15 Interesting Facts About Kim K's Loyal Makeup Artist, Mario Dedivanovic
From classic to avante-garde, glam queen to girl-next-door, there are infinite possibilities nesting within a snap-shut box of makeup. But it takes an extra something to dig up those possibilities from all that glitter and gold.
Mario Dedivanovic had that extra something all his life, but he discovered it only when a random customer at Sephora walked up to him with bright, expectant eyes and asked him if he would help her pick out the perfect shade of lipstick.
It was love at first sight for Mario (for the makeup, not the girl), and ever since then, the now-master makeup artist's life was never the same again.
From starting out with just a Nike shoebox to hold his bare minimum makeup products and brushes to becoming the hand behind all of Kim Kardashian's iconic looks through the years and the fame that came along with that, Mario Dedivanovic's story is a true rags-to-riches tale. So much so that you cannot think of contouring (which, frankly, should be respelled kontouring) and not think about the man behind the Instagram moniker @makeupbymario.
So, here are 15 interesting facts about Mario Dedivanovic, Kim K's most-loyal sidekick and now a star in his own right!
15 He Almost Turned Down Working For Kim… But Didn't
Yup! But you can pick your jaw off the ground now because we are talking about 2008 here, around the time of the first season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians when Kim K's name wasn't yet on everybody's lips and the name Kardashian wasn't a regular on the news.
"Sebastian Smith, a photographer I worked with often, called me one night and said 'Hey, I'm shooting this girl tomorrow for a magazine cover, her name is Kim Kardashian.'," said Mario in an interview with Fashionista.
"I didn't really know who she was. Season one of her show had just aired. I almost said no because I had to work at Fox News that day, but he convinced me."
In case you were wondering, the photo shoot was for the magazine Social Life, according to People magazine. And yes, Mario just said he almost refused a direct ticket to fame because he didn't want to take a day off from working for Fox News. But then, nobody really thought much of Kim Kardashian back then.
"She just loved the makeup I did for that shoot so much. She kept asking what I was using throughout the entire process, and she was taking selfies nonstop. This was right around the time when her fame started to pick up nationally in the U.S.," Mario elaborates in the same interview. "After the shoot, she asked me if I would take her makeup shopping to buy everything I'd used so she could take it to LA for her makeup artist to use. I took her makeup shopping, we went to Henri Bendel and bought a few things that I'd used on her on the shoot that day. That was it."
14 His Famous Makeup Masterclass Was A Way For Him To Combine The Things He Loves - Art, Beauty, And Teaching
Before he took the makeup world by storm, Mario Dedivanovic always wanted to be a teacher. So, when he realized that a lot of people were interested in learning how to recreate his looks and wanted to know his tricks, he decided to start doing masterclasses as a way to combine his love for teaching and makeup.
"With the Master Class, I pioneered that at a time when all of my peers thought it was really tacky of me and 'How could you teach classes? That's so dumb. You are a celebrity makeup artist. You are too good for that, you know.'," Mario said in an interview with BUILD series London.
"I wanted to do that. I wanted to be a teacher my whole life and people were asking me questions, and I wanted to do these classes where they could come from different parts of the world so I could teach them. And they've become such an incredible success, so, all those artists who were saying at one time they are tacky and how could you do this, they are all trying to do it now, you know. Unsuccessfully."
Believe us, Mario is not bragging here. He might have started out with just 20 students in his Master Class, but now teaches on stage in front of thousands of people who literally fly in from all over the world just to hear the man's secrets (and take down pages after pages of notes!).
Also, did we mention these masterclasses sell out in minutes? According to Fashionista, they do.
13 He Was Hired As A Fragrance Consultant At Sephora But Wound Up Falling In Love With Makeup
Mario Dedivanovic comes from a really humble background, so he started working when he was 12 years old. But his first full-time job after graduating from high school was as a "fragrance consultant" at Sephora in Manhattan.
"I never thought about makeup ever until the day I started working at Sephora," he said in his interview with BUILD series London.
"When I turned 17 and finished high school, I wanted to go to Manhattan, the city, to get a job. So I walked into Sephora - it was the first Sephora to have opened in the United States - and it was a revolving door. I remember I walked in and I said, 'Mom, this is where I wanna work'. And she literally grabbed my hand to take me around the revolving door outside and she said, 'No, no. This is not where you wanna work.' But I wanted to. It looked inspiring. It was dimly lit and they had black suits on and black gloves, and it just smelled really good… they didn't hire me. But I was determined."
