Sarah Laidlaw
Australia’s Queen of Hair & Makeup
With a career that spans 30 Years, Sarah Laidlaw has done it all. With an impressive skill set gained from years of experience that encompasses the entire range, Sarah has risen to celebrity status in the industry. The multi-award-winning artist with equal strengths in both hair and makeup cements herself as a much sought after talent with celebrities, photographers and fashion editors alike.
Sarah Effortlessly walks the line not only between hair and makeup but between natural barely-there beauty shoots to radical transformations and outrageous sculptural gravity-defying hair. Never one to rest on her success, Sarah is always thinking about the next step.
Q&A
BC. What a powerhouse you are, we look at what you have achieved and we feel exhausted!
SL. Haha!! I’m exhausted too. Not really, but it might seem like a lot but it’s been spread over many, many years! I wouldn’t call myself a powerhouse… I think everyone who works in the hairdressing and makeup industries works really hard. The beauty industries require a lot of energy. Looking back over the years, I think I’ve gotten to where I am now through a mix of hard work and a lot of loving what I do. If you work hard and listen to guidance it tends to add up to a decent career over time.
BC. Session stylist of the year 6 times, Hair Expo Session Stylist of the Year 4 times, AHFA Session Stylist of the Year twice, AHFA Makeup Artist of Year and MAGAP Makeup Artist of the Year as well as hair and makeup director for Priceline Australia... not too shabby for a girl who by her own account fell into hairdressing for a bit of fun!
SL. I really don’t think I would’ve managed all those achievements if it wasn’t still heaps of fun. My energy comes from enjoyment… I’m a bit of a naughty child in that way, if I don’t like something I just don’t want to do it. I really did fall into the industry. It was a week of work experience at Tognini’s that dazzled my little 17-year-old brain with Avant grade wigs and incredible artists and made other career paths look incredibly dull. And I am sooooo glad I fell into this line of work. It’s such a joyful and delightful vocation…. I spend my days making people look and feel beautiful and helping to create beautiful pictures. It’s so lovely. And a few trophies along the way make it feel pretty special too!
BC. So... take us through the journey from young school leaver to the accomplished woman at the top of her game we see today.
SL. Well, that’s a 30-year long story! Ok…here’s the abridged version. I started as an apprentice hairdresser… completed my 4 years of training at Tognini’s - which was the best happy accident of my career because it laid the foundations for everything that came after. Then I wanted to be a fashion stylist & I started learning how to do that on the job with a fashion photographer. Then I worked as a stylist for 4 years. I loved it but it’s so much extra work sourcing and prepping and returning that I lost interest. I had been learning makeup in the meantime so I went back to hair (I didn’t ever really stop actually) and started working as a makeup artist too. I did an 8-9 year stint on TV commercials and additional days on film, with stills fashion and advertising alongside. Then I moved to Sydney in around 2008 and left behind the film and tv work for editorial fashion. This is when I found my greatest love… the big mad looks of editorial fashion are my happy place.
So over the last 13 years, I’ve been in Sydney and in that time I’ve won awards, represented fantastic product companies as their Ambassador, became the Hair and Makeup Director for Priceline, and the Hair Editor for Laud Magazine. This industry is so much fun and has given me such great opportunities, rewards, adventures, experiences and travel.
“If you work hard and listen to guidance it tends to add up to a decent career over time.”
BC. Being a talented stylist doesn’t always translate into a successful career, what do you think your secret weapon has been?
SL. Hmmm… yes… being a good craftsperson isn’t enough that’s true. Trying to grow and change with the world as it alters is a big part. Hair and makeup are purely based on fashion, so as it changes, so do we. If you can keep learning and growing then you’re more likely to be successful…and most importantly, being kind is irreplaceable. There are a lot of excellent hair and makeup artists out there, so the difference in the client rebooking you can often be in what kind of person you are. If you can relate to the models and take good care of them and do work that fits the brief well (and if you can work well as part of a team- that’s a big one) then that adds up to being someone that a client will keep booking.
BC. Sounds like one of your favourite quotes rings true here... “The Secret: Do good work and put it where people can see it.”
SL. I remember the first time I read that quote. It was such a simple way to refer to the arts but felt like the essence of creative work. Just do the best work you can do, then get it out in the world. The trick is to let it go out into the world and not get too worried about all the opinions and criticisms that come with it. That bit takes practice but it’s the key to being a decent artist. If you can keep creating new material while everyone is working out if they like what you did or not, then you’re already ahead in some ways.
BC. We hear when you started your mum gave you this advice, “I don’t care what you do, just do it well”. Obviously, you took this advice very seriously.
SL. Well, my Mum is a tough cookie so I learnt at a very young age to listen to her. Haha!! She’s always been very no-nonsense and as I was growing up she said I don’t mind what you do… you can be a garbage collector if you want to, but whatever you do, do it well. She gave me a strong work ethic mentality and I’m so grateful for that. I think when you expect to work hard, you don’t get disillusioned when things don’t magically happen in 5 minutes.
