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Recently, we caught sight of an extremely – um – fascinating piece by American fashion and beauty magazine Allure, and we were beyond intrigued, to say the least. The piece covered the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, a convention and awards ceremony for the adult industry in America, that took place in Las Vegas. Instead of just covering the porn stars, though, Allure chose to cover the makeup artists.

The expectations are different, as you might expect

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The makeup artists involved don’t exclusively work in the adult industry. Rebecca Castro, a makeup artist and business owner, says that 60% of her clientele are from the mainstream, such as the sets of regular television dramas, while 40% come from porn.

“There’s not much of the ‘Oh, make sure they’re not shiny,’ like there is on mainstream TV and film. On these sets, if they’re sweaty, it’s fine, because it’s part of what’s going on for the day,” says Rebecca.

It is no surprise that long-lasting makeup is a favourite in the porn industry. Theatre makeup and water-resistant makeup are usually the orders for the day, as these kinds of makeup were made to last. Despite these, adult performers may still find their makeup rubbing off in the process of their work, and that’s OK.

“The work we do is vigorous,” says adult performer Tasha Reign. “We’re sweating all the time … the makeup has to hold up.” Yet, the makeup shouldn’t be perfectly transfer-proof either. “If I do a scene where my makeup’s not messed up, I’d think I didn’t do a good job.”

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Rebecca says her preferred makeup brands on adult sets are AJ Crimson Beauty, Becca Cosmetics, and Kat Von D.

They’re free to get creative with makeup

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Since these makeup artists frequently hop between regular TV sets to a porn set, they can better appreciate the creative freedom they get when doing the makeup for adult performers.

“You get to do dramatic eyes with a nude lip. Double lashes. Just enough glitter to be on the skin but not transfer. It’s a more avant-garde look that we get to do,” says Dee Castro, makeup artist and hairstylist. It’s the polar opposite of the ‘no makeup’ makeup look that they have to do for regular television.

Body and face sculpting also happen frequently on the set to create the look of a more desirable figure. Dee says, “I love sculpting. I like body painting. They say, ‘Can you give me a little bit more definition? I just ate, I feel bloated.'”

Makeup Brands Porn Stars Use Mehron Makeup

Mehron Makeup

Dee’s favourite brands in creating a “high drama” face are Mehron and RCMA.

Some performers want to go for a more glam look

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Not all performers want over-the-top drama for their makeup. Some, like Savana Styles, an adult performer and producer, prefers the bright, ‘diva’ look when she’s performing. “I’m 35, so I always have the MILF look: the heavy lashes to look older, the heavier makeup… For my own productions, I love to be creative. I really love bright makeup,” says Savana.

Teresa is her makeup artist and also owner of Unique Beauty Salon and Spa. Before Teresa met Savana two years ago, she had never done work for the adult industry before.

“It’s not the same makeup that you would do at a wedding,” Teresa explains. “[Adult performers’] makeup has to be more glam, the hair needs to have extensions and be more dramatic. It really feels good to please somebody who wants that diva look.”

Makeup Brands Porn Stars Use Anastasia Beverly Hills

Anastasia Beverly Hills makeup; Source: Beauty Dosage

For the brighter and heavier makeup look, Teresa picks Anastasia Beverly Hills and Make Up For Ever as her choices to glam up Savana.