Meet Emma Croft: Makeup Artist & Hairstylist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma Croft and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I’m a firm believer that if you work long and hard enough at something, you will find success in it. You may not be an Oscar winner, but you will definitely make a good living and be successful. The only time I think someone should ‘give up’ is when they can honestly say that their heart’s not in it. In my opinion, there’s no point pursuing something you don’t love, because you’re going to be doing it for a very long time, and that could be a long time working and just waiting for the weekend, or working and the weekend is just a bonus.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
With almost a decade in my field, I have enjoyed an international career working predominantly in film and television, heading the hair and makeup department on primetime TV shows, films, commercials and music videos for some of the world’s biggest musicians, as well as working with A-list personal clients for red carpets, interviews/press and photoshoots. My strengths lie in beauty, period and character makeup, as well as prosthetics and special makeup effects; I am have also received additional training in wigs, period hairstyling and barbering.
I aim to always provide a unique perspective and creative designs in my work, which led me to win at the 2018 Unrestricted View Film Festival for my work on the film ‘Another Game’, and another win at the 2018 UK Music Video Awards (UKMVA) for my work on the video ‘If You’re Over Me’ by Years & Years. I was also nominated at the 2017 UKMVAs for the video ‘Tyburn Jig’ by Police Dog Hogan where I turned 7 band members into 29 different Victorian characters, where I was able to use a number of my skillsets including period wigs, prosthetics and character makeups.
As self-proclaimed film nerd, and having trained in film & TV production for 2 years prior to makeup, I feel so lucky I get to work in the industry that has excited me more than any other. I am originally from London, UK and a member of the prestigious BAFTA crew, but the next and most recent phase of my journey has brought me to live and work in Los Angeles, where you will currently find me.
My career thus far has been an incredibly rewarding journey; being able to look back at where I was five years ago, I would never I thought I could be where I am today. It just goes to show that if you trust the process and work hard, success will find you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite things to do Los Angeles include strolling around Echo Park Lake on a sunny day, sipping on a delicious oat milk latte in the dappled sunlight under the trees at Trails cafe followed by a hike in Griffith Park, walking around the gorgeous houses in the Los Feliz hills, visiting Little Tokyo and eating at my favorite vegan spot Shojin and spending hours looking at the books and adorable Japanese stationary at Kinokuniya book store. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shoutout Simon Fowler for playing a big role in my building my career. A successful photographer who has shot musicians such as Queen, The Jacksons, David Bowie & Bruce Springsteen, Simon brought me on to do hair & makeup for some of his shoots when I was still pretty new to the game. He trusted me enough to give me the opportunity to work with some of his long-term clients such as Wet Wet Wet’s Marti Pellow and opera singer Jonathan Antoine, which led me to form lasting work relationships and some epic pictures for my portfolio. We all need someone who is willing to risk a little bit in order to help lift us up to the next level of our careers and Simon did that for me.

Website: www.emmacroftmakeup.com

Instagram: @emmacroftmakeup