Beauty industry gets face time in Hollywood

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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Greta Garbo's beauty waslegendary. It earned her the adoration of audiences and captivatedeven Adolf Hitler, who allegedly implored her to go to Germany tobecome the mother of his Aryan race.
But the Swedish actress owed her luminous onscreen presence to morethan her flawless skin and bone structure: Her secret weapon wasMax Factor Silver Stone #2 makeup, which made her literally shimmeron film.
In much the same way that Garbo preferred to stay out of thespotlight, however, the working relationship between Hollywood andthe beauty industry is subtler than one might expect.
"Many times (MAC Cosmetics) is there, and we may get a credit atthe end of the film, or we may be in the literature, but we'rethere very discreetly," says John Demsey, group president of EsteeLauder Companies, parent company of MAC. "We're not there in a verysponsorship sort of way, because the relationship is very real andfunctional."
Indeed, one isn't likely to hear about it, but makeup artistsrelied heavily on MAC products for some of this summer's studiofare, including "Sex and the City," "The Love Guru" and "GetSmart."
ANGRY INCH LIPSTICK
But such collaborations do sometimes make headlines, with productsdeveloped for specific projects making it all the way to the retailmarket.
"Sometimes these things actually become promotional activities ortie-ins of the brand itself," Demsey says. "When (2001's 'Hedwigand the Angry Inch') was done, we hosted the opening party in NewYork City and actually created an Angry Inch lipstick for Hedwig."
Similarly, celebrity eyebrow guru Anastasia Soare, creator ofAnastasia Beverly Hills, invented her famed brow kit for herentertainment clients who were shooting on location.
"I had clients, and they would go on the set for a movie, let'ssay, in Canada for three months, and they would be panicking, like,'Who is going to do my eyebrows?"' Soare recalls. "So I (would cut)a stencil just with the shape of their eyebrows and then (addinstructions for) the makeup artist on how to do it. Then Ithought, Maybe some women are out there at home, maybe in Oklahoma,and I am not there -- maybe I should make a kit and sell it andthey could do this at home."
High-definition technology has also resulted in the development ofspecialized cosmetics, like MAC's Airbrush line, which featuresmicronized particles.
"Micronized milling is the finest, smoothest process possible,making foundation and powder appear to look like they are one withthe skin," MAC makeup artistry director Gregory Arlt explains."With HD, you need the skin to appear flawless and makeup-free,even when makeup is applied. Micronized foundations and powdersachieve that perfectly."
MAC's not alone in the HD market. Competitors include Cargo'sBlu-ray Collection, which is used on the set of FX's "Dirt" andShowtime's "Weeds."
But there are instances in which the beauty and entertainmentindustries' impact on each other -- and the viewing public -- arefar more visible.
Fashion models once ruled as spokespeople for beauty companies, butactresses -- such as Cate Blanchett (for SK-11), Courteney Cox (forKinerase) and Kate Hudson (for David Babaii for WildAid, of whichshe is also a co-founder) -- have largely taken their place.
"If you have beautiful skin as a celebrity, you can really affectwhat people buy as far as skin care," says Dr. Garth Fisher, theoriginal plastic surgeon featured on ABC's "Extreme Makeover."
PLASTIC SURGERY IQ
The same is true of Fisher's field. Since "Makeover," the subjectof plastic surgery has been a consistent draw, spawning such showsas FX's "Nip/Tuck" and E!'s "Dr. 90210." And who can forget Fox's2004-05 series "The Swan," with its big reveal?
"I thought we really raised the plastic surgery IQ of America,"says Fisher, a nose, face and breast specialist. "I thought we didit in a very professional way, a very sensitive way," he says,noting that after the show, the number of plastic surgery andcosmetic dental procedures in the U.S. increased significantly.
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery,the number of cosmetic procedures, including everything from tummytucks to Botox injections and laser hair removal, jumped fromroughly 7 million in 2002 to about 11.5 million in 2005.Interestingly, the numbers have changed very little since 2005,with 11.7 million procedures being performed in 2007.
The temptation to lift and tighten can be overwhelming forHollywood's famous faces, especially with the advances the beautyindustry has seen over the last couple of decades, from injectablesto laser resurfacing.
The goal is "moderation with everything," Soare says.
But moderation is difficult to achieve in the harsh light ofconstant media attention.
"(Celebrities) can't even go on a vacation and be in a bikiniwithout getting photographed," notes celebrity hairstylist SallyHershberger, who served as lead judge on Season 1 of Bravo's "ShearGenius." "I think that would be very hard."
"The media is everywhere, from magazines to blogs," says LeaJourno, creative director of the Beverly Wilshire's Lea Journo theSalon, who helps her famous clients achieve the look they need byconsulting thoroughly about their projects.
"Let's not forget that celebrities belong to a dream," Journo says,"and we are here to shape it."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter