Ecostiletto’s Eco Hero – Christy Coleman Part 1

Christy Coleman works her eco-beauty magic on Indonesian singer Agnes Monica.

Stepping Out by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff

They say that behind every good man is a good woman. Tweak the adage a bit and you’ve got the story of Christy Coleman. Christy is the world’s first eco-focused professional makeup artist, who’s responsible not only for making clients like Sheryl Crow, Emmy Rossum, Giselle Bundchen, Heidi Klum and Miranda Kerr look ridiculously beautiful on the covers and pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Vanity Fair, among others, but also for raising her clients’ awareness as she does it. Behind every good woman is a very good woman, indeed. And with this month’s EcoHero profile, I asked Christy to step to the front. Part One of Four.

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: You are such a globetrotter. Every time I talk to you, you’re jetting off to somewhere exotic. Where are you today?

Christy Coleman: I’m actually home in Los Angeles. I just returned home last night from St. Barth’s, then I head out tomorrow for Harbour Island.

RLS: You were the first high-profile makeup artist to completely “green” her kit with eco-friendly beauty products, eschewing all the baddies on our Big List of Things That Suck. What was your inspiration?

CC: I took care of my father, who had ALS-Lou Gehrig’s disease. After watching him pass away, I realized that my life and work desperately needed a new and uplifting approach—a cause that was close to me and to my belief system. I really wanted to make some kind of a difference in my everyday life and at work as a makeup artist. Stacey Malkan’s book Not Just A Pretty Face made me realize that I could make a difference in my life and still stay in an industry that I loved. I knew that if I was unaware of the chemicals that were in our cosmetics, then the average consumer was too.

RLS: When did you first become interested in environmentalism?

CC: Growing up between rural Texas and a farm in Oklahoma, I became very aware at a young age of the relationship between our health and our environment. I kept asking, “Why does that crop duster plane have to dump all those chemicals on the fields?” I would always cover my face so I wouldn’t inhale any of it. There was also the mosquito truck that would come and spray—I remember these scenes like they were yesterday. I instinctively knew that it wasn’t right, contrary to what I was being told.

RLS: You’re our EcoHero this month, for your work in spreading the word about sustainable beauty. Have you seen the industry change in the years that you’ve been a makeup artist? Do you see yourself as playing a role?

CC: I have certainly seen a lot of change take place in the past five years, but all in baby steps. I believe that a lot of the people in the fashion and beauty business are simply unaware of what’s actually in their beauty and grooming products.

I definitely see myself as playing a role in enlightening and exposing those around me to the eco-conscious cause. I work with all-natural and organic beauty brands every day on set, and on my website, ChristyColeman.com, I provide a powerful resource for those in search of ways to green their beauty routines and makeup.