Karen Lynn
Storytelling Through Makeup
Karen Lynn’s thoughtful approach and proven mastery keeps her in demand for film, tv, editorial, and commercial work, from her home base in Chicago to the studios of LA and beyond. Her easygoing manner makes her a calming presence on any set or shoot, but it’s her ability to connect with whoever’s in the chair that has solidified her reputation. For her, makeup is a creative collaboration, and she works intimately with celebrities, actors, showrunners, athletes, and creative clients to interpret story through skin. More than what you apply, it’s what you bring forth, and her touch is natural and intuitive.
From Playmates to the President
Her three decades in the makeup world have been as much an adventure as a calling and the range of clients who’ve called on her is remarkable. After putting in her “10,000 faces” for Playboy Enterprises at home and abroad, she mastered the nuances of multiethnic makeup under department head Beverly Jo Pryor. Now, she’s come into her own as a department head known for her skill and sensitivity with all skin types and stories, including the transgendered community and underrepresented charities.
Called the “queen of HD” by Elle, studios like Netflix, Amazon, and Showtime have come to depend on her to run the department for new hit shows. She’s added her touch to shows like the Chi, Empire, and the Patriot, as well as films Native Son, Nightmare on Elm Street, the Ice Harvest, and more. She’s collaborated with leading ladies like Debra Messing, Gillian Anderson, Gina Torres, and Rooney Mara, leading men like Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hanks, Terrence Howard, and Conan O’Brien. From cover shoots with Ninja or Chance the Rapper, to boardroom shoots with a who’s who of the corporate world, plus commercial work for leading agencies like Leo Burnett, there isn’t much she hasn’t done.
And though she’s no stranger to the back lots of Hollywood, Karen has always been Chicago at heart, working regularly with the Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls. And when President Obama was on the rise, he called on “his girl” Karen to apply her touch and straighten his tie before he stepped in front of the lights. From print to motion pictures, leading ladies to athletes, editorial to executive, playmates to the president, there’s no one she can’t connect with and no persona she can’t help them create.
Nurturing Collaboration
These days, Karen spends time giving back to the communities that have given her so much. She loves now being in a position to nurture new talent and donate her time to CURE Epilepsy Research and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights. With each new collaborator, client, and charity outing, she continues to deepen just what the art of appearances can mean for those it touches, one face, one story, one soul at a time.
