A Way to Make It Up to the Movie Stylists

In the visual world of movies and TV, hair and makeup count. But for years, makeup artists and hairstylists have toiled in obscurity. Their credits get buried at the end of movies.

But all that may change with the first Georgie Awards, hosted by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 706--made up of 1,550 makeup artists and hairstylists.

The awards ceremony, scheduled for March 19 at the Beverly Hilton, will honor outstanding work in such categories as best contemporary makeup, best character makeup, best contemporary hairstyling and innovative hairstyling.

“Our hope is that our award sits on the mantle next to the Emmy or Oscar,” said makeup artist David Syner, the guild’s committee chairman for the awards show.

Other award shows--such as the Oscars, which honored Jenny Shircore for “Elizabeth” this year--do give out statues for makeup work, but they typically recognize special effects. He said members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and others are so wowed by special effects makeup that they forgot about more subtle applications, such as in “Austin Powers” and “Pleasantville.”

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And, he said, the Georgies will be a great way for members finally to get credit for starting trends in hair and makeup. “It’s passe to talk about Jennifer Aniston’s hair,” he said. “But [the staff on ‘Friends’] really do set some trends.”

Makeup artist Syner and a group of 11 other hair and makeup stylists have been hard at work for the last year and a half to put together the show. And now, said Syner, Dick Clark Productions is in negotiations to televise the show.

There’s not yet the buzz about which movies might be nominated, perhaps because this is the first year. Or maybe it’s that, as Syner said, everyone is so busy working no one has time to gossip. Syner just finished doing makeup for Michael Douglas and Liv Tyler on the set of “One Night at McCool’s.”

Syner said he was inspired to begin the awards after the 60th anniversary party for the local two years ago. He has been a member of the local for six years, but only then was he struck by the camaraderie and fellowship of the group.

Only local members in good standing--about 700--can make nominations. And the nominated movies must have employed at least one Local 706 member. Syner said the plan is to open up the awards to others in the next few years. “As we grow, we’ll be opened up to the whole world.”

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Many actors have already committed to attending the March show, including Ellen Burstyn, Robert DeNiro, Cameron Diaz, Pam Grier, Holly Hunter, Rob Lowe, Jack Nicholson, Jason Priestly, Susan Sarandon, Aaron Spelling and Liv Tyler.

The Georgie Awards are named after George Westmore, who originated the motion picture industry’s first makeup and hairstyling department at the Selig Studios in 1917. He worked on many early stars, including Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Sr.

Biker Beauty--On a less glamorous though certainly equally fun note, what do you do if you’re a mountain biker or outdoor athlete who wants to stay beautiful?

Jeffrey Neal of Los Angeles asked the same question. He was managing a bicycle shop in the area when he noticed customers had specific health and beauty needs. “We had seen over and over again how many people were crashing,” he said. And crashes led to road rash, a rather unattractive scrape that, depending on the crash, could cover a large part of the leg. “They’re not real serious injuries, but they’re real painful injuries,” he said.

Neal teamed up with Beverly Hills dermatologist Ezra Kest. Three years ago, the two introduced Brave Soldier, a skin care line for athletes. Since then, customers have included lifeguards, mountain bikers and even a few police officers. The line has even been available for riders in the California AIDS rides.

People who spend a lot of time out in the sun need to protect their skin. “It’s hard to get guys to take care of their skins a lot,” said Neal. So he went in search of a name that sounded manly and also sounded like it had been around quite a while. The phrase “be a brave little soldier” kept coming back to him. The manly sounding line also has products such as shaving cream and a clear gel SPF 20 sunscreen that lasts for six hours underwater.

Surprisingly, the products have been touted by fashion magazines, including Allure, which deemed the Brave Soldier Wound Healing Ointment great for softening heels that get rough from open-back sandals.

Brave Soldier is available at bike shops and online at https://www.bravesoldier.com.

Barbara Thomas can be reached by e-mail at barbara.thomas@latimes.com.