BC. One of the things that really sets you apart is that you are not only a sensational hairstylist but an equally accomplished makeup artist, being top of your game in both is such an amazing achievement
SL. Thank you so much. I really love both, and for a long time, the industry really wanted everyone to specialise in one or the other. But I just kept doing both (there’s the naughty child again!) because I thought why can’t someone be good at multiple things? Why do I have to only do one thing? I wasn’t having it. Anyway, fast forward through my career and I ended up winning Australian Session Stylist of the Year and Australian Makeup Artist of the Year at the same time, 2 years running. That was pretty exciting. I hope it means there’s a lot more young artists out there doing work that gives them joy and trying all sorts of skills out for size instead of being limited by other peoples constraints.
BC. Let’s talk about your style... you are so versatile, you switch effortlessly between simple and understated to sculptural couture and everything in between whilst all the while creating, beautiful, thoughtful and polished results
SL. I love a ‘look’ - whatever that ends up being. As long as it’s a considered & designed ‘moment’ then I love it. It can be uber simple nothingness that lets the model be the art as well as the frame, right through to the big mad couture moments when everything is at full fashion volume - I love it all. I naturally lean towards polish rather than true rawness because I find it more beautiful. But both have a place in an artists repertoire that’s for sure.
“Trying to grow and change with the world as it alters is a big part. Hair and makeup are purely based on fashion, so as it changes, so do we. ”
BC. The epic shoots you are involved in require some serious planning, tell us a little about your creative process.
SL. I collect ideas, wigs & hairpieces, makeup colours & textures, hair accessories… you name it, then I’ve got a tub full of it in my beauty room. For me, creative freedom comes from having lots of options, so I’m always looking for things I can use. Sometimes I have a product or idea for yearsssss before I finally find a use for it, but I think that’s fun - having half-formed ideas that finally get their moment years later.
BC. Case in point, we remember being completely blown away by some of the amazing shots you did with Alexia Sinclair, the images are so beautiful, obviously a passionate collaboration of creative minds (Hearts Entwined, Into The Gloaming, NZ Opera’s Macbeth )
SL. Oh my… Alexia Sinclair! Where to start? She is the quintessential artist with a capital A. Working with her for the last 13-14 years has been a delight. She is beyond clever. She’s not only an excellent photographer: she’s a set designer, costumier, retouching wizard and historian. Everything she does is so highly researched, cleverly curated and expertly executed. Being able to step into her world and add the hair and makeup, to everything else she’s brought to life is magical! It’s like she’s a reincarnated court painter from the 1700s who now works with modern mediums but creates works just as vast as those huge paintings in palaces and museums.
I love every image I’ve done with her and each artwork has a different personality within its series.
I think the NZ Opera Macbeth campaign was one of the first few things I worked on with her. I spent hours laying on wispy white beard hairs for the King Duncan character so it almost floated around him and then built a huge avant-garde shape for the Lady Macbeth hair. I wanted it to feel like it was being swept back in an unearthly wind through the dreamscape in the storyline as the king haunts her and she can’t wash the blood of his murder from her hands. The hair was about 3/4 of a meter out from the back of her head… cantilevered and built to stand up on its own like architecture. The shoot day was so special. The actor and model who starred in it were perfectly cast and the mood on the set was electric and very emotional. We all cried at how beautiful the image was! It’s still one of my very favourite images I’ve ever worked on. It’s timeless and breathtaking.
BC. Where do you source your inspiration?
SL. I’ve always loved reading and they say you live a thousand lifetimes through the characters you read about. Fiction has had a huge impact on my creative brain. (my Mum was a Librarian and an English teacher, so reading was genetically passed down I think). I love photography, fashion. art, film, theatre… and each brings endless inspiration.
BC. What we love about your style is your ability to pull back when necessary, looking objectively at all the elements and knowing inherently that sometimes less is more
SL. At the end of the day, it’s all about balance. Sometimes the hair and makeup can be strong and sometimes it needs to be ‘invisible”. Whatever makes the most beautiful final product is what I get excited about, whether that’s in a photograph or on a red carpet, something takes the forefront and something takes a back seat. Sometimes the hair and makeup are strong, sometimes it’s the clothes and sometimes it’s neither and it’s all about the natural beauty of the model/client. Either way, it all has to feel right as a package.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about balance.”
BC ... and we can’t overlook the famous Sarah Laidlaw ponytail, legendary!! Revisiting your mum’s advice, “do it well”
SL. Oh, that so nice of you. Surely my ponytails haven’t reached legend status? How funny if they have! I just love a bit of drama… so even the humble ponytail got a bit of ‘extra’. I think a full pony can give such a lift to the face and it’s the perfect blend of a flippant I’m-not-really-trying-it’s-just-a-pony mixed with damn-she-looks-incredible vibes.
