Beau Nelson is a brilliant talent coming to us from Canada.  Only in his twenties, Beau already secured himself a place as one of the top makeup artists to the stars and has created his own luxurious makeup line: Beaute.  In this interview with Beauty Interviews Beau talks about how it all began for him and about some of his favorites moments in his career.

When did you decide to become a makeup artist?
At age 14 I knew I wanted a creative career in the fashion industry but I wasn’t sure at first what direction I wanted to go in. Fashion stylist? Hair stylist? Designer? Merchandiser? Makeup artist was actually the last thing on my mind, until I started reading the pages of Elle magazine and noticed the beauty pages held my attention more than the rest. I started to do makeup on anyone who would let me and began working for a well-known cosmetic company.

What was your biggest break as a professional makeup artist?
For me every step of the way has been a big break. I am a firm believer that hard work and a positive attitude take you where you are supposed to be. New things happen everyday that propel my business, my creativity and my career forward. The latest two things that have moved me forward are signing with my agency Artists By Timothy Priano and my Beauté Cosmetics line being picked up by all the Holt Renfrew stores in Canada. A U.S. store will be opening soon!

What is your makeup philosophy?
My makeup philosophy is all about clean, classic beauty with a little bit of an edge. I love doing all sorts of makeup and no matter what the job is I always try to make the girl beautiful. Makeup is often evocative of feelings and I think that it is so important to remember how the makeup will make the client feel. Some women may be intimidated by a really dark smoky eye and will not feel comfortable wearing it, and some women will take the same look and feel sexy and powerful in it. Makeup can bring out different facets of a woman’s personality.

What defines your own cosmetics line: Beaute?
Beauté was created in response to a few things. First, my own desires for products that has amazing color and texture, application and also packaged beautifully and conveniently. The second is my relationship to the customer. My team and I do an amazing amount of customer research when developing new products. I wanted to create a line in which every single creation was a shining product. I don’t want to be known for just one special item, I want all of our products to excel and we work hard to make that happen.

What was the best aspect of creating Beaute?
Its really so satisfying to see my vision translated from something that exists only in my head to something that I can hold in my hand and use to transform a face. I love the process of creation, and although it’s time consuming coming up with ideas is the best part of the job.

What have been some of your most memorable celebrity collaborations?
Some of my career highlights so far have been working with Iman, who has not only a gracious and hilarious friend but also a mentor of sorts. I was also thrilled to work with the gorgeous Marcia Cross, and the lovely Amanda Bynes.

Which Beaute product are you most proud of?
I suspect this will often be changing as we launch new products, but for now I’m so proud of our glosses, which are an incredible feat of technology. We incorporated 3 treatment ingredients in our unique texture. We include Marine Filling Spheres for instant volume, Maxi-lip which is a tripeptide that stimulates collagen growth and helps minimize fine lines and enhance volume in a more permanent way, and Orchid Extract from Thailand to regulate the natural moisture flow of the lip tissue. Our customer reaction to the texture also has a selection of colors that has been overwhelmingly positive.

What are some of the hottest makeup looks for fall?
This fall is more about textures than actual colors. A lot of the shows featured variations on nude looks using skin colored products to sculpt and shape the face. There were quite a few shows that featured the red lip which is made modern now by the new matte textures available on the market. These colors are so much more comfortable to wear than traditional mattes have been in the past. I am a huge fan of the smoky eye, nude mouth for fall. This season a satin or matte texture nude looks great paired with fresh matte skin and a smoky eye done in satin or matte texture shadows in neutral tones or black.

What is a typical busy day like as a professional makeup artist?
In my life there is no such thing as a typical day, some days I spend in meetings or at the lab perfecting colors and textures. Other days I spend trailing a celebrity as she does a press tour or a photo spread. Other days I can be found helping to create a magazine editorial, sometimes even art directing a beauty story for a magazine.

What do you love most about being a makeup artist?
I love creating beautiful things period. It’s not a job for me; it’s a lifestyle, and one that I feel lucky to be able to live.

What city in the world do you find most inspirational?
I love New York for its energy and I love Paris for the way it makes me feel. I have a somewhat Parisian sensibility in my esthetic but I am also heavily influenced by certain American movies and designers from the late 70’s.

What other passions do you have besides makeup?
I am passionate about almost anything visual. I love and collect movies, especially older classics, the Criterion collection, Alfred Hitchcock films and Film Noire classics as well. I am interested in architecture, interiors, furniture, art. I am very into music as well, as is evident in the names of the shades in my collection. I also love to cook. I find cooking to be very similar to makeup in a way, you need to be creative, combine the right textures, colors and flavors, embellish where needed and know when to stop.

It was a pleasure to interview Beau to find out more about him visit his portfolio at Artists by Timothy. Also for info on Beaute products check www.beaute-cosmetics.com/