„I love to create beautiful things and be a part of something…“.To me he is something like a personal dream: A men dedicated to beauty. Like magic he creates fascinating and creative makeup that makes woman and men even more beautiful and attractive.

Christopher Koller is only 23 years old but already working as a successful makeup artist and hair stylist. After attending a fashion college his path eventually led him to this profession and he has already worked for magazines such as Woman, Wienerin and Miss. His work can even be seen in music videos from Robbie Williams or Tunesmith. He beautified celebrities and stars such as Heather Mills, Diane von Fürstenberg, Niki Lauda and even Werner Faymann. We wanted to know more from the native of Carinthia and asked him for an interview…

Hello Christopher, first of all thanks for your time:) Let´s start with asking how you got into the profession make-up and hair artist?
I went to a fashion school and in order to create the perfect look, hair&makeup are essential…so I started doing makeup and ever since that I have remained in that section.

What sort of education do you have for doing your job?
Haha, I get asked this question all the time, and to the dismay of many people I have to tell that I never took any education for that.;)It´s simply learning by doing!!! I assisted others a lot, analysed pictures and tried different techniques and tested around. I also think that only up to a certain point this is something that can be learned, because you just have to have the sense of aesthetics.

“Every production is different and with different kinds of challenges. It is never the same and you get to know a lot of new people.”

Every makeup artist has his/her own favourite products. What are yours?
All my hair products are sponsored by sexyhair- I love it!  Speaking about makeup…. I don´t really want to commit myself, – I use all sorts of brands, but amongst my favourite ones are for sure Chanel, YSL and Mac.

Tell us about a typical average day of yours..
Well, there is no real „average day“, because every job starts at different times and some last longer than others…

Can every woman be beautiful?
Sure! The most important thing is that it suits the person, no matter if her style is natural or styled. Every woman should feel good about herself and love herself, then she has charisma.

Can you tell us some beauty secrets?:)How can someone achieve a good effect with some small tricks?
The most simple thing in order to create a fresh look and beautiful skin, is to add some shimmering pigments to your skin care. With the help of the light reflection your skin looks radiant and glowing. Shimmering eye shadow should be applied with a wet brush- this gives a more beautiful metalic effect.

Do you think that woman without makeup are just as beautiful as woman with makeup?
Well, of course through the job one is really focused to recognize flaws and try to even them out. Nevertheless I always meet woman that in my opinion need almost ;) no makeup at all. F.e. Patrizia Kaiser is one of those women, who is a real natural beauty.

Guys are taking more care about their looks as well now. What should guys by no means forget if they want to look smart?
A good hair care- no matter if on the head or elsewhere on the body.

What is the best thing about your job?
Every production is different and with different kinds of challenges. It is never the same and you get to know a lot of new people. You always have to progress and not come to a standstill. I love this challenge. And I love to create beautiful things and be a part of something.

What don´t you like about your job?
There is nothing that I don´t like about it. I just mind when some people don´t take it serious enough, and therefore the result is not as good as it could be.

Do you prefer a job when you are given a free hand or when you have to realize a precise idea?
I can´t really tell. Of course I like to be able to realize my own ideas and all the ideas just come out of my mind. But on the other hand it is a real challenge to be able to satisfy the customer, to fulfill his wishes and at the same time stay true to myself. It is great to work out the right look together so that at the end everyone is happy and the result is right.

“You have to be a per- fectionist and always reflect on your work, and of course be better than everyone else…”

If you could chose again, would you go for the same job or choose something different?
I am perfectly happy with what I do, even though interior design is also something that I have always been really interested in:) -maybe this is still to come:)

What advice would you give to people that want to become makeup/hair artists?
You have to believe in yourself and you have to set the highest standard on yourself, be a perfectionist and always reflect on your work, and of course be better than everyone else :)

What inspires you?
Everything and nothing. But emotions, no matter if it is positive or negative ones make me more creative- obviously this is my sort of trigger:)

Your favourite city? NYC

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Working internationally.

Now a few more C-Heads questions:

The most important thing in life is… To be happy with what you are doing
The meaning of success? To be able to do what you love and be paid for that :)
What makes you happy? To have a free mind and to be able to enjoy life
The best life lesson so far was?
Not to take certain things to seriously, because to think too much is not always the best thing either.

Thanks for your time!

www.kollerchristopher.com

Interview by Christine Guggenberger