Make-up artist Tony Belfatto www.girlpower.it

Interview with Toni Belfatto, the well-known make-up artist and tattooist who, alongside artistic tattooing, also works in cosmetic tattooing. (by Antonella Marchisella)

When we say the word “beauty” we forget that its few letters embrace the infinite. Whatever notion we start from, there is someone who represents an exceptional common denominator: Tony Belfatto, one of the greatest make-up artists in the world. In 1989 a visit to a Tattoo Expo in Bologna “officially” marked the beginning of Tony’s journey in the world of tattoos, but as Galileo said, “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself”: his drive towards the art of body decoration had been part of him since childhood. With the Belfatto Center he has worked with big names in show business, including Pippo Baudo, Alba Parietti and Maria Grazia Cucinotta; in Tunisia he looked after the beauty of the President’s daughter. Exclusively for Girlpower he answered a few questions about make-up and the magical world of tattoos, and we would like to give him a very special thank you: Tony, I read in your biography that you gave up university to pursue your greatest passion: how did the idea of becoming a make-up artist come about? I think an idea should never be suppressed but transformed; that is exactly what I tried to do, combining a deep personal passion with an emerging market demand, and that is how my profession came about. What does tattooing mean to you? In common thinking the word tattoo means the classic design made on the body. I believe instead that it should be understood as an action that delivers non-toxic pigments into the dermis using solid, single-use needles. This technical gesture brings together several specialisations: artistic tattooing, permanent make-up, paramedical tattooing and tricopigmentation. The most immediate and undisputed way to convey, reveal and communicate something about oneself, to resolve problems that carry a heavy emotional weight and, why not, out of vanity: that is what tattooing means to me.How is an existing tattoo covered, and what are the costs in general terms?

The term cover-up means covering an old tattoo with a larger one that is, above all, sufficiently coloured or shaded. This technique requires excellent artistic skills from the dermopigmentation artist, who must recognise any technical limitations that could prevent a cover-up. A tattoo that is too large and too solid, for example, could produce a new tattoo that looks worse than the previous one, along with greater regrets. The prices of cover-ups, like those of tattoos, depend on several parameters: size, complexity, colours and the time needed. The resulting range is very wide, from 100 euros up to thousands of euros.

I read on your website www.tonytattoo.it that “paramedical make-up” can resolve problems with a strong psychological impact, such as the reconstruction of the nipple areola. What do these techniques involve?

After minor or medium surgery, visible imperfections may remain that cause significant emotional insecurity. The removal of a breast following a mastectomy often calls for a micropigmentation artist to reconstruct the areola and nipple aesthetically. Using realistic techniques, chiaroscuro and three-dimensional effects are created to reproduce the area anatomically.

With permanent make-up, eyebrows and lips can be redefined to minimise certain flaws or enhance existing beauty. Don’t you think this makes women conform to a purely Western canon of beauty that in some way deprives them of their individuality? For example, the typical “plumped lips, enhanced breasts, magnetic gaze” look?

Depriving a woman of her individuality is a real threat for a professional who already has a very low opinion of the word normality. That is why every micropigmentation treatment begins with a face-design proposal from the artist, who first studies the architecture of the face and then develops a design. This aesthetic proposal will match the client’s taste: she should see herself positively changed without her non-verbal expression being distorted. I consider permanent make-up beautiful when it is barely noticeable even to the most attentive observer. This way of working aims to enhance each woman’s personal features while correcting any imperfections.

Can you suggest an easy-to-wear spring make-up?

I prefer not to answer this question, because I would risk making women conform to overly general make-up advice that in some way deprives them of their individuality. I could suggest pastel shades for an easy-to-wear spring look, but not all shapes and colourings suit these colour indications.

Toni, what is beauty for you?

Beauty is the subjective reception of a capriciously pleasant emotional stimulus.
And I, unfortunately, am its victim.