A Conversation With Matt Bernstein

Make-up is a key part of your identity. What do you love about it, and how did you develop your technique?

I’m completely self-taught, for what it’s worth. I do think YouTube is amazing! I would definitely call it a fascination, I love makeup so deeply. Just the idea of transformation is a really cool part of it. I started getting into makeup when I was dealing with a lot of anxiety, on a clinical level, shortly after moving to New York. Makeup ended up being something I could do for an hour, sitting down in an almost meditative state, trying different things. I tell my friends the best part of going out is getting ready. In my day-to-day life I typically wear toned-down makeup, which can be shocking to people who follow me and expect a full-fledged look from me. Once you understand face shapes, bone structures, and how eyeshadow works it becomes much easier to blend colors, and understand color in a way that doesn’t look juvenile. That being said there’s no wrong way to do beauty.  

Who inspires your eye, photographically but also generally? 

I am constantly inspired by people who use beauty in unexpected ways. I go on Pinterest a lot, and pull inspiration from lots of different places. I was in Fire Island recently and met Jonathan Van Ness, who I really find inspiring as a visibile queer person in the industry. We had such a lovely conversation on the beach about hard work and hustle. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. How will you be commemorating and celebrating World Pride? 

I’ll definitely attend the parade in NYC, but I’ll be conscious to have an ongoing and open dialogue on my social platforms with my followers about Pride and other key conversations. It’s important to remember the first pride was actually a riot. It’s so important to remind everyone that there are still massive issues within our community, including huge rates of incarceration and homelessness for underprivileged queer people of color. Transgender women are still incredibly oppressed, which is an important issue for many of us to continually educate ourselves on. I think it’s important to have the conversation and educate, not only for Pride in June but all year round. 

What are your favorite spots to work and play in NYC?

I live in the Lower East Side and enjoy all the quaint coffee spots. I love Variety Coffee in Chelsea, or any place with a good WiFI connection for that matter! I’d eventually like to find a good office space to work from, because when I work from home I find myself falling asleep on the couch or wherever. I constantly rely on caffeine – I think that’s a huge part of NYC culture. New York is an expensive city in the summer. I really love going dancing with my friends. The city’s nightlife was one of the biggest reasons I got into makeup originally, because my friends and I would go out and try “looks”. I really got to experiment with zero pressure or judgement which was so liberating. 

With your focus on makeup being so strong, we are curious to know if you have any tattoos? 

I don’t. Here’s the thing; I come from a Jewish background and you can’t be buried in a Jewish cemetery if you have tattoos. So most of my family are opposed to tattoos, but I’m not necessarily opposed to getting one in the future. The reason I love makeup is because you can experiment and ultimately take it off. Let’s just say that if I were to get a tattoo, it wouldn’t be of a boyfriend’s name, ever.