So, Mario went to the library, found the number of the Head of Sephora in Paris, and called her.
She probably was impressed by his resolve and so, called him in for an interview in 2 weeks time when she was in New York. She hired him on that day.
"So, on the first day of work, a woman came up to me and asked me, 'Can you please help me choose this lipstick'," he continued in the same interview with BUILD. "I picked up a lipstick and I helped her. I didn't hesitate. She loved it, she smiled, and it was like I had an epiphany that day. I became immersed in the world of beauty and makeup, and I just fell in love with makeup."
12 He Had An Eye For Beauty Since A Young Age
In the same interview with BUILD series London, Mario opened up about how he and his family used to live in a basement apartment in the Bronx and how he would always ask his parents to take him to the wealthier localities just so he could bask in their beauty.
"I was always a creative kid… and because we grew up super poor - we lived in this tiny basement apartment with me and my siblings and my parents - there was no beauty around me. So, I would always ask my dad to take me driving far away into the nice neighborhoods because I loved to see the lawns and the homes," he said.
"The reason I loved that - I didn't know it back then, but I know it now - is because I would get this physical feeling, and it was inspiration. And then my mom would clean these apartments and homes in Manhattan of rich people, and they had beautiful homes. So, I would beg her to take me to work when I had a half day off of school or something, and it was my favorite thing to do. Because I would go there and I would look at the artwork and I would look at the fabrics and the textures at the homes, and I would get inspired and dream. It was literally my favorite thing in the world."
11 He's A Total Mama's Boy!
Here's a shocker: Mario Dedivanovic's mom has never worn a speck of makeup in her entire life. Not once! Not even after Mario became a pro. But he still loves her to bits.
"My mom has never ever worn any makeup her entire life. She comes from Montenegro, she was a sheep herder, never went to school, that kind of thing. She's never worn makeup, was never allowed to in her childhood or her teens and she wasn't allowed to when she got married. But she taught me about inner beauty, which is even more important. Everything I do is to make my mom proud. She taught me about hard work, doing the right thing, making the right decisions and overall just being a good person and beautiful on the inside," he told People magazine in an interview.
And though his mother never wanted him to be an MUA because she didn't think it was a good career for him, she is now his greatest supporter.
Mario even shared an adorable video of her on Insta where he asked her if she would wear his KKWxMario palette, to which she said she was not sure, but she would try the lipstick.
10 He Only Works With Brands He Has Personally Tried Out And Respects
Brand collabs and sponsorships are some of the perks of being a huge influencer right now. But Mario does not believe in selling out his celebrity to just anybody who approaches him. Instead, he only agrees to work with brands once he has put them through a strict series of tests to see if he personally likes using them or not.
It's all about integrity, after all!
"We get approached every day by several brands [who want to] work with me in some capacity. I've never done a coupon code, I refuse to do any of that kind of stuff. How it works is: An opportunity will come in from a brand; it has to be a brand that I like and respect. I have to bring [the product] home, I have to use it, my assistant has to use it and sometimes my sister tests it. I get the different opinions and if it's something I believe in, I'll agree to do it," he said in his interview with Fashionista.
Some of the brands he has partnered with and promoted on his Instagram page this year include The Purity Made Simple, Pore Extractor Mask by Philosophy and the Daily Energy and Goodbye Stress vitamins byOllieNutrition (Mario found them very helpful during the stressful period before his Master Class in London).
9 He Has The Chicest Bachelor Pad In NYC
It's no secret that Mario Dedivanovic is a busy man. When he is not working for his A-list clientele, he is zipping off around the world to teach his sold-out masterclasses. So, when he does return home, he prefers kicking back and relaxing in the lap of luxury with beauty surrounding him in his 1,700-square-foot penthouse in Upper East Side in New York.
"It's a refuge from the chaos of the city and my life." He told Architectural Digest while they were doing a feature on his bachelor pad. "It's like my personal little chic cocoon."
But the space wasn't always so chic. It basically started out as all living spaces in New York start out - clean, bright, and modern. So, Mario hired the famed interior designer, Ryan Korban, to transform the space into a dream.
“There were so many similarities between us,” Korban said to Architectural Digest. “He's an artist and very creative, and his aesthetic is in line with what I do. That's the best situation. In a way, I felt like I was doing my own home.”
From decking the walls in rich fabrics like suede and silk grass cloth to filling up the apartment with leather and velveteen furniture, the designer's goal was to make the space speak like it belonged to a successful influencer of the new generation who preferred using luxury rather than displaying it in shelves.