BC. Not only do you move freely between hair and makeup but you also seem to transverse different mediums with ease, fashion, beauty, film, tv and celebrity.
SL. Well, each medium has its own way of interpreting the skills, and I love the variety that comes with moving between them. The way you utilise your hairdressing skills on a TV Commercial is entirely different to how they’re expressed for a celebrity on the red carpet. Beauty editorial makeups are vastly different to what you create for a character in a film… but both are amazing in their own right. I think experiencing all the different ways your skills can be used is priceless. The only thing I’m not really into is true special effects - I don’t love making people look dead or chopped open or like evil creatures. (I have immense respect for those artists and the skills that are required mind you! They are brilliantly talented) My favourite part of the industry is more the pretty zone… making people look beautiful is my love language.
BC. We can’t really talk about this year without addressing the impact of covid on our lives, we’re sure you used your downtime wisely, we loved your ‘be your own muse shoot’
SL. Now that was very, very fun and kind of silly self-entertainment really. I was missing working on the big fashion images the most. That kind of work has always been my favourite medium. Of course, we couldn’t even leave the house, let alone do hair or makeup or shoot… so I thought I’d try and create some mad looks on myself. The main idea was to make myself look very different each time with wigs and face-altering makeups and dramatic outfits. I made headpieces out of things around the house (the first one was made of paper straws) and I shot it with a timer on my phone in the spare room, using a quilt cover as a backdrop. Every part of the styling, hair and makeup was brought together from things I already had at home so it was a fun challenge. In the beginning, people didn’t realise it was me in the images so that made it extra fun! The best thing about it was the hundreds of beautiful messages I got from artists all over the world saying it was keeping them hopeful and they’d wake up and check Instagram to see if I’d done the next one yet. So sweet and it felt like we were all trying to keep each other afloat during lockdown no matter what country we were in.
BC. You have beautiful skin... is this down to skincare or genetics?
SL. Oh my god, that is sooooo not the case! I have terrible textured skin - It’s full of scarring and lines and bumps and huge pores. It’s very reactive and goes red and bumpy if the damn wind changes it seems. If I could change anything about the way I look it would be my skin, hands down! I use good primers to help even out the texture as much as possible… matte foundation only so the texture doesn’t show as much, never use cheek colour or contour as it makes it more obvious. Good lighting is everything too, even light is everyone’s friend.
BC. Do you have a facial guru and what is your go-to treatment?
SL. Because my skin is so sensitive and reactive I don’t get facials very often… It usually goes badly. So I use very specific products that I’ve found over years of trying skincare. I wish I could use anything and everything as there are so many amazing products on the market now.
BC. It goes without saying that you always look fab, clothes, hair, makeup, nails..,. how do you find the time?
SL. Oh, that’s definitely not true of the average workday but I love that you think that! I definitely feel better when I’m well presented. I’m just not an activewear/messy bun person AT ALL. I really love beautiful clothes and polished hair, so I try to make the best of what nature gave me by dressing decently and doing my hair and makeup simply every day. If I had the time I’d be dressed to the nines way more often… fab clothes and shoes make me happy. If there’s any excuse to get frocked up for an event or party then I’m in!
BC. What’s your favourite makeup look, day/night?
SL. For me it’s simple. Foundation, mascara and a little bit of brow love. Both night and day… I just add a fluffy lash when I’m getting dressed up and that’s it. I’d love to do more dramatic looks but it just doesn’t suit me. That’s probably why I love glamming up my red carpet clients in fun makeup looks so much. I’m living vicariously through their dramatic red lip and fun coloured eye looks.
BC. If you had to choose would it be a lip or eye?
SL. Always an eye. Never a lip. I have inherited the good ol’ thin lips of the English… so no lipstick for me. It just looks silly on me. Give me a big dramatic eye any day.
BC. Best all-time hair advice?
SL. Do your hair. That would be my advice. Simple. Put the effort in to look pulled together. SO many clients want to just wake up and look good without doing anything but it just doesn’t work like that for the majority. So no matter what texture, length, colour your hair is… give it some love and just do it!
BC. What’s your favourite old faithful product and favourite flavour of the month?
SL. I think Sculpture Hairspray would be one of my longest-running obsessions. I’ve been using it for at least 5 years… It’s perfect for long hair work, has a stronghold and brushes out invisibly.
BC. In such a fickle industry you manage to stay current and relevant, what do you put this down to?
SL. I guess the thing is that I just really love fashion! So watching what’s coming through and how the world is shifting and changing is interesting to me. I’m easily bored too, so fashion evolving gives me new life constantly. I’m lucky that I had very comprehensive training as a young hairdresser, so no matter what comes into fashion, I can usually already do the particular skill that’s required to pull the look off. Staying relevant is just about reading the room for part of it, and keeping your skills fluid so they can morph into whatever is required. At least that’s my aim.
BC. Thank you so much for chatting with us Sarah