Laurel Maquillage

My best purchase in 2026 has been a two-day class with Lionel Adriano ().

I wrote to him in June 2025. ‘I would like to know if you offer makeup coaching for other artists.’ Maybe I manifested correctly. I looked on Google Maps for the street view of his studio, . I checked car itineraries : it was around 11 hours to drive to. I mentioned to a few friends that getting a class with him would be such a cool milestone to reach in my business.

Looking out for mentors is something I did for years. Never looked for boujee masterclasses held in L.A. or New York – but be sure I extended conversations with those who appeared like masters in the jobs we shared. I kept trying while more often than not, I was disappointed.

Theoretically, could this product substitute this one? – Oh, I don’t know about drugstore products, I only do professional lines.

What would be the first step to prevent a frizzy hairstyle? – Well, it depends… Every head is different… (then silence.)

Let’s say I HAD to make this product work, how could I use it? – Why do you insist? Just buy something else.

They were good artists, but they weren’t good teachers. You see, I love school. Philosophy class. History sessions. French (never for the grammar, only as a means to read and write). Even the hardest classes I had – physics in high school, scuba diving in college, accounting in university, driving lessons later – I still liked it. They proved (or did myself prove?) that I could have a basic understanding and a passing grade at adequately applying principles. They’re my highest honors : pride overtakes distress.

But to structure study, principles have to be defined clearly. And this is where good makeup instructors are so hard to find.

Lionel is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For Quebec residents, it’s like Saint-Hyacinthe. Same number of residents (60k), a little airport, a convention center. Lancaster is also the oldest and most famous Amish settlement. You don’t expect to find top artists there.

Nonetheless, by watching Lionel videos, I had the gut feeling he could EXPLAIN most things. Makeup is of course art, not science, so you don’t get equations and solid principles. Yet, art can be analyzed, explained, compared. It needs years of experience, preferably hands-on, but moreover, an endless curiosity.

He didn’t have a class prepared for me. He said ‘How do we proceed?’ ‘Do half a face fully with your products, then I will try to repeat it on the other half with my products.’

What look would you like? ‘‘The most intense and glamour skin you would do.’

When he finished skin, I though… That’s it? That’s the most intense level he would reach? It’s still quite natural… I expected higher coverage, baking even. And yet, there was nothing really to improve. A few pores here and there, the little shine – Lionel saw them, and kept them there. They were proving the skin was alive. Our model face was pulsing with life, instead of being brought into marble perfection, crystallized, eternally perfect, deadly immobilized, mummified.

Then we did other parts (eyes, brows, etc.). When he applied blush, I saw it. The exact ‘feel’ I was getting from watching another new reel of his work. This fleshy, real, perfected foundation. Skin is never a stand-alone piece in creation – it communicates with its family. So creating great skin is a continual process. You can add details between every step. It’s not done until the end.

Then there were few details. He was using a type of lash I had never seen before, that solved a conundrum I had for a class. I was using disposables to things he washed and reused, and vice versa. He had the largest collection of concealers, but a curated collection of brushes – opposite for me.

When time came for me to practice the other half, I ended up using some other of his products instead of mine. Was the excellence of his makeup mostly the result of using higher-end products, or the right layering, or both? It was like swatching in a Sephora, but with the coolest friend instead of a tired employee. We took our time, and so I had time to train my fingers, my brushes and my eyes. I could compare the finish and coverage not only with my usual results, but also from a collection and brand to another. Lionel uses $200 foundation bottles – his most viral video explains why -, while I still keep a drugstore line for my corporate jobs. I am still in the phase of knowing myself a bit better before committing to the full luxury kit without waste.

Meeting Lionel gave me space to voice my discomfort about wasting SO MUCH product. He agreed – between expiration dates, FOMO hype and perpetual brands, collections and limited editions launches, makeup artistry creates a LOT of waste. But then, I realized – just like our wardrobe – we tend to use the same products over and over. I used to judge myself to mixing colors endlessly : he does the same.

We are about the same age. Lionel has 20 years of experience – I do have half. (I had a previous career in communications – he started right away in cosmetics retail.)

He does makeup standing up – I do it seated. He warms up products on his hand – I use painter paper. We both believe in the power of layering powerful products extremely finely.

He would love to work exclusively from his studio – I live for the mobile nature of my business, always in new places. We are so similar, yet so different. We don’t wear the same shoes. What matters is that we share the same glasses.

During our two days together, I could freely discuss business, market positioning and work cadence with him. We followed the same known-yet-niche artists. He comically rolled eyes as I was denouncing irritative situations within our field. The hardship to establish a 1 to 10 order of steps to apply makeup when you teach. He could relate to everything.

We happened to hang around while his colleague, Ashley (), finished work. And they shared with me what it was to work closely together. For an afternoon, I accessed a community. Suddenly, I found my relatives.

Somewhere, it unlocked shame – liberated of guilt of not doing better, I could see more clearly. In the following days, back in Quebec City, I opened and sorted drawers. I felt better with my choices. I trusted myself more both during application and at home, adjusting my kit for next jobs.

Meeting Lionel work soothed my artistic soul. I drove 11 hours so I could understand that I can stop comparing myself. We have different ways of reaching the same goal and we all do good jobs.

Être maquilleuse, c'est s'attarder aux détails. Ce matin, j'étudie deux bandes de faux-cils. Ils se ressemblent tellement que je ne devrais peut-être pas dédier deux compartiments différents dans ma boîte à cils. Et pourtant, si je regarde de plus près et plus lentement, l'un est plus long, plus recourbé et plus évasé.

