On Saturday, February 14, 2015, I slipped on my best suit, straightened my tie and headed to Hollywood for what would be a night to remember at The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists (MUAHS) Guild Awards honoring excellence in makeup and hair in motion pictures, television, commercials and live theater.

I had been invited by Susan Cabral-Ebert, the President of the Local 706, to cover the event for On Makeup Magazine and was so looking forward to coming together with our pro community in Los Angeles and to celebrating the crafts of makeup artistry and hair styling in a way that only this event could.

“We love that the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards has grown in importance as a precursor to the Oscars, and we did it in only two years,” said Susan Cabral-Ebert. “Our intent is to raise awareness of what we bring to the table with our talents. There is nothing like being respected by your peers, and the MUAHS Guild Awards are just that. No other crafts vote; it is simply makeup artists and hair stylists voting for work they appreciate, no matter whether it is union or non-union, or wherever in the world it originated. The beautiful gold statue is treasured.”

The awards program, the second annual iteration after a 10-year hiatus, was set to be an evening filled with the Who’s Who of television and film, and it exceeded those expectations on every level. The program was hosted in grand form by actress Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs), with a star-studded roster of presenters including…>> Read more about Michael’s night at the GUILD Awards, in our Spring 2015 issue