And you know Mario loves the esthetic because he said this about the whole look of his apartment - "I feel so comfortable, cozy, and inspired when I'm home.”
Good for him and good for us, if you know what we mean.
8 He Likes To Unwind At His Parents' Home
Well, this might sound odd to you given the fact that his own home is so lush, chic, and comfortable, but then again, he is a mama's boy who absolutely loves his family to bits.
And though he is not able to go over as often because of his busy schedule out of town, he regularly books at-home massages and schedules it at his parent's place twice or thrice a month, according to Allure.
“I'm very relaxed there,” he explains. “There's something so comforting about it.”
He is an Albanian-American, after all, and people from that part of the world like to have close-knit families that can be there for you in happiness and need. No wonder his sister, Marina, is the chief organizer of all his masterclasses!
Mario doesn't just crash at his parent's home to keep his connection strong with them. He also transforms his family and friends for free every now and then for their satisfying gasps of joy.
"I don't get to do transformations that often, but I love to do them on my sisters or friends just for fun. They love it for the pictures, and my followers on social media really enjoy it, too."
7 Before Kim K And His Other Celeb Clients, He Worked As A Freelance Makeup Artist For Fox News
Okay, so now that we have told you the more juicy facts about makeup-artist extraordinaire, Mario Dedivanovic, here's a more "what the heck" fact to keep you on your toes - he really did freelance for Fox News.
Yup, that one.
But it was way back in 2008 when Mario was still a struggling MUA and needed the once-or-twice-a-week job on the side for some extra cash. So, you really cannot judge him for doing his best to put food on his table.
Nevertheless, here's a jaw-dropper for you: In the beginning, the anchors of Fox News were not very keen on letting him do their makeup since he was a man and makeup was considered a woman's forte, but that changed once Julie Banderas tried him out.
“I did her makeup and she was like, 'Holy [expletive], this is insane. Who is this kid?'” he told Allure.
The other anchors opened up to him after that, including Megyn Kelly.
This gig went on for a while and he even learned a few things while on the job. "I got onto Twitter because one of the anchors on Fox News put me on it," he told Fashionista.
Yeah, we didn't expect that either when we were digging.
6 He Only Charged $25 When He First Started Out As A Makeup Artist
Mario Dedivanovic was not always a makeup artist for A-listers. He was once just a simple fragrance consultant at Sephora, Manhattan (see full story above).
But once he realized he wanted to be a makeup artist, he did what his practical and hard-working parents had taught him to do. He studied.
According to Fashionista, Mario started researching about makeup and top makeup artists at the local library and would immerse himself in every magazine he could lay his hands on. Then he started working with photographers so he could build an MUA portfolio.
"I remember when I booked my first gig: It was for two singers who were doing a cabaret show. I think I charged them $25," he told Fashionista. "I literally didn't have a makeup kit - I had a Nike shoebox with some makeup in it and brushes that my manager at work had given me. We could all choose what kind of gratis we wanted [at Sephora]; I never took the fragrance, I always took any makeup I could get. That's how I started building my kit."
He soon became an MUA at Sephora but eventually left his job to become the regional MUA for Lorac Cosmetics, covering New York and New Jersey. Around this time, he would also assist more famous makeup artists on a part-time basis a few times a week to sharpen his skills.
But all that changed once he met Kim for the cover shoot of Social Life.
5 He Quit His Agency Because They Asked Him To Get Away From Kim
Mario Dedivanovic has a lot of big names on his clientele, like Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Chrissy Teigen. But he probably would have never worked with any of them and would have remained an obscure MUA if he had not done one of the most courageous things anyone can do when they have just started gaining some foothold in the elite makeup industry - he refused to listen to his agency.
"I have 18 years of experience and I know for a fact that following your gut is the number one thing to do," he said in his interview with BUILD series London. "Not listening to my agency because they wanted me to be a certain thing. They wanted me to work with the Oscar nominees and actresses. That's what I was being groomed for after 10 years of assisting the greats and working and paying my dues. Then this girl Kim comes along and she starts booking me every day. So, my agent said, 'Stop. Get away from her because your career will be destroyed within a matter of months.' And I said no."
Kim and Mario had already become good friends by then, plus he did not want to turn away the one person who was keeping his calendar filled and shared his love for makeup.
So, he chose to leave his agency because in the back of his head he knew Kim was a force to be reckoned with and would one day become massive.
