teentoday.co.uk chats to Jackie Tyson, X Factor make-up artist extraordinaire!

5 comments | Published by Joanna Crawley |

You teentoday.co.uk lot know all about my slight obsession with the X Factor at the moment, Saturday night socialising is now a distant memory for me… So when some lovely PR people asked me if I wanted a quick chat with Jackie Tyson, the genius make-up artist behind all the contestants’ looks, I was about as excited as Jedward on Red Bull. Hit “see more” for my chat with the very lovely Jackie (she was in the middle of painting the faces of Bon Jovi when we spoke, very showbiz)…

How did you get involved in The X Factor?
On the very first X Factor show Simon Cowell was not happy with the make-up on the contestants so his Creative Director Time Byrne contacted me. I was a personal make-up artist to a lot of pop/rock stars so I knew what was needed. I have been there ever since!

Talk us through the process for deciding the contestant’s look each week
The look for clothes, hair and make-up is dictated by the style of music/theme that particular week. As soon as I see what Faye Sawyer (stylist) has chosen for the contestants to wear I design a make-up look to compliment it.

Who is your favourite contestant to work with?
I have loved all the contestants this year but of course doing Stacey and Lucie is lots of fun. (note from Olly: err, in the case of Lucie, was)

Do any of them have a certain look they like to stick to?
The girls always want their own usual look when we start X Factor but after a while they soon trust the creative team to do our thing and make them look like stars!

How do the boys feel about wearing make-up?
At first they don’t like the idea until they see themselves on screen. After that, they are soon scrambling to be the first in the make-up chair!

What has been your favourite look to create?
I love those boys (Jedward)! We actually made them look even more ghoulish than you saw them but after watching the dress rehearsal we decided to make them a bit ‘cleaner looking’. Great fun!

You see the contestants right before they perform, do you try to calm their nerves?
Yes I do. The contestants do get very nervous before the show on Saturday so I do remind them to breathe deeply! The make-up room is the calmest place to be and the contestants get a moment to close their eyes and relax.

How does make-up for TV differ from everyday make-up, are there certain products or techniques you use?
Studio lighting changes everything, so yes the make-up usually has to be more defined and a little warmer in tone than regular everyday make-up

What has been your biggest make-up challenge in your career so far and why?
I think it was doing Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent as I would have loved to give her a lovely makeover but the production team wanted her to look as she did in the auditions. I did manage to make her skin look good, at least!

Which celeb would you like to give a makeover to?
La Roux!

What are your favourite looks for the party season?
I love glitter! Avon have a gorgeous party nail varnish called Ruby Slippers, it is red and glittery. This would be great teamed with red lipstick and smoky eyes.

Finally tell us a little about the Jackie Tyson makeup school and what it aims to achieve?
My make-up school is to teach you all the tricks and tips that I have learnt over 20 years, it caters for individuals who would like either an evening’s tuition right through to a whole week of intense tuition for would be make-up artists.

Take a look at Jackie’s website for more great tutorials, X Factor style gossip as well as lots of info on her brilliant make-up school: www.jackietyson.co.uk.

Don’t forget to have your say on this article: which X Factor contestant’s look have you loved the most so far? Tell us below…