WAKING up at 3am, makeup artist Mikey grabs his tool kit and heads to the studio.
It’s just an average day for the 48-year-old, from London, who spends his days painting the faces of some of the biggest stars – including Spice Girl Mel B, Alison Hammond and Olivia Attwood.
Mikey says Alison Hammond is his ‘absolute dream client’ because she’s so ‘chilled’[/caption]
Now, makeup whizz Mikey Phillips, who has been working in the industry for over 20 years, has spilled the beans on his famous clientele – from the setting powder faux pas which left him “scarred to this day” to the bargain buy he couldn’t live without.
Plus, he tells Fabulous exactly how he achieved Alison Hammond‘s incredible glow up – and we’re talking 7 different foundations.
Speaking to Fabulous, he says: “There isn’t a normal day – it could be a crazy day, it could be 3am, 5am, I think every day it’s totally different which is the thing I love the most.
“I would’ve packed the kit the night before depending on who I’m working with, and my longstanding girls all have their own special kit bags.
“The bags are their own products so it’ll say ‘Alison’ or ‘Olivia’ on the front and it’ll contain makeup I’ll use just on those people so they feel special.
“It’s their own favourite things – it’s easier to pack because it’s things I’ve used on them that they love.
“Then I’ll travel to a studio or hotel, set up and the glam will begin.”
While Mikey has worked with endless famous faces, he says one celeb who “couldn’t be more chilled out” is Alison Hammond, who he’s dubbed his “absolute dream client.
We’re fully aware of Alison’s glow up and she’s constantly praising her regular glam team
Mikey Phillips
The ITV This Morning presenter, 50, has been inundated with praise in recent years for her incredible “glow up” and has previously revealed how her health journey was kickstarted by her late mum, who had shared concern over Alison’s weight.
“My mum had type 2 diabetes and she was worried for me. So when I then found out that I was pre-diabetic, that was frightening,” Alison told Good Housekeeping.
After working out with a personal trainer twice a week and cutting back on sweets and fatty foods, she managed to shed a whopping 11 stone and reverse her pre-diabetes.
And while the bubbly personality has revealsed she’s never turned to weight loss injections, she admits she doesn’t judge anyone who chooses that route.
Alison has previously spoken about her whopping 11st weight loss[/caption]
Mikey classes Olivia Attwood as one of his regular clients[/caption]
Mikey says he had an ‘insane’ time in Colorado with Mel B[/caption]
“I think that, for people who need to use them, they’re a good thing,” she said. “But for me, as soon as I hear any scare story, I get frightened.
“So I haven’t wanted to use them, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t in the future, and I certainly wouldn’t look down on anyone who did.”
According to Mikey, Alison’s transformation is something which she’s aware of and credits to her glam team.
“She was so known for looking a certain way and when I first did her makeup she was basically in shock because it was so different to how she looked,” says Mikey, who has been working with her for over 10 years.
“We laugh because we know the first time we met. I’d been booked on a job, she turned up camera ready and I said, ‘I’m supposed to do your makeup.’
“She told me to just go over the top but I insisted that she needed to take it off.
“She couldn’t believe I’d made her take her makeup off and then she couldn’t believe the change in the makeup and how different she looked after – that’s been a massive part of Alison’s story now.”
He adds: “We’re fully away of her glow up and she’s constantly praising her regular glam team.”
“That’s what I do for my clients – I transform them, I don’t just do their makeup so they look the same as they’ve always looked.
How did Mikey achieve Alison’s glow up?
FOUNDATION
“I could never use one found…I never use one on anyone,” he says. “I love Lancôme, I’ll mix that with Huda, the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood filter underneath it all – and then it’s the different shades.”
He goes on to say that an American actress introduced him to an “amazing foundation” called Black Opal.
“It’s so cheap,” he says. “I think you can only get it on Amazon and certain shops here but that stick has changed the game.
“I’d use it as a bit of extra coverage for Alison too and I’d use a different shade for under the eyes – brightening and highlighting.”
