BEHIND THE SCENESLaura Capon
“Not only was Mario the
sweetest man (I’m a bit in love with him),
but he also shared my obsession with
true-crime documentaries and books. I’m
currently reading a celebrity tell-all that he
recommended. That’s enough to say that
we have our own book club together, right?”READThroughout his masterclass
Dedivanovic stresses to us that it’s
not about the products he uses,
rather how he uses them. He
preaches the importance of editing,
knowing when to stop, of making it
look like the make-up was made for
their model. I get the sense that he
is trying to take his followers – who
are obsessed with the techniques he
brought to the masses – down a new
path. “Just because you know how
to contour and bake doesn’t mean
you should do it every time.”
After 116 audience questions,
I step out onto the grey London
streets, my Mario face washed off
the night before, but not forgotten.
After two days with him, it’s clear that
Dedivanovic has something that
cannot be emulated, despite 600
people writing down every brush and
product he uses. His most important
tool is the warmth that makes him
addictive to be around and the
intuition that turns make-up into
a transcendental art. He has reignited
my love for beauty and as I add that
nondescript colour wheel to my
online shopping basket on my
phone, I remember just why I got
into this industry in the first place.
It’s not about Instagram likes, or
product launches, it’s about the
transformative feeling you get when
you’re alone, armed with a brush and
an eyeshadow palette. As society feels
more divided than ever, Dedivanovic’s
ability to unite people might just be
exactly what we need most.◆
To buy tickets to Mario’s next
masterclass, go to Themasterclass.combut after doing my own “glam” for
17 years, I know what I want to look
like and no one else has managed to
deliver it. If just watching Dedivanovic
work his magic on someone else is
akin to a spiritual experience, what’s
it like to be painted by the make-up
messiah himself?
Sitting in his chair, I feel
completely at ease. He doesn’t once
check his phone or wander off for
a break – I can honestly say that no
make-up artist has ever given my
doughy face this much attention.
He doesn’t ask what make-up look
I want, making the final reveal all
the more nerve-racking. When he
is finally done, I wait for him to
walk away before I look in the
mirror. When I see my reflection,
I’m genuinely shocked. I don’t look
like a completely different person,
but I feel truly beautiful. I look like
the version of me that I’ve always
envisioned and hoped for, but have
been unable to articulate. My skin
is flawless, my eyebrows so naturally
defined you wouldn’t know they had
any product in, and the pink-red
lipstick (something I would never
normally wear) makes my eyes look
far bluer than they do when I use my
usual copper-toned shadows. “You
look like a doll,” he tells me and now
I truly get it. He is a miracle worker,
not only because he has made me
look beautiful, but because for
possibly the first time in my life,
I truly feel beautiful. I have a sudden
urge to hug him, to grip onto him
tightly and pledge my allegiance.
As he gets read l ( h
later than plann
not a single
complaint),
I ask him
why he thinks
he’s been so
successful.
“I’m not the
most talented
make-up artist
by far, but I hav
a great gut instinct and intuition.
That’s a huge part of my success,
understanding exactly how someone
wants to look and feel without them
having to tell me.” Holding on tight
to both my signed eyeshadow palette
and my improved sense of self-worth,
I can certainly attest to that.Walking into Dedivanovic’s
masterclass the next day, the first
person I spot is his mum, looking like
she might actually burst with pride as
she watches from the balcony. A group
of girls tell me how much they love
Mario when I ask why they travelled
down from Birmingham. A flash of
jealously crosses their eyes when I tell
them he did my make-up the day
before, but it’s quickly replaced with
curiosity. “What was he like in person?”,
“What look did he do on you?”, “How
did you get in touch with him?” Before
I can excuse myself they ask me for a
picture. It appears that being painted
by Dedivanovic has promoted me
from a mere follower to a fully
fledged apostle. For a microscopic
moment I imagine what it must be
like to have such a hold over people.
Photo session over, I take my seat
as a film begins to play. It’s the story
of his career to date, the same one
he told me the day before. When the
Nike shoebox pops up on screen
with “Mario’s Stuff ” scrawled on it,
I ’ help but
motional
at young
who had
ep his
nts a secret
so long,
t knowing
st how
r he
would
go.adyto leave (twohours
ned, and withveI can’t h
feel em
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g MAKE-UP MARIO DEDIVANOVIC. HAIR YONNY MONTANA OSPINA AT LHA REPRESENTS, USING 25 BENEFIT, FASHION WAVES07, QUICK DRY18, ALL FROM REDKEN,INSTAGRAM.COM/YONNYSTREETSTYLE. STYLING LAURA’S OWN, MARIO’S OWN. ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES, INSTAGRAM.COM/MAKEUPBYMARIOWith friend
(and fan)
Kim K