Un millimètre compte. C'est la différence entre le silence d'une cliente, et une cliente qui déclare : « Ce n'est pas ce à quoi je m'attendais, mais je veux bien essayer quelque chose de différent », puis « J'adore! », puis « Ça ressemble à ce que je fais quand je me maquille », puis il y a le « Oh— je ne vois pas tellement la différence ». Il n'y a pas de victoire éclatante à toujours emprunter le chemin prudent.

Le silences peuvent signifier mille choses. Ma thérapeute dit que je tente de lire les pensées des autres. Je ne vais pas me changer, mais maintenant, je l'aborde différemment. J'ouvre la porte une, deux, trois fois peut-être : veut-on changer ou adapter un détail du maquillage? Puis, ça ne m'appartient plus. Je ramène fermement mon esprit. Ma cliente m'a interdit d'aller plus loin, pour des raisons qui m'échappent, et ce n'est plus mon territoire. C'est une forme d'intimité que je ne peux pas forcer.

Se libérer de vouloir plaire à tout prix. Exprimer une insatisfaction. Forcer une cliente à communiquer, c'est comme casser des os pour forcer une meilleure reconstruction. Ça le fait, mais c'est aussi violent! À chacune son rythme.

Souvenir photo du mariage de Jen, septembre 2025, une belle journée avec un cortège super sympathique.

Being a makeup artist requires being attentive to details. This morning, I am studying two lashes. They are so similar that maybe I shouldn't use two spots in my lash tray. And yet, if I look closer and more slowly, one has more length and is more curled and fanned.

A millimeter counts. It's the difference between silence from a client, and a client encouraging: "It's not what I expected, but I am willing to try this step out of my routine," the "I love it," then "That's my look when I do my makeup," then there is the "Oh— I don't see much difference." There is no flamboyant victory in always taking the safe road.

Silences mean different things. My therapist says I am again playing mind-reader. I keep on doing it, but now, I process it differently. I open the door one, two, three times maybe. Then, the issue is not mine anymore. I firmly bring my brain back to the scene: it is not mine anymore. I have been forbidden by my client to go further, for reasons unknown to me, and it's not my territory anymore. It's a kind of intimacy I can't force.

Getting out of people-pleasing. Voicing dissatisfaction. Forcing it is like breaking bones to force a better reconstruction. It's effective, but it's violent.

Thanks to Maridy & her sisters, for a super enjoyable wedding morning!

Remarquez que la robe de la bouquetière est blanche. En plus d'assouplir la tache, le Tide To Go contient du peroxyde d'hydrogène, qui est utilisé comme agent de blanchiment. Sur du blanc, c'est très bien. Sur une couleur vive, attention : vous pourriez à force de frotter remplacer la tache trop foncée par une tache trop claire!

Le démaquillant à rouge à lèvres lui, est prévu pour le visage. Il n'a donc pas la puissance de javelliser le tissu. Sa composition le rendrait probablement peu utile pour une tache de vin ou de café. Mais il est idéal dans le cadre de mes responsabilités!

Ce matin, le voiturier du Saint-Antoine m'offre encore de porter mes bagages : je refuse encore, car je pense que ce n'est pas approprié comme je travaille comme lui. Parfois, au bout de sept ans à passer faire un tour, j'accepte.

J’ai appris le maquillage et la coiffure en autodidacte. Après une semaine de création de courts-métrages en 2016 avec des professionnels, mon nom a commencé à circuler à Québec. On m’appelait pour un tournage… puis un autre… J’ai vite capté ma compatibilité avec une carrière en beauté. On peut devenir artiste en étudiant les beaux-arts, mais surtout, à force de se pratiquer. J’ai suivi mon cours de lancement d’entreprise, je me suis incorporée puis je n’ai jamais regardé en arrière!

La majorité des erreurs de style tiennent à ce qu’on se maquille en automatisme et généralement avec rudesse. Avec Laurel Maquillage, je préconise une reprise de nos routines beauté avec plus de douceur et plus d’attention. Je vous maquille avec joie et cette confiance vous suit dans vos activités!

Ex-mannequin, je suis sensible au confort et à l’expérience des client.e.s sur ma chaise. J’ai démarré Laurel Maquillage car je veux partager à plus de femmes l’expérience de qualité généralement réservée aux célébrités ou actrices.

Je vous écoute avec attention pour vous livrer le meilleur de mon art, comme vous en avez besoin, de la façon qui vous convient. Professionalisme, souplesse et plaisir partagé : ce sont les valeurs qui guident mon travail avec vous!

La majorité des erreurs de style tiennent à ce qu’on se maquille en automatisme et généralement avec rudesse. Avec Laurel Maquillage, je préconise une reprise de nos routines beauté avec plus de douceur et plus d’attention. Je vous maquille avec joie et cette confiance vous suit dans vos activités!

Ex-mannequin, je suis sensible au confort et à l’expérience des client.e.s sur ma chaise. J’ai démarré Laurel Maquillage car je veux partager à plus de femmes l’expérience de qualité généralement réservée aux célébrités ou actrices.

Je vous écoute avec attention pour vous livrer le meilleur de mon art, comme vous en avez besoin, de la façon qui vous convient. Professionalisme, souplesse et plaisir partagé : ce sont les valeurs qui guident mon travail avec vous!