Maxim Gilev: “I was always impressed by the bright picture”

– Maxim, tell us how you started your career as a makeup artist? As far as I know, you were previously a hair stylist for a year and a half.

– From an early age I was clearly aware that I wanted to do makeup. Already in the ninth or tenth grade, I knew exactly what profession I wanted to master. This is probably the case when a person has a calling. My choice was also influenced by the fact that as a child I watched a lot of musicals: I was always impressed by the bright picture - when a gray life turns into a carnival.

I grew up in a strict family, so I didn’t tell anyone that I wanted to do makeup. I went to a pedagogical institute and studied to become a historian. Then he began to engage in management activities in restaurants. But at a certain moment I realized that we have one life and we need to do what will bring pleasure. I wanted to wake up with the thought: “Cool, I’ll run to work now!”

And even then, at twenty-two, it was difficult for me to tell my parents that I was going into the beauty industry. Therefore, I decided to start with hairdressing: it was at least somehow accepted in my family. I studied at a strong school in Sochi, learned how to do haircuts, coloring, and hairstyles and worked as a hairdresser for two years. At the same time, I studied makeup and over time began to combine these two activities. I invested a lot of time and money in training - in the first year I attended master classes of all the top speakers that are available in the nearest CIS countries.

Over time, I got a lot of clients, and then my first students. I developed, constantly improved and ended up where I am now.

– I found information in your profile that you dug graves as a student...

– I grew up in a fairly poor family in a small village. When I entered the best institute in the Altai region, in Barnaul, on a budget, and I was given a hostel based on my scores, which was rare for children from poor families, it was a great joy. In order to somehow survive, from my first year I got a job as a cook. There was another good opportunity to get money - digging graves. We came with our student friends to the cemetery, they gave us everything we needed, and that’s how we made money. They paid especially well in winter, since the soil froze and it was very difficult to dig. That's why I have excellent men's training. (Laughs.)

– Your portfolio contains both classic images and incredibly creative ones. What are you more drawn to now?

– I am always drawn to creativity and art, but, unfortunately, I cannot fully reveal myself exclusively in this area. I am always very focused on technique and cleanliness of work, as I actively participated in Russian and European championships in order to quickly earn status and reputation. Another advantage of perfectly clean works is that they look cool on social networks, so you can quickly promote your account with their help.

But I never felt much love for this trend; it is not entirely comparable with the philosophy of a make-up artist and to some extent ruined my taste. A real make-up artist should emphasize beauty and make a girl more beautiful. And at championships we use the model as a canvas to show all our technical abilities.

Now I understand that I am closer to the work of Hollywood makeup artists: they are a little untidy, but always compositionally competent. If you look at them closely, you realize that there are a lot of flaws in the makeup. But when you look at the image as a whole, it looks gorgeous. And if you do everything neatly, eyelash to eyelash, perfect lips, contouring, the girl turns into a robot.

– Which makeup artist inspires you with their example?

– I am inspired by so many masters. I can’t single out just one, because inspiration cannot be found in everything. I may be delighted with some nuance of color, unusual arrow or eyebrow styling from the image of a certain makeup artist, but I may not like everything else.

But most often, inspiration comes from some abstract things - films, atmospheric music, paintings by artists, and even patterns on walls and advertising posters. You can find some cool color combinations there. But I never understood inspiration from nature, twigs, pebbles. (Smiles.)

Even modern fashion week shows I watch only to draw trends from them, but there is nothing special to be inspired by. But the shows of the 60s–90s (Versace, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano) are a storehouse of ideas in all directions that will last for many years.

– How do ideas for art images come about? What is the path from idea to creation?

– First, so-called butterflies begin to fly in your head - details of the image, some individual elements. The most important thing is to choose the coolest idea out of all of them and then not change it, so that in the end a truly cool image is born. And don’t put it off until later, but do it here and now!

