Vincenza Celentano was destined to be a Makeup Artist. Her lifelong passion started as a child and rekindled as a young mother. “When my kids were little I did their Halloween makeup and I’d go to Act 1, which at the time was the only place Makeup Artists could ever get SPFX makeup or supplies. One year, all of my neighbours came together and said I should look into a Makeup Program. One of them actually left The Province newspaper on my step and dogeared the page for another Makeup school ad. They never got back to me, but when I contacted Blanche, I received a call-back within 30 minutes. I made an appointment and signed up.”
“People think that a film set will be so glamorous; taking your cute self with your cute kit to work, but it’s not that at all. At the end of the day you’re dirty, you’re cold, you miss things and people, so you have to want it bad enough.”
Shortly after completing the Makeup Program at Blanche Macdonald, Vincenza took her talents to Prague, jetting off to join the makeup crew on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian! Since then, she’s had many opportunities to thrive on set, working on everything from commercials to major TV series’ and feature films such as HBO Max’s Peacemaker, Once Upon A Time, The Flash, Arrow, and Night at the Museum; to name a few.
Already boasting an impressive resume, Vincenza has added ‘entrepreneur’ to her skills with the launch of her Haus of V; a cruelty-free series of eyelashes that are ethically made, reusable, and comfortable to wear. Her lashes have been worn on multiple productions and graced many a famous face both on and off camera!
“You make so many sacrifices as a Makeup Artist in film, but I go to work knowing I’m doing what I love and every day is different.”
Though Vincenza’s success may seem like it has come easily, she’s quick to point out the hard work and dedication necessary to achieve these goals: “People think that a film set will be so glamorous; taking your cute self with your cute kit to work, but it’s not that at all. At the end of the day you’re dirty, you’re cold, you miss things and people, so you have to want it bad enough. You make so many sacrifices as a Makeup Artist in film, but I go to work knowing I’m doing what I love and every day is different.”
At present, Vincenza is back at home, having recently returned from the Canary Islands where she worked as Key Second Unit Makeup Artist and oversaw the Hair Department for the Jennifer Lopez movie The Mother. We have no doubt that she’ll be back packing up her passport and makeup kit in no time!
