Diane Kendal

Diane Kendal is a British-born makeup artist, currently residing in New York City. She is the beauty product consultant and makeup artist for Marc Jacobs Beauty, and has developed product lines for Calvin Klein Cosmetics.

Early life

When Kendal was a young girl on school holidays in Wokingham, England—about 30 miles west of Central London—she would accompany her father to work at a television studio in the northern city of Carlisle England. Diane would hang around the makeup room, observing as the talent was prepared for the cameras; these visits ignited her desire to study theatrical makeup. She described this as her earliest makeup memory in Intermission Magazine, stating "[My dad] would drop my sister and me off in the makeup room during school holidays when he would take us in with him. I could only have been five or six at the time. I thought, 'G-d that looks kind of fun.' I always remember my mother using Max Factor pan stick. I was fascinated, sticking my fingers in it."

Career

Her time spent in the studio's makeup room inspired her to study special-effect makeup and prosthetic at the London College of Fashion. It wasn't until she met fellow students studying photography, design, and hair styling, that she realised that she could make a career in the fashion industry. "I tried to do movie makeup, but I never got that far," Kendal said in a 2001 interview in Harper's Bazaar. "So I worked with college friends who were photographers in London." She began test-shooting with then up-and-coming photographers such as David Sims and Nathaniel Goldberg. She also began travel to Milan and Paris, where she assisted makeup artists such as Stephane Marais in an effort to hone her technical expertise.

After graduating in 1981, Kendal began her career working for UK publications, such as Girl About Town and Miss London. In the '90s, she moved to New York City, and along with hair stylist and close friend Guido Palau, she became known in the grunge movement which was prevalent in the fashion industry at the time.

In 1988, Kendal received what she considered to be her first major job – a fashion story for Italian Vogue with model Cordula Reyer and the photographer Albert Watson.

In 1997, designer Calvin Klein collaborated with Kendal, asking her to design a cosmetic line for the brand. Her line included the Calvin Klein Cheek Color Washes, among other products, which developed a celebrity following amongst the likes of Julia Roberts and Hilary Swank. It was also this year that she shot her first Vogue cover, for December—working with models Shalom Harlow and Georgina Grenville and photographed by Steven Meisel.

Today, Kendal works with photographers including David Sims, Craig McDean, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Patrick Demarchelier, and Mario Sorrenti. Her makeup styling appears in Italian, French, Japanese, and American Vogue, W Magazine, Allure Magazine, and Interview Magazine, as well as advertising campaigns such as Marc Jacobs, Chloé, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, and Tom Ford. Kendal has created the runway looks for designers including Balenciaga, Roberto Cavalli, Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, and Carolina Herrera.

Personal life

Kendal maintains a close personal and working relationship with hair stylist Guido Palau. She and her daughter currently reside in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.