Who Is Ariel Tejada? 15 Facts & Details About Kylie Jenner's Makeup Artist
Everything you need to know about the Life of Kylie glam master.
getty Who is Ariel Tejada, Kylie Jenner's makeup artist?
Anyone who’s watched more than a minute of the many shows in the Kardashian reality franchise knows their level of glam is not a solo effort. The KarJenner Klan has teams of professionals on speed dial to come give them whatever groundbreaking new look they dream up in their always-Insta-ready imaginations.
Baby of the family Kylie Jenner — who recently waded into hot drama amid allegations from Forbes that she fudged her 'billiionaire' status earnings and tax returns — has kicked up the glam a notch above her big sisters and made her mark on the world of make-up with her eponymous line. Her face is her canvas and you can’t turn around without seeing snaps of her looking fierce and flawless.
She’s seriously talented at doing her own make-up but even her skills are outmatched by her make-up artist pro and Life of Kylie co-star Ariel Tejada.
From the red carpet to Coachella, Ariel is there with the looks that make Kylie look amazing. Here’s everything you need to know about the glam pro, including where to find Ariel's makeup tutorials online.
1. He got his big break at 19.
Before Instagram, makeup artists had to toil for years before they got the attention of a star like Kylie. But Ariel was just 19 years old and recently out of high school when he got his big break doing a look for the youngest Jenner. How’s that for starting out on top?
2. He was schooled in the arts.
Speaking of high school, Ariel didn't study the Three Rs at just any old school. He honed his skills at the Brooklyn High School for the Arts. Can't you just see him reinging supreme backstage of all the performances there, making sure his classmates looked fab before they hit the lights?
3. He believes in pep talks.
Since Ariel was just a kid — and an unknown kid at that — when he got started he would cold call models and photographers to get their attention. He’d psych himself up for calls by saying “I'm the greatest makeup artist ever.’” It must have worked because he goes on to say, “Because of the way I spoke of myself and the way I saw myself, people started seeing me that way. And so, I started getting work through that.”
4. He didn’t have to use his hustle to get his foot in the door with Kylie.
Kylie came to Ariel, not the other way around. She literally showed up in his DMs to tell him she wanted to work with him. He told Allure, “I was traveling when I saw the message, and [I didn't reply until] 14 minutes later, so I was like, This is late! I'm not going to get a reply back! I messaged her back, 'I'm available whenever. I'll fly out tomorrow if I have to,' and sent her my cell number.
She didn't reply for three days. My anxiety was next-level. When she finally texted me, I told her I'd be in L.A. in the next week. Mind you, I hadn't bought my flight. So I booked a trip to L.A. and waited for her to get back to me.” They met up when he got there and made beautiful make-up magic together and haven't stopped since!
5. He loves Kylie and loves her sisters, too.
Once Ariel started doing Kylie’s glam on the regular, her sisters got in on the act as well. Ariel has been the MUA behind Kim’s blonde bombshell moments and Kendall’s red carpet glow. He even does looks on Mama Kris!
6. He can’t take credit for Kylie’s signature lip look.
Nothing says Kylie like her famous pout but even Ariel won’t grab credit for that. "I don't really line Kylie's lips — that's one of her own touches. She lines her own lips, and we use many different lip liners to do that. Some days we use a more pink tone and some days we use a more brown tone. We only use lip liner; she uses liner as her lipstick. She does her lips pretty fast. I would say it takes her two minutes, and that's pushing it."
7. The Kardashians aren’t his first brunette bombshells.
Ariel’s first big-name client was another glam-goddess, Lilly Galichi of Shahs of Sunset. The former reality star turned lash-mogul still calls in Ariel when she needs to bring the hotness!
8. He's even glammed Chrissie Teigen.
It’s no surprise that Kardashain pal and John Legend's wife Teigen would want know all their secrets — including Ariel’s number! He did this gorgeous look for her in 2016.
9. He did Kylie’s “cool mom” Coachella look and he nailed it.
Kylie stepped out in shocking pink hair and understated makeup, with a quip on her Insta saying "I'm not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom." Guess she knows her Mean Girls quotes as well as we all do! The whole looked screamed “festival season” and she rocked it!
10. And did you catch Ariel's own Coachella look? Can you say FIERCE?
No words needed to describe what he wore to Coachella. (Make sure you click through for the back view, too!)
11. He’s not a product snob.
Sure, it’s no surprise that Ariel lists LaMer Moisturizing Gel Cream — which runs for a hefty $170 per ounce — as one of his all-time favorite products, but he also says he loves NYX Soft Matte Cream lipsticks for a practical $6.49 apiece!
12. He’ll tell you when you’re wrong.
He's tight with Pretty Little Liars’ star Shay Mitchell and does a lot of her best looks. But when she did a make-up tutorial on her YouTube Channel, he stepped in. He told the actress that he just didn't like what she did and showed her how to do it better — and we can all learn from his killer make-up tips!
13. He wants you to stop making this one make-up mistake.
Shay isn't the only one he wants to help out with make-up. He says the one mistake he sees too often is putting on too much foundation. “Something that I tend to do is start off with the thinnest layer of foundation. I feel like some people tend to go in and mask their face and that’s just so unnecessary. You’re supposed to be enhancing your features not masking them.”
What does he think you should do instead? Blend, baby! “I used to assist this makeup artist, her name was Sheika Daley and I remember I asked her, ‘How do you make your makeup look like second skin? It’s crazy. She said ‘just blend until you can’t blend no more.’ I take forever to do makeup, I really do. But it’s the most rewarding thing when at the end of it; my makeup is blended to perfection. Spend your time on blending.
14. He's all about the contour — except when he's not.
The Kardashian look is all about intense contouring to make every feature pop but even Ariel knows that Instagram and real life are different. He says, "It's important that people know that it's unrealistic to walk out with what is considered highlighting and contouring on a daily basis. Sometimes you should just rock your natural features and softly enhance [them]."
15. He’s got moves.
Check out this sweet little video of him dancing with Kylie — the besties have some rhythm and some laughs!
Rebekah Kuschmider is a DC area writer with a background in non-profit management and advocacy Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and is a contributor the book Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox . She is a cohost of the weekly political podcast The More Perfect Union.
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