Michelle Delorenzo is a professional makeup artist for 10 years who has worked with some of the most high profile clients in Hollywood for the last 5 years. Originally starting her career in New York, Michelle attended the renowned Make-up Designory school in SOHO, a true hub of fashion and beauty. Here she received a rigorous education in the intricacies of professional make-up artistry for film, television, fashion, theater and retail. She knows that true beauty comes from within and takes the time to ensure her clients feel as beautiful on the inside as they look on the outside!
How does makeup artistry correlate with health and wellness for you
As a makeup artist I am extremely conscious about the products I choose to use on myself and my clients. Over the years as clean beauty has evolved I have swapped out a lot of my old favorites with the best clean makeup products on the market. Lucky for me the products are getting better and better every year. But the products I choose to use are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wellness. A few years ago I found out I have PCOS and at the time everything in my life just clicked. This was the reason I was struggling with breakouts and hormonal issues. I then did a deep dive into all of the cosmetics I was using to eliminate as many hormone disrupting ingredients as possible. Throughout this process of healing I’ve seen many different holistic doctors that I have learned so much from. The key is to heal the body from the inside out to create beautiful glowing skin.
How did you start to realize your water was causing concern to your skin barrier
I really noticed a change in my skin when I moved to LA 5 years ago. I noticed I was breaking out a lot more and my skin felt really irritated and I just knew that it had to be partly because of the change in water. I did some research on my local water supply and found that it had a high level of contaminants and chlorine. Prior to finding Filterbaby I would actually put a watercraft in my bathroom filled with filtered water and I would use that to brush my teeth and wash my face. This became especially important when I knew I was dealing with healing my PCOS. Tap water can be full of all types of chemicals and pharmaceuticals and I wanted to avoid exposing myself to any extra chemicals.
Being a makeup artist I do tend to wear makeup very often and cleansing it off is an extremely important step in protecting my skin. I have a 3-step cleansing routine to ensure that I'm removing my makeup without harming my skin barrier. First, I use an oil-based cleanser to break down makeup and impurities on the skin. I follow that up with a gel cleanser to remove any remaining makeup and dirt. Then, I finish off with an exfoliant to buff away any dead skin cells and leave my skin feeling soft and smooth. The quality of water is also incredibly important in protecting my skin barrier, which is why I make sure to always use filtered water to remove my makeup.
How have holistic doctors impacted your ability to heal?
Seeing holistic doctors and acupuncturists I have learned such valuable information. Everything in the body is connected and when you're continuously breaking out on your face it's usually caused by something going on internally. One of the most effective treatments for my pcos that my holistic dr got me on is seed cycling. Seed cycling is the practice of eating specific seeds during certain phases of the menstrual cycle in a way that supports both your hormones and your gut microbiome. The seeds used for this contain key nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, and tryptophan that are essential for hormonal balance.
Seed Cycling 101
Cycle day 1-14 Follicular phase, daily consume 1-2 tbsp of ground flax seeds, chia seeds and or pumpkin seeds. These are used to support estrogen levels at the beginning of your cycle, which can help to improve ovulation and reduce PMS symptoms.
Cycle day 15-28 Luteal phase, daily consume 1-2 tbsp of sesame seeds or sunflower seeds to keep estrogen levels from spiking or dropping too suddenly, while also supporting your progesterone levels, keeping symptoms such as cramping to a minimum
These seeds have hormone regulation properties and help maintain estrogen and progesterone levels in the body.
Seed cycling supports two specific hormones: estrogen and progesterone. Imbalances in these hormones can lead to painful periods, irregular periods, skin challenges, bloating, weight gain, and other symptoms of hormonal imbalances.
Seed cycling for PCOS involves the consumption of 4 types of seeds.
- Flax Seeds
- Sesame Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
Seed cycling has helped me to achieve regular cycles again and in turn has made my skin look amazing. I love sharing this knowledge with my clients as many women don’t know about the natural treatments for PCOS.
Tell us how you achieve flawless skin prep on your clients
Makeup artists know that skin prep doesn't just consist of the products you use, it is a holistic process that you must work on in your daily life. I am always coaching my clients on overall wellness and the importance of gut health in correlation with skin health. All of my clients know to call me whenever they are experiencing any skin or health concern and I will coach them through it.
Walk us through the skin prep you would do on a client before a red carpet event.
Firstly I always ask my clients to wash their faces.
In Hollywood a true beauty secret is to always wash your face with filtered water. I think it's really amazing that through the filterbaby platform everyone can finally start to get on board with using filtered water as part of their skincare routine. That being said I am constantly urging my clients to use filtered water when they wash their face and most of them have filters at this point!
Once my client has sat down in the makeup chair with a freshly washed face I swipe their skin with toner on a high quality cotton pad. This step removes any remaining residue on the skin so I can start my skin prep with a fresh canvas.
Next I go in with a hydrating moisturizer as a moisturizer and primer in one. 90% of the time even for red carpets I don’t use a typical primer. I find they can clog the skin. I also find there can be a risk of makeup pilling if you layer too many serums under your makeup application. While I apply the moisturizer I also do a special facial massage with my hands or a gua sha tool to get the circulation moving and sculpt the face.
After the facial massage I apply a clean plant based eye cream. Look for something that brightens the eye area.
Lastly I apply a hydrating lip mask and eye mask patches to lock in moisture and I’m ready to start applying the makeup look.
In all my years of experience I truly believe that the foundation of great makeup is flawless skin prep.