Irish makeup artist Aidan Keogh has working on some of the worlds top models – including Kendall Jenner.
The New York based artist, who originally hails from Cabra, has travelled all over the world since leaving the comfort of Dublin when he was just 25-years-old.
Speaking to the Irish Sun whilst en route to a secret photoshoot with Kendall in Bangkok, Aidan said, “I was an apprentice lithographic printer in Chapelizod when I left school. I was there for almost four years and I was miserable. I just didn’t fit in.
“I remember the September 11 terror attacks in New York when the twin towers collapsed and we all stood around the radio in shock.”
“That was the moment I said, ‘I need to find my happiness. Life is too short and I’m not going to continue being miserable here.’ I left shortly after that and the rest is history. Now New York has been my home for ten years.”
Aidan worked in Brown Thomas before he was recruited by makeup giant MAC Cosmetics, “I remember when I told my late grandmother that MAC had offered me an opportunity to join them in BT’s and she said, ‘Make-up? That’s a girl’s job’.
“I said, ‘Cooking is what most mothers do yet most of the world’s best chefs are male, hairdressing is what a lot of women do yet some of the best hairstylists in the world are male.’ She agreed with me.”
After being recruited by one of the biggest makeup brands in the world, he was soon noticed by MAC New York – and after 10 years working for the brand, he decided to branch out on his own and start booking celebrity clients.
“It was a scary feeling at first but it was just like when I left the print factory. Everything I’ve ever wanted is outside my comfort zone. I was 25 years old leaving Dublin to build the life I wanted for myself in New York. I’m 36 years old and it’s been a lot of hard work.
“Nobody handed anything to me and there’s been rejection, like in any industry. I guess being from Cabra and a middle child of seven siblings gave me thick skin.”
“I was recently watching a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, and as the girls came down the runway, I counted 15 of the Angels and models I had worked with in 2016 alone — Kendall Jenner, Stella Maxwell, Bridget Malcolm, Josephine Skriver, Elsa Hosk and Valery Kaufman.
“Kendall has always been so good for me to work with. She knows what she likes, is pleasant and professional and is naturally beautiful so it’s a bonus she continues to ask me back.”
Looking ahead, Aidan admitted that the next celebrity client on his wish list is Irish beauty Saoirse Ronan.
“It would be Saoirse Ronan, hands down. She is the future of Hollywood. She’s cool, chic, stylish and has beautiful alabaster Irish skin. Saoirse if you read this, have your PR call my agent. It would be my pleasure and an honour,” he added.