"So, when I left the agency, they said, 'Good luck because you will never get a Vogue cover with her.' And tons of Vogue covers later and launching now our collaboration, it just shows that you don't let anyone plan your career for you. You have to follow your gut."
4 He Singlehandedly Made Contouring Famous Around The World!
Mario Dedivanovic might not be the one who invented the concept of contouring (it was an MUA before his time named Max Factor), but he is the reason why the makeup trend has taken the world by a storm and has become synonymous to the name "Kardashian".
"Sculpting is always a part of my routine with Kim; it helps to define features, it's a diet for the face. Kim does not need it every day, but when you are being photographed as much as she is, it really helps. It's great in selfies and who doesn't want high and more-defined cheekbones, a slimmer face and a more defined jaw?" he said in an interview with Hello magazine.
In case you want some master tips from the master makeup artist's own mouth, here are some he shared with Hello -
"Start with the cheekbones, go along the hairline, under the edge of the jawline and, if you are feeling brave, down either side of the nose. Pretty much every face benefits from sculpting under the cheekbones. It warms up your face and accentuates your cheekbones and that is aesthetically beautiful."
Just be careful when you sculpt your nose. "The secret is to use minimum product and to blend. Not blending is the biggest mistake people make."
3 He Uses Face Wash To Keep His Brushes Clean
Let's face it, most of us don't clean our makeup brushes as often as we should. In fact, according to a study conducted by Anisa International, 22% people never clean their makeup brushes and sponge at all!
Well, Mario Dedivanovic is not one of us lazy commoners and so regularly cleans his makeup tools. It's imperative for the well-being of his clients since unclean brushes are cesspools of sweat, oil, and acne-causing bacteria. But he does not use air-dry shampoo or any other makeup removers. He uses Philosophy's Purity Made Simple Cleanser.
According to a video he uploaded on Instagram recently, he has been using the cleanser to wash his face since the time he worked at Sephora 18 years ago.
It's because it does not dry out his face and gently removes all traces of makeup, especially that around the eyes. No wonder he uses the cleanser to clean out his makeup brushes every now and then!
According to Allure, Mario also loves using his own blend of DIY makeup remover made of baby shampoo and tea-tree oil to clean his brushes. So, if you can't lay your hands on a Purity Made Simple Cleanser, you should definitely try out this option.
2 His Makeup Collab With Kim, KKW x Mario, Sold Out In Less Than An Hour From Launch!
According to Mario's interview with BUILD series London, before Kim even launched her makeup line, KKW Beauty, she knew she wanted to collab with other influencers in the beauty industry eventually. But the first one she wanted to do was with Mario.
"So, I started going through the archives of thousands of images we have had over the years of the makeup looks and I started saving them and doing mood boards. So I started, basically, creating this collection in my head and narrowing everything down and from there working with her labs to create the actual product," he said.
The collection, KKWxMario, was launched on the 5th of April, 2018 to mark the 10th anniversary of the first time the two met back in 2008. So, it wasn't just a business collaboration, but one of love.
"It's a special collection because it's not just some colors we threw together. There's so much thought, love, and history and emotion that went behind it that. I really thought about her hundreds of millions of followers all over the world and my followers who are makeup artists, a lot of them, and I feel like everyone will be able to use it. It's very diverse."
No wonder the 10-pan eyeshadow palette, creme lipstick, and 2 lipgloss bundle, priced at a discounted rate of $85 on launch day, sold out within an hour of launch (according to Clevver)!
1 He Does Not Like Calling His Fans "Fans" And Instead Calls Them His "Followers"
One thing that stands out about Mario Dedivanovic in every interview and every story is his incredible humility. In fact, in a testimonial video on his Master Class website, famous beauty blogger, Huda Kattan said that when she was a nobody, she wrote emails to multiple master makeup artists hoping for some tips, and Mario, who was the biggest of them all, was the only one who wrote back to her.
“I don't call [my fans] fans because I'm just a makeup artist,” he said in his interview with Allure. “My clients have fans.”
He, instead, prefers calling them his followers. But he knows how much influence he has on them because he also said this in the same interview -
“I know right away if they notice me because their eyes widen or light up. I think it's so sweet.”
And though he happily obliges them when they ask him for a selfie, he makes sure he doesn't let any of it get to his head. In fact, he even helps Kim stay humble by being straight with her when she is sitting in his makeup chair. If that's not a true friend, we don't know what is.
References: Fashionista, People, BUILD LDN, YourTango, Architectural Digest, Allure1, Allure2, Allure3, Allure4, Hello Magazine, Business Wire, Clevver