Fast confession - Lucia Hrušková Gibodová recruits women for school: Learn to do make-up from a pro!
Lucia Hrušková Gibodová has been a make-up artist for many years. She works both in our country and abroad and, as she herself said, we seem to have gotten a little lost in time. Evolving and moving forward is the key to success. But according to her, Czechs and Slovaks are slightly lazy. They simply don't want to adapt and follow trends.
You and your husband founded FRENCH LOOK MAKE UP ACADEMY. What was your incentive for this?
I have been working as a make-up artist for about 22, 23 years. I think it's impossible to go any further, because I have already done make-up for probably all Czechoslovak celebrities in all the magazines that exist. But I'm a little tired, I'm over 40, and now we have a four-month-old baby with my husband. I knew that I would not drag that thirty-three kg briefcase around forever. I did not want to be such a slave to this world. So setting up this school, it was a sort of escape.
So what is FRENCH LOOK MAKE UP ACADEMY about?
It is a project that is designed for girls and women who want to learn how to do their own make-up. That is, not as determine by trends, but according to what directly suits them. Each of us has a different nose. Each of us has a different shape of eyes, lips, cheekbones. I could go on. That is, not according to one article in the magazine, but specifically, the woman learns as much as possible about her own face. I can guarantee that if she practices what she learns, in a week she will be able to do her make-up in ten minutes, including eyeshadow. And she will be able to transform into evening make-up in five minutes.
Everything around us is evolving, and so I assume that time has progressed also in the area of the make-up. During the time you've been doing this, where do you feel the biggest shift?
I see a general shift in retouching and fotoshop. It's incredible, but we've degenerated to adjusting everything. In magazines we see unreal people. And today there are different face applications. We don't even know what our real beauty is. In this we are very shallow. Technically, in terms of product quality, there is a big shift. For example, make-up nowadays is lightweight. It contains caring substances, nutrients, UV factors, and the like. There are different templates for eyebrows, artificial eyelashes, and so on. I go back a little in this. In the sense – less is more. Because I need to teach a woman to work with her face. Not with colours, but for example, to be able to technically apply make-up on a drooping eyelid.
Do you have a professional deformation? Do you stare when you see a badly made-up woman?
Eyebrows can shock me. I don't mind when they are more pronounced, but sometimes it's really insanity. But other than that, not really. And overall, everyone should do what they want.
You've been doing fashion shows at home and abroad. Do you see any difference between how it works in our country and elsewhere in the world?
I have the feeling that models here are not able to adapt. When it comes to doing purple eyeshadow and green eyeliner, the model won't do it because, according to her, it doesn't suit her. In other countries this doesn't happen. All the models have the same make-up, or they do as they are told. They don't care, and why would they? They are models. It's their job. And they know very well that they can profit from it and they do.
Why do you think it is so?
We are still about 40 years behind here. It's about the generation. A new generation must come. Czechs generally do not want to adapt. How do we distinguish a Czech from a foreigner in Prague? One glance is all we need to know that she is not Czech. And that should not be the case. And another thing. The fact that someone purchases expensive branded clothing does not mean they look good in it. Because sometimes you can dress better for a few crowns than if a woman is wearing brands from head to toe, yet it seems she hasn't gone beyond the market-hall. It's about the overall impression. It is mainly about what we radiate. And that is spiritual wealth.
You have done make-up for a series of celebrities in Czech show business. Which face did you most enjoy working with?
You need to realize that it's actually about revealing the person I'm doing the make-up for. It's personal when you touch someone. Whether you want it or not, you absorb her energy. Sometimes doing the make-up is fine, but the energy of that person totally exhausts you. In that case, I silently do this person's make-up in the shortest possible time. It is good for both sides. But people I really love to cooperate with are the singer Dasha, actress Jitka Čvančarová, or model Tereza Maxová.
Is there a simple recipe that guarantees women everyday satisfaction?
You know what, it's not just about putting on make-up, grooming yourself, dressing up and going out. It's also about learning to leave "home worries" at home and only then cross the threshold of the apartment. And of course, the opposite is also true. When we come home from work after another difficult day. Before you enter your home, shake it off, leave the "problems" outside and then enter. You will surely breathe better. And yes, it is important to step into a new day, well dressed and made-up. Because only then can we women concentrate entirely on everything that awaits us. And why? Because we feel good. And even though many men still do not think so, a woman first and foremost does her make-up for herself. Because everything else evolves from there.
