Kayleen McAdams

Kayleen is Rachel’s younger sister and decided she wanted to became a make-up artist when she visit her on set of “The Notebook“. She worked with photographers like Annie Leibovitz, Gilles Bensimon and Matthias Vries McGrath. Sofia Vergara, Lily Collins and Felicity Jones are her regular clients besides Rachel. Rachel often brings her along during her press tours for her movies.

External Links

Wall Group
IMDB

The looks


She worked on set with Rachel on “The Lucky Ones” (assistant makeup artist) and “Married Life” (second assistant makeup artist) and created several looks for Rachel, often in collaboration with the styling duo Rob Zangardi & Mariel Haenn, including Rachel’s 2010 Oscar look and during “The Vow” press tour. One of the first looks Kayleen created for Rachel was for her Vanity Fair spread in 2006.

Kayleen on Rachel


“[On how she got started] I was supposed to be visiting Rachel, but I spent all my time in the makeup trailer instead. Seeing that it could actually be a career inspired me to try it out.”
Kayleen McAdams, Teen vogue

“[On Rachel’s personal style] Rachel is very adventurous with personal style, especially with hair and makeup. She takes a chance and isn’t afraid to not look the best. A customs agent told me not to do that again. I’d like to do blue as well.”
Kayleen McAdams, Vogue

“[On how they started to work together] We started doing some editorial stuff together, and it just kind of took off from there. I think one of the first things was [a shoot] with Vanity Fair.”
Kayleen McAdams, Teen Vogue

“[On how she creates a look for Rachel] I usually look at magazines beforehand, or I’ll see things that I like on the Internet, and I keep a folder of it. I look through different tear sheets beforehand, and having an idea of the dress the actress will be wearing also helps. Lots of times, the actress will have a reference point too, just like when you go the hairdresser and you tell them what you like and what you don’t like. I also enjoy talking to the hairstylist because it works best to be cohesive as a team–I don’t want [the makeup] to compete with strong hairstyles.”
Kayleen McAdams, Teen Vogue

“[On her favorite look] I really liked the 1940s-inspired look from the Sherlock Holmes premiere in Berlin. To create it, I talked to the hairstylists about what they wanted to do, picked a lipstick, and went from there. ”
Kayleen McAdams, Teen Vogue

“[On her favorite look] I think my favorite look I have created on Rachel would have to be the Sherlock Holmes premiere in Berlin. It was a rich reddish purple lip with black liner, glowy skin and a strong brow. The entire look came together so perfectly: hair, dress, jewels, makeup. I was very proud to be there with her that night.”
Kayleen McAdams, The Beauty of Life

Rachel on Kayleen


“Working with her is amazing because your family can be honest with you without hurting your feelings. And I really trust her aesthetic eye. When we travel they book separate hotel rooms for us, and we say, ‘We can just bunk together. We’ll have two win beds.’ Neer in my wildest dreams did I think my sister and I would be travelling around to movie premires and walking down the red carpet together”
Rachel McAdams, Stella Magazine

Quotes on the looks

Wedding Crashers, New York Premiere – July 14, 2005
“She had just dyed her hair blond and did a heavy cat eye, which she hasn’t gone much. When I see something on her, I know how it’ll look on me!”
Kayleen McAdams, Instyle
Red Eye, Los Angeles premiere – August 5, 2005
“Rachel always comes up with fun ideas, and this lipstick was inspired by her flowers in her hair. She is the epitome of healthy and happy here.”
Kayleen McAdams, Instyle
Screen Actors Guild – January 28, 2007
“It was hard to find makeup colors that worked when Rachel’s hair was pink, so we had to try different versions of candy pink for everything. People like Lady Gaga and Avril Lavigne added pink accents too, but I like to think Rachel was the first.”
Kayleen McAdams, Instyle
ShoWest Awards – April 2, 2009
“Rachel is very collaborative when it comes to her lips, and she knows what looks good on her. She can really pull off any lip color.”
Kayleen McAdams, Instyle
Sherlock Holmes, New York premiere – December 17, 2009
“Here she has bangs, but they’re longer, so she did a darker eye. It’s about making sure that her eyes really stand out and don’t get lost behind the hair.”
Kayleen McAdams, Instyle

Honorable mentions


Coming soon