Frankie Boyd is a New York based makeup artist who began his career assisting fashion week shows in New York and Europe.
Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia in the ’80s, he was inspired by women like Madonna, Wonder Woman, and his southern grandmother who never left the house without wearing makeup. He would sneak into her room to see what she was doing and using. Back in that time, there was something very free about makeup. It didn’t have to make sense—it was just glamorous and fun.
He didn’t go to college but he graduated from a night program that offered a more “understanding” and “grown-up” environment for students who marched to the beat of their own drums. He then followed in his older sister’s footsteps and took a position at a microbiology lab. In the meantime, he explored the scene in Atlanta. It was while dressing in drag that a friend and fellow makeup artist, James Grow, suggested he join him at the M.A.C. counter—a brand that meant glamour in 1998.
He started as a cashier but it was the customers that encouraged him to venture out of his comfort zone and away from retail. They didn’t care if he had experience or not, they just wanted someone to put makeup on them. He thinks about his experience at the counter as formative and comfortable because it was the best way to learn because he did makeup on the youngest to the oldest to the darkest to the lightest skin tones.
After five years he moved to NY with M.A.C.–in addition to training new hires, Boyd got to work backstage during New York fashion week where he interacted with makeup legends like Diane Kendal, Val Garland, Pat McGrath, Aaron de Mey and Charlotte Tilbury. Working alongside such beauty icons is what pushed him to walk away from the safety of a retail job. He worked in Milan and Paris and he remembers it as a very inspiring time to witness all those people behind the scenes, looking into their makeup kits, and spending time with amazing artists.
He assisted makeup artist Aaron de Mey for over four years and his giving and generous demeanor is a quality Boyd emulates now that he’s the boss. De Mey always treated him with respect, introducing him as a friend and treating his assistants as his equals.
He is represented by Streeters and you can find his portfolio HERE
You can also visit his Tumblr for a peek at his work, HERE
