Upon meeting Daniel Martin, it’s immediately clear why he’s great at his job. His make-up skills – as anyone can see from his Instagram page, his celebrity clients and his editorial work – are of course exemplary. He has a sensitive and nuanced touch which brings out the individual character of each face, celebrating its best features and allowing the subject to look like themselves, but better. But on top of that, he’s so, so, so nice. Which, as anyone who has spent well over an hour in the make-up chair knows, is just as crucial to a make-up artist’s success and likelihood of being rebooked as their skills.
“I’m really lucky and blessed to work with these incredible women – it’s up to me to capture the essence of their personality,” he tells me, referring to each as his “good friend” rather than his client as he runs through a list including Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Elisabeth Moss and – of course – the Duchess of Sussex. Warm and enthusiastic, he is the sort of person who puts you at ease immediately. (No surprise, then, that the latter chose to have him around at a wedding which was watched by millions around the globe. No pressure.)
Martin started out on the MAC counter in a Seattle branch of Nordstrom, having been introduced to fashion and make-up – and Vogue – by his three sisters. “The late ‘80s and early ‘90s are when I really fell hard for it because everything was just so spectacular and it was when fashion and music kind of merged together and told this incredible story of that time,” he says. In 1995 he moved to the East Coast of the United States, to start working with Aveda in Virginia. And who happened to create a capsule collection for Aveda at just that time? Pat McGrath.
“At the time there was this whole British invasion in New York fashion, this whole collective shaking up the industry. And of course now she’s still on top of the game and I have so much respect for her,” he told me. He soon started working on her shows team, backstage at fashion week. “I never made it up the ranks to be her first or second assistant, but it was enough of a taste to get my feet wet and figure out my trajectory.”
From there, Martin paid his dues and worked his way up through the industry, signing with The Wall Group over a decade ago and gathering a close circle of loyal high-profile clients.
“Daniel always ensures that his clients feel their absolute best and most beautiful. His style is about enhancing natural beauty, rather than a trend or a look. It’s not about Daniel as the star. He has been an incredible artist and worked humbly behind the scenes, always putting the spotlight on the talent that he works with,” The Wall Group director Ali Bird tells me over email. “He was, and continues to be, one of the kindest people that I have ever worked with. [When we started working together] he was enthusiastic, willing and cared so much about his profession and career. He made every effort to be the best at what he was doing, he listened and was always collaborative. He treats his long-term clients as if it was his first day working with them and puts in the same amount of effort day one to day 1,000.”
More recently he became a Dior Beauty brand ambassador and Honest Beauty creative colour consultant, the latter a progression of his work as Jessica Alba’s make-up artist. And then, of course, there was the royal wedding, expanding his audience to millions worldwide. Martin was lauded for the dewy, natural-looking make-up he created for Meghan, who he has worked with since her Suits days. “Because we’ve known each other for so long and I knew exactly what she wanted, it was kind of a no-brainer the day of,” he told us at the time, and the relaxed attitude that came through in the make-up has had a marked effect on beauty since.
“Because of Meghan, people are feeling comfortable in their own skin. They don’t need to wear so much make-up. After the wedding I had so many moms reach out to me through DM saying, ‘thank you for showing my 14-year-old daughter that she doesn’t need to go to school with a full face of make-up’. I didn’t realise how much make-up the world was wearing!”
So what’s next for the man behind the most influential bridal beauty look in recent memory? I bumped into Martin backstage at Dior’s spring/summer 2019 show in Paris earlier this month and let’s just say his schedule sounds pretty packed, though he remains as upbeat as ever. And his outlook on beauty remains remarkably fresh. In his words, anything is possible.
“I feel like we’re living in a time where there are no rules. Make-up is more accepted for everyone, it has become very gender-neutral. Now is the time to kind of experiment and become your own individual with it,” he says. “We grew up in a time where so many trends started on the runway. Now, with social media, young people are still looking at the shows through their phones but they’re also inundated with other aspects of that spectacle – so they’re looking at people on the front row, the kids on the street… And then there are these people like Meghan, who are so influential. I feel like we’ve hit this moment where it’s about finding your groove. Finding what works for you and owning it.”
Originally published on British Vogue.
Editor
Lisa Niven-Phillips