Louie Zakarian has had a career than spans more than two decades with a range of experience that crosses over from film and television, to theater and live performance. He has toured with Paul Simon, designed makeup for Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and has film and television credits that include Fringe, The Magnificent Seven, Southpaw, Requiem for a Dream, Across the Universe, Evening, P.S. I Love You and The Ministers. But Louie is perhaps best known as the makeup department head at Saturday Night Live for the past 20 years. The accolades for his work are heard far and wide and he took home the Emmy Award for his work on SNL in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015. Over his tenure at SNL, more than 50 cast members have come through his makeup room along with more than 100 guest hosts and more than 100 musical guests. To say that Louie Zakarian has been a part of the most important program in popular culture would be an incredible understatement. He and his team have helped SNL parody presidents — including Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama — along with other political figures, sports stars and celebrities. SNL reminds us to laugh and to maybe, just once in a while, to be silly. It also remind us to not take everything so seriously. But one thing Louie takes very seriously is his makeup kit. We asked Louie to share some of the products that he can’t live without and that help to make his makeup room and FX lab two of the most impressive and important makeup artist work spaces in our industry. He generously obliged. >> Check out the Fall 2016 issue for a full list of Louie’s recommended must have products.