Carl Ray is a celebrity make-up artist who has been in the beauty industry for over 20 years. His experience includes a long roster of notable clientele including the official make-up artist for former First Lady Michelle Obama since 2009, amongst many other incredible women like Anna Wintour, Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Claire Danes, Diane Von Furstenberg, Debra Messing, Stella McCartney, Kerri Washington, Gabrielle Union, Adrianna Lima and so many more.
Carl is the makeup artist for one of our 2021 brides – a natural beauty – and I’ve been enamored with his work ever since our first meeting. So, naturally, I picked his brain about all things bridal beauty and his journey to becoming one of the most recognizable makeup artists of our time.
Carl’s incredible path towards esteemed makeup artistry is underscored by his confidence, perseverance and vision. He has always believed in a woman’s natural beauty – starting with mom (his first client).
“I just like to make my client happy and feel the best version of themselves. And to make sure they’re gonna have good pictures too” 
Carl sees immense value in having a high emotional IQ, especially when working with brides on the wedding day. Because sometimes, things happen and extending yourself beyond just a simple scope can make all the difference to really offset a stressful moment and make sure the train doesn’t fall off the tracks.
“I’ve steamed dresses, I’ve put on shoes, I button the back of dresses with the – what’s that knit one pearl two thing get it in there. I’ve helped with hair, I’ve pulled up hair. I’ve I’ve done it all. I’m there to help.”
Haven’t we all? I completely appreciated Carl’s philosophy towards being a team player on the wedding day. And because Carl is such a wealth of knowledge, I asked him for a few parting ‘tricks of the trade,’ to really help make a bride’s wedding weekend look and feel flawless.
I always recommend that brides carry blotting papers. Wonderful for getting rid of the shine without looking and feeling cakey. They are small and easy to carry.
Lip color touch ups are a must.
I tend to like stains or little tricks like filling your lips in with a lip liner close to the shade of lipstick or gloss you are wearing / helps with longevity!
Exfoliate your skin once or maybe twice a week manually and/or chemically and apply a moisturizer and/or serum, eye cream and lip conditioner. Makeup always applies nicely & looks prettiest when you are working with a clean & prepped canvas (aka your skin).
A little makeup primer & holding spray also are important for the longevity of your makeup!
You can keep up with Carl’s creative work on Instagram @carlyraymua and on his website at www.carlraymakeupartist.com. Listen in to his episode here, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