COLOUR CORRECTOR
Mikey goes on to express the importance of a colour corrector – something which he says a lot of people miss out of their makeup routine.
“If you don’t correct the discolouration or pigmentation first, you can get the ashy grey look to your skin – that’s made a huge difference for Alison,” he explains.
“I’m going to use her words…she said the other day she loves how I do her skin ‘matte but it’s also glossy.’
“She said, ‘I think that’s quite tricky, when other people have done it it’s always been very matt.’ I think her skin looks great.”
SETTING SPRAY
Mikey admits the pair also love a setting spray, but can’t have just one – they have three, each of which does different things.
Rummaging through Alison’s makeup kit bag, he says: “We’ve got Huda Easy Bake – say you’ve got lines on the face that aren’t seamless like the blusher or concealer. This melts the makeup together.
“Then I’d go in with the ‘One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying spray’ -obsessed with this!
“Then I’d go in with the industrial spray that everyone hates the smell of – the Kryolan.
“This is what RuPaul uses and loads of drag queens use – it’s a professional spray from a makeup store but it’s like a hairspray for your face. Nothing is coming off!”
He adds: “There’s a big misconception with setting sprays – many will say that it’s c**p and that it doesn’t do anything but it depends what you want the setting spray to do.”
BARGAIN BUY
As for bargain products, Mikey says he’s “obsessed” with Weleda Skin Food.
“It’s amazing!” he enthuses. “They’ve just brought out a light version for anyone that thinks it’s too heavy.
“It’s amazing under makeup – I think it’s about £10 but makes the skin look amazing – I use that on Alison quite a lot.”
“With Alison we all know she’s hysterical but she’s also absolutely stunning and that’s what I saw when I met her – you can be funny and sexy.”
Mikey also reveals that Alison is a part of a secret WhatsApp chat between celebs.
“I feel really proud of the Alison glow up,” he continues. “There’s a group chat with all of the celebs in and they all discuss glam teams and looks and who is using who and she’s constantly in that group.”
So how exactly does Mikey achieve Alison’s glam new look?
“It’s a very finely honed look now,” he explains. “We realised with Alison when you get the signature look, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – adapt it slightly.
“So I might do a darker eye or a glittery eye but she’s got the ‘Alison’ look now.”
“I swear I mix 7 foundations. I want the texture, I want the colour, I want the longevity.”
But while it may seem all glitz and glam on Instagram, Mikey, who was an unemployed actor when he found himself working on the Bobbi Brown counter, says that’s far from the truth.
“There is no glam,” he laughs.
“I’ll give you a recent example – last weekend we were filming a new show with Alison Hammond called ‘Your Song.’
“We’d done the glam – hair and makeup was done, styling was done – we go outside and it was biblical rain conditions.
“We were lucky enough to have an umbrella but even with the umbrella I said the lines, ‘be a makeup artist they said, it’ll be glamorous they said!’
“It was a living hell! Makeup and water don’t go so you can just imagine!”
Amy Childs had sent me a screenshot and she had two massive triangles under the eyes! It’s the worst nightmare that has scarred me to this day
Mikey Phillips
He adds: “I’ve done makeup in a moving car, a toilet, on the street, in a Starbucks – you just make it work.”
While Mikey only got Alison ready for the NTAs this year, in previous years he’s had to squeeze in up to six celebs – something which he recalls as being “absolute hell.”
“I remember being in that InterContinental hotel next to the 02 running between rooms,” he says.
“I remember leaving Jacqueline Jossa in a lift doing final touch ups before running off to someone else.
“I swore I’d never do it again…and I did. I love a challenge. I almost thrive on the stress.”
Mikey says there was a time when so many people were asking and he hated saying no, so he kept agreeing to more clients.
“It was quite flattering but it’s so stressful because you’re giving yourself an hour and a half max for each girl,” he explains.
“There was a time when I was doing two or three but they’d share a room to make it easier for me.
“It got to the point that my girls would book me a year in advance.”
But while there’s obviously a reason skillful Mikey is so in demand, there’s one makeup faux pas that he hasn’t lived down.
