After working with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Durham-born make-up artist Amanda Bell has set up her own business in the North-East. She talks to Ruth Addicott

WE’RE all used to seeing stars such as Sienna Miller looking glamorous on the covers of magazines, but if it wasn’t for the skills of make-up artists such as Durham-born Amanda Bell, it would be a completely different picture.

Amanda spent 13 years as a professional make-up artist, working her magic on film stars like Miller, Juliette Binoche and Goldie Hawn behind the scenes at the Baftas and London Fashion Week.

Normally it’s only A-listers who get the chance to experience her skills, but after moving back to Seaham, in County Durham, to start a family, she has set up an elite make-up service for weddings, fashion shoots and anyone looking for a special makeover.

Amanda’s interest in make-up began after watching her mother when she was a little girl.

“I could only just see over the sink in the bathroom,”

she says. “My mum would put on her make up every morning. I’d watch her with all her lotions and potions and found the whole process mesmerising.”

After years of experimenting on friends and family, Amanda went to South Tyneside College to study beauty therapy and theatrical and specialist make-up, before joining Lancome and moving to London to work as a makeup artist in Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. In 2003, she went to Paris and trained with leading make-up magician Fred Farrugia and Hollywood guru Gucci Westman, where she learnt the art of airbrushing and finger application (a trick that proved useful years later when she arrived to do the make-up of one A-list celeb and realised she’d forgotten her brushes).

Amanda became an expert creating a look of effortless elegance and glamour and was then hired to work behind the scenes at the Baftas. She led a team of 23 make-up artists, styling stars such as Sienna Miller, Jessica Biel, Diane Kruger and Emilia Fox for the red carpet, going to their homes and suites at hotels such as Claridges and The Dorchester.

“I really enjoyed working with Sienna Miller,”

she says. “She was the first celebrity I’d worked with and she was so friendly and down-to-earth, it gave me a lot of confidence. A lot of celebrities have an image they normally portray, but she said, if you want to do something different, go ahead. I was able to put my own twist on her signature look and at the end she gave me a bottle of champagne to take home.”

Amanda went to Sienna’s home twice, working alongside celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke. “Sienna went upstairs to get ready after we’d finished her hair and make-up and I remember her walking down a spiral staircase in this dress and just thinking, wow, that is amazing. It was completely backless and heavily beaded. She was everywhere in that dress – in all the magazines.”

As well as working with actors such as Jude Law and Pierce Brosnan, making sure they looked “refreshed” for photo shoots, Amanda worked behind the scenes at London Fashion Week (for designers Matthew Williamson and Christopher Kane). She also did “manic”

shows at Central St Martin’s, where she found herself having to apply eyeliner on the models while they were running towards the catwalk.

Since returning to the North-East, Amanda has teamed up with a group of local artists and business owners known as The Luxe Collaboration (theluxecollaboration.com), offering innovative ideas for weddings.

With two children under the age of three, she doesn’t have time for a lengthy skin care routine, but she does use a face wash, serum, eye treatment and moisturiser. “The key is to find the right products for your skin type, regardless of what price bracket you’re looking at,” she says.

While good skin is often linked to lifestyle and genetics, Amanda is also a firm believer in sunblock.

“It’s only when they get to 40, 45, 50, that you can see who’s taken care of their skin,” she says. “I’ve had this conversation with people who are young and aren’t interested in sun care. They always say, ‘I don’t burn, I go brown straight away’, but when the skin turns brown it’s a sign of damage. They may not see it now, but give it ten or 15 years and there’ll be damage they can’t undo.”

So what does Amanda carry in her make-up bag? One product she can’t live without is Lancome Hypnose mascara, a buildable volume mascara with amazing texture. Another favourite is Giorgio Armani Face Fabric Foundation which gives the appearance of flawless, completely natural-looking skin and Max Factor Lip Tint (she has one in every colour).

“I’m also falling in love with the Bobby Brown shimmer brick, you can use it as a blusher, highlighter and eyeshadow and it leaves a really gorgeous shimmer,” she says. “You generally get what you pay for, you do get higher quality ingredients with more luxury brands.”

According to Amanda, we all need to embrace a bit of glamour again and a brighter lip shade is a must right now (she recommends Lancome’s Absolute Rouge). “Everyone should experiment to get the best out of their look, I meet client after client who is stuck in a make-up rut – you’ve got to be ready to try new things,” she says. “There is a shade of red for everyone.”

amanda-bell.co.uk