Brush with celebrity

Want to look like Adriana Lima? Meet the man who has done her hair and makeup for Victoria’s Secret fashion shows and photo shoots, Michael Burke. At his new Burke’s on Broadway salon in downtown Chico (call him at 680-6002), anyone can get hairstyle and makeup advice from a professional. Burke has been in the business for more than 26 years. Originally from Santa Barbara, where he went to beauty school, he went on to work as an assistant at the Vidal Sassoon Salon on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. His first big job was with Madonna for her “Burning Up” video, just as her music career was starting to take off. From there, he worked closely with Sassoon, then decided to go freelance, working in the print and film industry. He has since styled models for Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues and photos for Gap and Banana Republic, plus worked with a multitude of celebrities in his travels around the world. Now in Chico to be closer to his family, Burke is enjoying what the town has to offer and what his services can bring to locals.

Who have you worked with?

I’ve worked with Cher, Madonna, Janet Jackson on a couple of her videos, Kate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Gisele, the Melrose Place cast, and the original [Beverly Hills] 90210 cast.

What does being a celebrity makeup artist involve?

A lot of hard work, a lot of discipline, professionalism and confidentiality [with details of clients’ treatments]. It has been a lot of hard work for me to get all of that in my résumé. A lot of it is right place, right time, but you have to also be talented and you have to really like your work in order to work on those famous faces.

What was the most fun job?

One of the best jobs for me was for the cover and spread in Vanity Fair where they do upcoming actresses and actors. I got to work with Kate Hudson, Omar Epps, Julia Stiles and Gwyneth Paltrow.

What was your worst experience?

There are jobs I dislike, but they’re neither here nor there. Some of them [celebrities] can be difficult, a couple of them can be downright nasty, but I’m there to make them look as best they can; it’s my job.

Where have you traveled for this job?

I’ve lived in Brazil, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. I’ve worked with a lot of American celebrities who were doing print ads, such as Madonna for Max Factor in Tokyo.