Events in our early life often foreshadow the future. For Samantha McCabe, an advanced theatrical makeup student, her passion for makeup started when she was three years old. And, to no surprise, she loved Halloween.
“I was always something horrific: a zombie, a witch or a zombie witch. Anything I could throw blood on,” McCabe said.
McCabe’s mom would help with the costumes while McCabe took care of the makeup. As someone who began in musical theater, she said she didn’t envision herself in the position she’s in now.
“I just never really thought of it as a career until I got to college,” McCabe said.
Cal State Fullerton theatre professors Kathleen Price and Katie Wilson were inspirations for McCabe, she said.
McCabe said Price helped her discover all the different opportunities a career in makeup can provide, while Wilson helped her get more technical and specific in her work.
McCabe also said she admires the late Kevyn Aucoin, an American makeup artist who did makeup for celebrities such as Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Whitney Houston.
“He didn’t feel the need to pack on makeup on a woman to make them feel beautiful. He was able to naturally enhance what they already had, which is what beauty makeup is,” McCabe said.
McCabe has worked on several successful CSUF theatre productions, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “Jane Eyre” and “The Moors.”
Designing “Jane Eyre” was the most challenging for her because of the need to be historically accurate, she said.
“The other difficulties designing “Jane Eyre” was needing to seamlessly blend their natural hair with their wigs is really tough. Picking hair colors that complimented their skin tones but also making sure that the wigs fit the actor and are comfortable, and making sure that the intricate designs that I put in them are durable for the quick changes,” McCabe said.
“The Moors” was her favorite project. She said she enjoyed the creative freedom the director gave her, as she designed all the hair and makeup for the show.
“I just had full range to really step outside of the box and just be completely creative with it,” McCabe said.
Outside of school, McCabe has worked on an independent science fiction film called “The Artifact.” For the film, she applied natural makeup to the actors, as well as veins around their eyes. This was her first project that wasn’t a live theatrical production.
“Because it’s a film, everything is up close, so it has to be realistic. Whereas when you do makeup for a stage, it has to be over the top,” McCabe said. “I bought an airbrush and practiced on myself how to do veins.”
Before she began practicing theatrical makeup, McCabe watched films for entertainment. Now, with all her makeup knowledge, she said she’s able to really focus and appreciate the little details and how they either improve or detract from the story.
“Once I got into makeup, I started getting into horror, like horror movies, and realizing just how much work goes into makeup on a film,” McCabe said. “The makeup crew on films are the first there and last to leave. They have a huge role in what makes a film successful.”
After college, McCabe said she is planning on getting her cosmetology license at Paul Mitchell, a beauty school in Costa Mesa, as well as attending a film school for special effects makeup. She said she would love to do freelance makeup, but her passion is to work in films — horror, preferably.
“I would love to do makeup on celebrities and artists. But if I worked on a film, winning an Oscar would be the dream,” McCabe said.
Article by Alexandro Granados.
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