San Diego native Jeffrey Baum found his way to makeup through the city’s experimental theater scene. He was directing a play and ended up being “forced into directing the makeup, and it grew from there.” He soon began assisting celebrity makeup artist (and Violet Files collaborator) Kate Lee, who he says “definitely educated my eye about refined, feminine beauty and classic techniques.” 

Now based in Los Angeles, Baum revels in the creative spirit of the city, doing makeup for everything from Burberry, Belstaff, and Marc by Marc Jacobs ads to CR, Elle, and i-D editorials to red carpet outings for celebrities like Mary Kate Olsen. “There’s a great space here for interesting makeup in celebrity and fashion,” he says. “It’s not explicitly sexy, sexy makeup—there’s an idea and an integrity; there’s thought behind it.”