“One that I’m absolutely scarred by to this day is Amy Childs,” he recalls.
“I was working with her for ages and this one day I made the mistake of changing the setting powder.
I had an absolutely insane time in Colorado for three weeks with Mel B – can you imagine?
Mikey Phillips
“In real life I was like, ‘gosh, she looks unbelievable!’
“I remember going to the event with her, we’d taken some pictures on the phone and I thought, ‘oh it does look a bit bright’ but assumed it was probably just a strange photo.
“I woke up the next day and my phone had been blowing off the hook!
“Amy had sent me a screenshot and she had two massive triangles under the eyes! It’s the worst nightmare that has scarred me to this day.”
While Amy took the makeup faux pas extremely well, Mikey wasn’t best pleased.
“I went crazy at the brand because it contains a certain ingredient that causes flashback so I was asking them why they’d put that in a setting powder,” he says.
“I apologised to Amy and refunded her fee because I felt so bad!
“I continued to work with her after and I still speak to her now so all is forgiven! But I will never use nothing less than Laura Mercier in my life for that reason ever – it’s scarred me for life.”
Mikey has celebs booking him a year in advance. Pictured, Olivia Attwood[/caption]
Mikey has also worked with the likes of H and Claire from Steps[/caption]
Mikey did Alison’s makeup for the NTA’s[/caption]
The makeup whizz says he’s ‘proud’ of Alison Hammond’s ‘glow up’[/caption]
Mikey goes on to recall another horror makeup experience that he’d rather forget – although refuses to share names.
Noting that it was a “royal correspondent” and that he was “swayed by the money,” he says: “I was doing the job, it was absolutely horrific and in the end I said to her, ‘I’m going to leave you with the stuff. I think you need to do it yourself.’”
He continues: “We don’t really sit them in front of a mirror but we have a big reveal at the end.
“I’m used to ‘omg I’m obsessed, amazing’ whereas she looked in the mirror and said, ‘omg I hate it!’
“One of the things she picked up on, she said: ‘You’ve given me really modern eyebrows!’
“I died inside! Some people want to do their own makeup and those clients are no good for me. “
While it may appear all friendly in front of the cameras, Mikey reveals that there can be a certain level of jealousy amongst the celebs when he’s painting their faces.
“There can be instances where a celeb won’t want you to work with someone else because they’re working with you – that’s definitely a thing,” he explains.
“I think maybe they might think you’ll make someone look like them. If it’s a similar glam team I kind of get it.
“You can be either competitive about it and it’s such a massive thing and it’s meticulously planned or the celebs can go the other way and are really chilled and go with the flow.”
Mikey Phillips has also painted the face of Tamara Ecclestone[/caption]
Actress and singer Marisha Wallace pictured after some Mikey glam[/caption]
Mikey has a makeup bag for Olivia Attwood containing just the products he uses on her[/caption]
Mikey has also had the pleasure of doing Spice Girl Mel B’s makeup and admits he finds it “really weird” working with people he’s “idolised.”
“I had an absolutely insane time in Colorado for three weeks with Mel B – can you imagine?” he recalls.
“I lived with her because we basically shared a chalet in the mountains.
“I remember looking up one day when I’d done her laundry and all her underwear and everything was leopard print.
“I’ve slept over her house too. It’s never dull! That’s when you’re like, I’m working with a superstar icon. So much fun!”
As for a celebrity who always gets it right, that’s easy.
“Someone who always looks insane is Maura Higgins,” Mikey says. “She goes to every single thing as if she’s A-List and that is hard work so I respect that – she always looks insane!”
And according to the makeup whizz, there’s one current trend doing the round that should be avoided at all costs.
“Have you seen the trend of people wearing an extremely bright blusher right under the eyes? It’s all over social media,” he says.
“The blusher is now almost where your concealer would be – it’s a real trend, it’s really taken off!
“But I would never do that and in real life girls would never do that either. It’s fine on a photoshoot but not for a red carpet.”
