Way Bandy. In the era when models did their own makeup for photo shoots, this man came along and became the first celebrity makeup artist. I must admit, I have a bit of a fascination with Way. I think it’s that he created the life he wanted for himself, which in his era, could not have been easy.
He grew up in the south as Ronald Duane Wright. He became a teacher, got married and in 1965 he took a trip to New York with his wife. It was that trip that changed his life. He quit his old life, moved to New York, enrolled in Christine Valmy Beauty School and became Way Bandy.
In the 70’s he was “the” makeup artist. He worked Francesco Scavullo for all those fabulous Cosmopolitan Magazine covers. He clearly adapted his love of portrait painting to painting faces. He wrote two books which are out of print, but you can score on Amazon for about seventy bucks in less than pristine condition. It was that book that Kevyn Aucoin studied.
He inspired so many makeup artists. In this age of makeup tutorials, it’s a shame we don’t have more to savor from him. Not just the artistry, which is brilliant, but having the courage to live a life of one’s own making. He created a career for himself, that really did not exist at the time and paved the way for so many.
He grew up in the south as Ronald Duane Wright. He became a teacher, got married and in 1965 he took a trip to New York with his wife. It was that trip that changed his life. He quit his old life, moved to New York, enrolled in Christine Valmy Beauty School and became Way Bandy.
In the 70’s he was “the” makeup artist. He worked Francesco Scavullo for all those fabulous Cosmopolitan Magazine covers. He clearly adapted his love of portrait painting to painting faces. He wrote two books which are out of print, but you can score on Amazon for about seventy bucks in less than pristine condition. It was that book that Kevyn Aucoin studied.
He inspired so many makeup artists. In this age of makeup tutorials, it’s a shame we don’t have more to savor from him. Not just the artistry, which is brilliant, but having the courage to live a life of one’s own making. He created a career for himself, that really did not exist at the time and paved the way for so many.
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