Artist Profile: Joey Mills
In the 70's and 80's there was only a handful of makeup artists doing editorial work in New York City, and Joey Mills was one of them.
His fresh approach to makeup, coined as 'natural glamour' in his book "New Classic Beauty", made him very popular with designers, notably Calvin Klein. Joey designed the makeup for that now iconic ad campaign for Calvin Klein Jeans, starring Brooke Shields and shot by legendary photographer Richard Avedon.
Their work together started an eyebrow trend that is still popular to this day, as he preferred a full brow that was groomed and defined but kept natural in appearance. No dramatic arching or bleaching, which were popular at the time.
His work has been featured on the covers of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan, and he was Head of Makeup at runway shows for Calvin Klein, Valentino, Versace, Bill Blass, and Oscar de la Renta. He designed the makeup for Cecily Tyson's character in "The Corn is Green" on Broadway, cult classic film "The Eyes of Laura Mars", and several TV productions.
At his peak he had over 1,600 magazine covers under his belt, more than any other artist at that time.
Brooke Shields for Calvin Klein Jeans, 1980
Joey's signature look; full, natural brows, brown smokey eyeshadows, and peach tones on the cheeks and lips. Designer Calvin Klein wanted her to look fresh and timeless. After the ad campaign, Joey continued to work with Brooke, doing her makeup for many photoshoots and magazine covers.
Scenes from the film "The Eyes of Laura Mars"
He was the Key Makeup Artist for the 1978 film "The Eyes of Laura Mars", starring Faye Dunaway as a controversial fashion photographer inspired by sex and violence. He also appears in the film as himself, putting makeup on the models in several scenes. This was perhaps one of the first instances of artists being showcased alongside their work, something much more common with celebrity makeup artists today. The film received mixed reviews, but the visuals that Joey helped create were considered groundbreaking.
Largely retired, Joey now does occasional makeup demonstrations at industry events like The International Make-Up Artist Trade Show (IMATS), inspiring a new generation of artists.