Then you think over the color scheme, complement the image with accessories, and then the most difficult thing comes - to fit this image into the anatomy of the model. Composition rules can be broken, but very competently, otherwise nothing good will come of it.

– You love working with color when creating makeup. How do you choose shades for work?

– It all depends on the mood, the intended image or model. If we talk about clients, it depends on their needs and wishes, the style and lifestyle of the woman. Because color is always an emotion.

But, to be honest, I don’t really like working with color. However, it is precisely this that is a marketing trigger; it makes it easy to sell. It’s no wonder that almost all well-known brands have colored logos and product packaging. If I go back to commercial makeup, I prefer monochrome muted shades.

– They say that makeup artists have their own style. Do you think it’s possible to recognize a master by his makeup?

Certainly! It's so cool and unique. I definitely don’t have one, but every makeup artist strives for this and looks for his own style. As a rule, one master out of a hundred has it.

– How do you choose beauty products for work? Do you like to experiment and try something new or have you been using proven products for years?

– I like to experiment with textures, but not so much with products. Even if I buy something new, I have already heard or read something about this product on the Internet, so I never buy anything blindly.

My attitude towards cosmetics is different from that of my male colleagues. They spend crazy amounts on products, testing and trying everything. I admit, I test foundations on myself and that's it. (Laughs.) To understand how they wear and how girls feel with this or that tone on their face.

I have a certain budget for groceries, and I strictly follow it - I don’t buy too much. Almost all products are similar, and their textures are identical, it’s just that some brands have a little more advertising, and some have a little less. The main thing is to prepare your skin well and apply the product professionally. I tell my students that you shouldn’t buy everything and take out a loan for a makeup artist’s starter kit. (Smiles.)

– You founded your own makeup academy. Do you think this is the next step in your career as a makeup artist? Or is it important to have some kind of teaching streak in this matter?

– Personally, I had my own philosophy of creating a school. Everything was hard for me. I am not one of those masters who saw it once and repeated it. To get to what I can do today, I worked hard. Now I understand that I could have mastered the profession much faster if I had been given the correct information. I realized that people need to help. I can explain the technique to students in such a way that they don’t have to spend six months mastering it. I tell you how to apply the product correctly, that pressure is important, and what kind of pile to choose.

Yes, I think you need to have a calling, and especially iron patience. If you don't have patience, no matter how much you love the process of teaching, you won't succeed. You can explain basic things to a student in a calm tone, but he immediately begins to do things his own way. It is important not to break down and come up three or four times if necessary so that the person remembers. And so on to six to seven students per lesson. It’s hard to call me a sensitive teacher; I’m very demanding.

Another advantage that helps me convey information is the pedagogical education behind me. I don’t have a goal for students to leave the basic course happy and idolize me. Let them better pray during exams and dream when this is all over. Let them be mentally exhausted at the end of the course. But I will know that I gave them everything that the universe put into me. I tell my students that profession is a sport. If you want to achieve results, take all your fortitude for ten days of training and let’s go.

– You recently opened an online academy. Tell us how the training is carried out and what are its advantages?

– There are a lot of advantages, but almost no disadvantages. It all depends on how you prepare the course, what platform you choose for this, how you present the information, and how high-quality equipment you use. Feedback and checking homework are important: this allows you to control the learning process. Reviews about this type of training are very good, and a huge number of special online courses are planned on various topics.

– Maxim, you have a large number of subscribers on Instagram. Do you consider yourself a blogger?

– I don’t think so at all. If I were a blogger, my account would be a hundred times bigger, and I would be a millionaire. (Smiles.) But I can’t live by this... Previously, I was in the shadows, posting only my work on the page, but since 2019 I began to maintain an account much more actively. I have had many complexes since childhood, and it is difficult for me to write down stories every time, although I try very hard to do it regularly. Even taking a selfie in a beautiful restaurant is difficult psychological work for me.

The article was first published in Makeup&YOU Professional magazine.

Interviewed by Anastasia Buzdanova