James Gager’s life has always been colorful.
The former MAC Cosmetics senior vice president and creative director dreamed up some of the most arresting images and products in makeup and helped propel the brand to the top prestige cosmetics spot in the 2000s.
Before MAC he was senior vice president and creative director at Prescriptives, “a brand very far ahead of its time,” Gager reminisced. “I worked with great people there — Sylvie Chantecaille, Jane Hudis — and had a lot of freedom to create a vision that people hadn’t seen before within the beauty industry.”
He brought that same sense of vision to MAC when Leonard A. Lauder tapped him for the brand, then led by John Demsey. He jumped at the opportunity, eager to forward its mission of all ages, races and sexes.
Gager stepped down from his role in 2017, but his creative streak remains strong. An avid photographer, his work caught the eye of gallery owner Cheryl Hazan, who hosted Gager’s first show, called “For the Senses,” this summer.
From James Gager’s “For the Senses” photo exhibition.
Courtesy
Here, Gager dishes on his careers and all forms of beauty.
What is most memorable about your time at MAC?
That job was the most incredible moment in my entire career. I got to work with every amazing celebrity, every amazing photographer, stylist, makeup artist that I could have dreamed of. The experiences I had — I think about them periodically. There I am sitting in Liza Minnelli’s bathroom, on the ledge of her bathtub, watching her show me how she became Liza Minnelli, starting with no face, no makeup on. Then, at the end, asking me what I thought of her hair. I’m not a hairstylist, but I worked with the best of the best. I started saying: “Maybe it should be a little fluffier.” I did something to her hair with my hands, and suddenly she’s like: “Oh my god, I love this!” Meeting other people like Elton John, Catherine Deneuve, Raquel Welch. Working with Dame Edna, watching RuPaul become RuPaul. Just craziness in my life.
What was the key change you witnessed while working in beauty?
Certainly, the advent of social media and Instagram changed everything. People who became influencers and hadn’t had a lot of training or exposure to beauty suddenly garnered a lot of attention. It became a challenge — they were big personalities, versus people with expertise. I’m not putting them down in any way, shape or form, but they began to influence the consumer in ways that we’d never seen before.
How do you adapt to that? How do you go with it? How do you utilize it to maximize what you’re trying to do? So the whole dynamic shifted and became a totally different industry from what I had worked in.
People — who aren’t even in the beauty industry or in any particular industry — can create trends immediately. Everybody is creative in their own right. You get to be a lot more than you ever could before. The exposure is amazing globally.
What’s your view of the industry today?
I don’t find it terribly aspirational. I don’t find it entertaining, and lots of times I don’t even find it beautiful. I probably have a different point of view than the average consumer on beauty, because I want to see creativity. I want to see products used in new ways, colors used in new ways, new textures — things of that nature.
How did you get into photography?
Having worked with so many amazing photographers, I was always intrigued by what they did. With the advent of the iPhone, I started taking lots of photographs, but not photographs of people. I was taking abstract shots of, say, a shaft of light on a leaf, or a close-up of this, or a close-up of that — finding moments which I discovered and probably nobody else has ever seen. Then I started working on layering of all my shots, cropping and doing different techniques on them. Everything was abstract.
It’s been amazing for me and surprising. I did the work because I wanted my own creative outlet, since I wasn’t in the industry anymore. What turned into my own personal joy I’ve been able to share with lots of other people. It’s been really wonderful.
All the process of creation is one that is so amazing. A germ of an idea suddenly becomes a house, a photograph, a garden you can walk through or an amazing cake that you can enjoy.
How do you describe beauty?
To me, beauty was canvas, and I liked working with the products of a canvas and seeing how makeup artists played with them, what they could create with them — and that’s not everyday life. But it was my career, and we created looks that perhaps weren’t wearable, but they always sparked an interest in people. They could be toned down as much as you wanted them to be.
I just enjoy beauty in whatever form it comes in. Sometimes ugly is beautiful, and beautiful is beautiful. It’s kind of like how I see my life, I guess.
[LAYOUT: THE FOLLOWING IS A SIDEBAR]
James Gager’s Top 5 Products
(Plated) Skin Science Intense Serum
(Plated) Skin Science Intense Serum
Courtesy of Plated
“It’s an exosome-driven product, one a dermatologist turned me on to a while ago. I love it. It kind of regenerates your skin and gives you amazing clarity and texture.”
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Courtesy of Estée Lauder
“It’s an essential every night.”
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
Courtesy of SkinCeuticals
“It’s an amazing product. I like the clarity and renewal of your skin.”
CeraVe moisturizers
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
Courtesy of Cerave
“They do a really beautiful job. Their body creams, body lotions and face moisturizer are really good.”
Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow
Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow
Courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury
“It’s great when you’re going somewhere to put a little on your skin. It gives you an amazing glow and it’s not shiny.”