They embodied vogue and makeup and sweetness and, you understand, all of the issues that I used to be so drawn to as I used to be rising up.” Makeup might have begun as a passion, however as soon as Guerra realized it was what he was really keen about, he enrolled in a brief research overseas program specializing in vogue in Paris.There he had the prospect to help makeup artist Sergio Corvacho on vogue shoots.When he returned residence and determined to stop school to pursue makeup fulltime, Corvacho offered him with a number of leads and alternatives to community with others within the area.In an e mail from Paris, Corvacho mentioned Guerra was nice at his work.“You must be affected person with the shoppers and be capable of simplify their lives,” he wrote. “We spend a lot of time with the shoppers, and they should see somebody with a optimistic perspective.”Guerra began working at New York Fashion Week, magazines shoots and editorials whereas sustaining his job at MAC. Eventually, he’d constructed up such a roster of shoppers that he stop  his regular job.“I simply bear in mind these years, I did not cease for a second,” he mentioned. “I used to be all the time juggling each issues and I used to be working from one job to the subsequent to the subsequent.”He started working in tv and bought the prospect to do make up for Bethenny Frankel of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” ” After that, the producers simply saved requesting me and and so I began form of working with them full time,” he mentioned. “Then I began working for MTV and VH1 and it was like a domino impact after that.”In order to make his profession sustainable, he mentioned his subsequent purpose was to get into the makeup artists’ union so he might have medical health insurance and entry to a 401(ok).“Being within the union makes it a profession. I needed to have 180 days of engaged on a tv set and so I put my vogue profession on maintain and actually labored in tv to get nowadays,” he mentioned.He’s now half of the Local 798 and has labored on a number of productions shot in Westchester.  Along the best way, he additionally obtained a New York state instructor’s license as a way to train at makeup colleges.While makeup tutorials on social media have made the artwork extra accessible, Guerra mentioned it’s also rife with misinformation.”There’s a lot of unhealthy practices,” he mentioned. “For instance, there’s a lot of sanitation that is not getting used. There’s a lot Photoshop, a lot enhancing, that the standard of makeup appears to be like nearly digital.”Hollywood on the HudsonFor Guerra, a huge perk of residing in Westchester has been the flexibility to work on huge films domestically. “After touring the world, going to Paris, working in New York City, now I’m again in Westchester and I’m filming these huge films and these huge exhibits,” he mentioned. “So it is like every little thing retains coming full circle. One of my favourite studios to work out of is the Azure Stages in Scarsdale for video shoots, private shoppers, or instructing makeup lessons.”Some of Guerra’s current work embody films and tv exhibits shot in Westchester resembling “Hustlers,” starring Jennifer Lopez, which filmed in White Plains; “The Half of It,” a Netflix movie with scenes in Pelham; the HBO mini-series “Scenes from a Marriage,” made in Mount Vernon, and “Love Life,” one other HBO manufacturing starring Anna Kendrick, which was additionally filmed in White Plains. One of his shoppers, Susie Castillo, the 2003 Miss USA, and tv host has been working with Guerra for greater than a yr. “He did my hair and makeup for the present I host, “Cultural Capital “(created by Nasdaq and airs on Facebook). After our first shoot, J grew to become my go-to hair and makeup artist,” she mentioned. “He’s such a gifted artist, the utmost skilled, and the sweetest human to be round. He’s not simply a colleague now, he’s a buddy.”While the previous yr has been significantly powerful for efficiency artists as a result of pandemic, issues are slowly starting to lookup. Since the start of 2021, he is labored on exhibits resembling “Girls5eva” (by govt producer Tina Fey), “Scenes From a Marriage” (at Haven Studios in Mount Vernon), “Teen Mom Reunion” exhibits (at MTV) and “Pose” (on FX and Netflix).Jennifer Sarmiento, who pushed Guerra to pursue his ardour when he was nonetheless a teenager, is proud of what her buddy has achieved.“What J actually wished to do was do makeup for celebrities, which is wonderful as a result of you understand, now right here he’s, and he’s doing makeup for celebrities. It actually is sort of astonishing,” she mentioned. “I’m simply extraordinarily proud of him.”Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy’covers Housing and Economy for USAToday.