Speaker Bios 2012

Keynote Speakers

Lottie

Lottie has keyed fashion shows in New York, Milan, Miami and Los Angeles, and continues to freelance for print and advertising worldwide. Her clients include Dove, Joico, Guess, Versace, VH-1, Make Up For Ever, New York’s Metropolitan Opera,  Bloomingdales and more. Her celebrity clients include Robert De Niro, Emily Mortimer, Leighton Meester, Taylor Swift, Solange Knowles, Shirley MacLaine and many others. She divides her time between New York and Los Angeles

Gordon Smith

Over his 30-year career, Gordon Smith achieved a respected creative standing in the film industry by pioneering the development of silicone prosthetic technology. This technology has become the industry standard today. As Justin Smallbridge wrote in a Sept. 2000 edition of Canada’s National Post, “Oliver Stone says, ‘His abilities levitated movies such as Platoon and JFK to a grandeur that would never have been without him.’”

Josh Turi

Josh Turi is an Emmy Award-winning make-up artist. His New Jersey-based company Designs to Deceive has provided make-up, make-up effects, prosthetics and custom props for film, television and theater for more than two decades. He is a key artist and lab tech for Saturday Night Live.

 Featured Speakers

Iantha Goldberg

From fantasy to horror, Iantha Goldberg’s vision and artistic touch make her one of the most sought-after make-up effects and hair artists for both film and print. Her work appears in films including Resident Evil: Afterlife, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Saw V. Her print clients include Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Tylenol, Fashion Design Council of Canada and others. Her celebrity clients have included Lady Gaga, Carrie-Anne Moss, Deborah Unger and Malcolm McDowell.

 Educators

Kevin James Bennett

Multiple Emmy Award-winning make-up artist Kevin James Bennett has spent more than 20 years honing the skills that have brought him accolades from his peers as well as from viewers of his work in TV, film and print. Bennett, an admitted product junkie, is considered an industry expert and reference source. He is happiest when working with, designing, buying, talking or writing about his passion: make-up!

Heather Farmer

 Heather Farmer is a professional make-up artist and educator based in Ottawa, Canada. She started her career 13 years ago in Toronto working in print and bridal, and has done music videos, film and runway. As an accomplished teacher/trainer, she developed extensive training materials for Naked Cosmetics in 2010 and has trained make-up professionals from Canada, the United States and Japan in the art of working with mineral make-up.

Melissa Gibson

M.A.C. Senior Artist Melissa Gibson has been with the company since 1989. She takes pride in finding inspiration in the most unlikely places. “I can see something in an airport lounge or in a coffee-table book or in a grocery store and see, say, an eggplant and that color, or the way the light’s hitting it, can spark a train of thought,” she says. “What I do is disposable art. There’s something really interesting to putting something on the face or on the body and knowing that it was a one-time deal. I love the fact that it can be washed away. It’s make-up, it’s fleeting.”

David Harbid

Born in Lebanon and raised in France, David Harbid was attracted to the artistic world from childhood. It took some major perseverance but he enrolled in the Make Up For Ever Academy in 2005. One of his teachers at the academy was Dany Sanz, the creator and artistic director of Make Up For Ever. It was a crucial, life-changing encounter. In 2007, Harbid joined the education department team and became an international make-up artist and trainer.

David Klasfeld

What began as a part-time job in a cosmetics department turned into a career for New York-based make-up artist David Klasfeld. After the counter, he did runway shows for Patricia Field, Diesel and Heatherette and editorial shoots for Interview, Zink and Time Out New York. His pioneering work in high-definition TV for clients including Target, Best Buy and Comedy Central led him to a career in airbrush education and product development. His own brand, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, is the result of years spent determining what works best on set.

Eve Pearl

Eve Pearl is an Emmy Award-winning celebrity make-up artist and 18-year industry veteran. She is the author of Plastic Surgery Without the Surgery: The Miracle of Makeup Techniques. She owns the Eve Pearl Cosmetics and Makeup Experience Studio and Boutique in New York City. An innovator of the Salmon Concealer, Pearl has been an on-air contributor and make-up artist to Meredith Vieira on Today and a key make-up artist and guest on The View. Pearl’s work has been featured in Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, InStyle, Vanity Fair and more. 

Sat. Nov. 17—11:15 a.m

Nicky Posley

Nicky Posley has more than 10 years of make-up artistry experience. Posley’s work has been featured in Elle, Today’s Bride and The San Francisco Chronicle and on the runway for designers such as Max Azria, Adrienne Vittadini and Imitation of Christ. His television credits include The Gayle King Show and Say Yes to the Dress. He has done numerous music videos.

Vargas

Vargas, a world-renowned body painter, is one of the most acclaimed body artists in the industry. His credits include three movies, more than 30 calendar productions, more than 40 magazine covers and countless presentations. His calendars have opened doors in Asia, Europe and the Americas, where he also introduces his signature Royal & Langnickel brushes. His work has been displayed in the White House Rotunda and in a museum in Trenton, New Jersey. Vargas is also a photographer with one of the largest studios in West New York, New Jersey. An art professor for more than seven years, he shares his skills worldwide.