Cicely Tyson’s Red Carpet Beauty Secrets, From Her Amazing Makeup Artist, Damone Roberts!

Let me tell you about when I met Damone Roberts. It was in 2009, I was still living in Miami and still had a regular day job, and I was attending a beauty event dedicated to women of color at Macy’s…I wanna say in Aventura Mall. In those days I was still at the paper, so I would try to feature events I could also write about here on Afrobella! I remember sitting in a small room for employees only at Macy’s, interviewing makeup artist Patrece Williams. The door opened and in walked Damone, with that resplendent mane and glowing skin. Damone is a gorgeous individual from the minute you look at him. And as I interviewed him I came to realize that his beauty shines from within. Damone is a lovely gentleman with a desire to inspire and I really enjoy his company!

In case you don’t already know, Damone Roberts is often called The Eyebrow King. His salons in Beverly Hills and New York are meccas for stars seeking essential beautifying. He is one of the best beauty professionals in the business, and he has plucked perfect brows for the likes of Madonna, Beyonce, Vanessa Williams, Robert Downey Jr., Diana Ross, and… Cicely Tyson.

Which brings me to today’s post. When I learned that Damone was the man behind Cicely Tyson’s gorgeous look at the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, I needed to learn more! How do you paint the face of a living legend? Find out in my interview with Cicely Tyson’s main makeup artist, Damone Roberts!

Afrobella — I believe you’re Cicely Tyson’s main makeup artist – that is AMAZING to work with such a legend! How long have you been working together? How did it begin?

Damone Roberts — Miss Tyson and I have become dear friends over the years & I now have the pleasure of calling her my “Spiritual Mother”! Her knowledge, energy & legacy always make me leave our times together with my mouth open. I’m actually trying to convince her to write her memoirs. Believe me when i tell you the public only knows the movies & awards, but “the story” is what stops you in your tracks. I absolutely love her! We met randomly one day several years ago, when she was walking by my Beverly Hills Salon and she stopped in after noticing the sign that said “brows”. Can you imagine how blessed I am to look up & see this icon who I watched in major movies since I was literally a baby, walk into my home? The other day I was out front picking something up off the sidewalk & Sidney Poitier walked by and said “Good Morning”. I remember one day I was sitting in my back alley doing a conference call & Diana Ross pulled in. I know it’s a surreal existence & I never take it for granted.

Afrobella — For the SAG Awards, Cicely looked incredible! Can you please share what products you used on her for the occasion, and which are your favorite products for women of color in general? Are there special tips and tricks you use for more mature clients?

Damone Roberts — Thank you for the compliment. She is a beautiful woman so I always play up her features. I’ve done her for all her major Award Show appearances lately, if our schedules allow. For The 2012 Sag Awards I used my new favorite foundation. It’s called “Fit Me” by Maybelline! I love how some of these drugstore brands are really stepping up their game. My loose powder of choice is YSL! I used a combination of The Damone Roberts Brow Shadow in “Minx” & “Miss Ross” for the brows. The eyes were done in several warm tones by MAC. The eyeliner & mascara was by my friend LaLa Vasquez’ new line called “Motives”, while the lashes were by my other friend B Scott called “Bitch, Boo, Bye”. I’m a huge fan of the Queen Latifah Cover Girl Bronzers and use them daily…on Miss Tyson i used “ebony bronze”. Lastly I used my friends A.J Crimson & Keisha Whitakers lipgloss line Kissable Couture in “Tyler”. For more mature clients I always go softer on the powder & thicker on the brows.

Afrobella — Are you already anticipating a look for the Oscars? Can you share your best red carpet makeup tips with me and Afrobella readers? I’ll be working the Oscar red carpet this year and could use all the advice I can get!

Damone Roberts — That’s incredible Afrobella! Good luck with that. I remember one year I actually did brows on the red carpet for the oscars. it was insane! My advice is stay present and take it all in. It’s an experience that is like no other. Literally everyone you ever seen on screen is directly in front of you. This year we are going back to glamour. Movie stars are looking like movie stars again. I’m predicting alot of red lips & dramatic brows. I’m so proud of Viola Davis & Octavia Spencer. Talk about talented! i recently did makeup for a photo shoot with Vanity Fair Magazine with the cast of “The Help” and Viola told me I taught her many things about makeup from watching my TLC TV show “10 years younger” a few years back. We had a good laugh about that, and now she is nominated for Best Actress for the biggest award show on earth. I’ve stopped questioning how these things happen & just look up say Thank You God.

Afrobella — What’s your best advice for an aspiring makeup artist, who strives to have a career as remarkable as yours?

Damone Roberts — I truly feel like I’m just getting started to take my career where I always envisioned. The journey has been long & trying, but I have learned to never put a lid on a dream. With that being said, I believe one must first envision where they want to go. Take your career seriously & show others how serious you are, instead of talking about it. Be on time (actually early, so you’re ready for your client when they walk through the door), keep your brushes & hands clean (nails short), and always respect the privacy of things you may be privy to when you are spending an hour in someones face. Lastly, never think you are to good to not learn something new. A true artist always knows that there is more out there. I was also a makeup artist first, who then started to focus on brows. I was serious & smart enough to know there are plenty of other makeup artists out there…what’s going to make me stand out? Find your own version of “special”.

Afrobella — Are you working on any new, cool projects — a book, a DVD, classes, a product of your own — that I can share with my readers? I know you stay busy!

Damone Roberts — I just joined forces with E! Entertainment TV co-founder Alan Mruvka to launch THELOOKBAG, “a luxury beauty sample club,” where beauties get at-home monthly deliveries of the latest and greatest products to try! The beauty industry is consistently growing and it can be a bit overwhelming to walk into a beauty department and have no direction. THELOOKBAG.com gives subscribers a way to try things out for multiple uses in a resealable container before you decide to purchase. How many products do we all have sitting in the back of a drawer that we only used once? We saw a void in the market and decided to join forces to fill it for a minimal membership fee of $10.00 monthly. We also personalize the samples for you after finding out your skin & hair type, favorite celeb look, etc.

I launched The Damone Roberts Tinted Brow Gels late last year and they are doing extremely well. Kelly Rowland came in recently and tweeted to the world how they changed her life. It comes in several different natural shades & took me over two years in the lab to develop. I just sent over every shade to Beyonce because you never know what look she will be rocking. They are available at my salons in Beverly Hills & New York, or DamoneRoberts.com.

Lastly I’m in the lab working on my own makeup line. I’m not interested in doing makeup that has been done before. I’m interested in taking it to a whole new level & i believe we are in the midst of creating that. These things have not been done before & trust me when i tell you…it’s about to be on & popping!

You can follow Damone Roberts on Twitter @DamoneRoberts, and
like his official Facebook fan page. Damone, you are SO AWESOME! Thank you Damone, for everything! And I can’t wait to see Cicely Tyson’s look at the Academy Awards!