Fifty Shades Of Grey's Makeup Artist, Victoria Down, talks about her work in the Film

From LuckyShop:

The wait is almost over. Christian Grey and his steely blue eyes are hitting the big screen in less than a week. While we don’t have any more titillating Fifty Shades trailers to show you, we do have all the juicy, behind-the-scenes details on the film’s makeup looks. Below, makeup department head Victoria Down dishes on the products she used to get the actors sex scene-ready, Ana’s post-romp glow and more!

Lucky: You’ve talked about how in the film, Ana’s makeup look matures with her character. What are the key changes you made to actress Dakota Johnson’s makeup to illustrate this transformation?

Victoria Down: We wanted to stay true to the script, to the book and to what people expect, as well as the actors’ and directors’ opinions of how that transformation happens. To transform Ana, I focused on creating a smoky look. I used a lot more mascara and moved away from nudes to more grayish, charcoal shadows to bring out the color of her eyes. I added darker eye pencil on the inside of her eyes to add drama and sophistication to her look. For her lips, which are a major focus of the film, I used deeper berry tones with a lot of sheen to pump them up. I also contoured her face slightly differently to make her cheeks look stronger.

We hear that there will be 20 minutes of sex scenes in the film. How did you approach those scenes beauty-wise and were there tons of touch-ups during filming?

Victoria: When shooting intimate movie scenes, it’s very important for me, as the makeup artist, to make the actors feel comfortable, so I like to have as few touch-ups as possible. I use Make Up For Ever Face & Body Foundation because it’s very long-lasting, sweat proof and touch resistant—perfect!

Do you have any favorite kiss-proof lip products?

Victoria: The Make Up For Ever Tease Me Passionate Berry Lip Trio is made to outlast even the most passionate of makeout sessions. The berry shade Aqua Rouge 50 is a waterproof, long-lasting liquid lip stain with the shine of a gloss, tested to last for hours on set.

In the books, Ana talks about how she likes that her cheeks look flushed post-romp. Did you recreate this look on screen?

Victoria: The Make Up For Ever Desire Me Cheek Set was inspired by Ana’s looks in the movie. The light pink, coral and darker pink hues were terrific complements to Ana’s complexion and helped portray her transformation.

To create Ana’s healthy glow, I used a darker pink blush, which I blended out across the apples of the cheeks, on the nose and a little on the chin and hairline. It gave the appearance of a natural flush from under the skin.

Did actor Jamie Dornan wear any makeup in the film?

Victoria: We wanted to keep Jamie Dornan’s look very natural and sexy, so we used very little makeup on him.

Finally, do you have a favorite look from the film?

Victoria: Ana’s stained lip was the makeup focus of the entire movie and my favorite look. Focusing on the lips helped to create the seductive intrigue and establish her character as the one that drove Christian Grey crazy.