Born to a French father and Vietnamese mother, makeup artist Daniel Martin was raised in four different countries and four different states before the age of 15. His earliest memory of makeup was watching his French grandmother put her face on for the day. There was a method to her ritual that he found fascinating; from prepping the skin with a certain tonic, to a lipstick used for both lips and cheeks. From a young age he understood that makeup wasn't about what one uses, but how one uses it.
After living in Seattle during the mid 1990's, Daniel decided to focus his passion with a move to the east coast. In his journey to the Big Apple he found himself in Richmond Virginia, apprenticing at an Aveda concept salon. There he cultivated his skills, earned a license and soon after started teaching for the brand regionally. It wasn't until a client from a local ad agency needed a last minute makeup artist that he would experience on-set session work first hand.
Ten years later, Daniel has found his niche in the city he always dreamt of living in. In 2001, he had the unique opportunity to work with Aveda's product development team on the relaunch of its makeup line. It was a project that took several years to accomplish, but valuable knowledge was gained from the experience. After years in corporate beauty, Daniel left to master his craft professionally.
Assisting notable artists Pati Dubroff, Pat McGrath and Virginia Young, Daniel learned three distinctly different points of view and has encompassed all to create his own unique approach to makeup. Martins partnership with French beauty giant Lancôme paved the way to loyal relationships with fashion designers Chris Benz, Proenza Schouler, Richard Chai, and Thakoon whom all rely for Daniel's creativity on special projects and collaborations.
Interview Magazine, Vanity Fair, and Harper's Bazaar are a select few of the publications Daniel's work has been featured in. He was also one of two makeup artists who had exclusive privilege to participate in the historic "All Black" issue of Italian Vogue shot by legendary photographer, Steven Meisel.
With a solid following of editors, society girls, and celebrities ranging from Kate Bosworth to Chloë Sevigny, Daniel's approach to makeup is always refined and harmonious.
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