Shu Uemura
Shu Uemura (植村 秀, Uemura Shū, June 19, 1928 – December 29, 2007) (Japanese pronunciation: [ɯemɯɾa ɕɯː][1]) was a Japanese make-up artist and founder of the cosmetics line which bears his name.[2][3]
Career
His first experience in film make-up occurred during the filming of 1957's Joe Butterfly, which was partially shot in Japan.[5] Uemura left Japan in the late 1950s to try to break into the film and television make-up business.
Uemura's big break came on the set of the 1962 film,
Uemura developed and launched his first cosmetics product in 1960.[2] His product was a cleansing oil, which left the skin cleaner than soap and also acted as a moisturizer.[6] His cleansing oil remains popular in Japan today.[2] Uemura developed a make-up philosophy that the health of his customers' skin should be the most important aspect of cosmetics.[6] He also believed in enhancing a subject's natural beauty, not artificially creating it using cosmetic products.[6]
Uemura returned to Japan in 1964 and opened the Shu Uemura makeup school, which taught make-up techniques which he learned in Hollywood. In the process, Shu Uemura Cosmetics became a major force in the domestic Japanese and international beauty market.
Shu Uemura sold his controlling interest in his company to French cosmetics maker
Uemura personally demonstrated his make-up techniques to the public twice a year.[6] He used these demonstrations to introduce his customers to his last Mode Makeup lines.[6] These demonstrations usually took place in Tokyo, London or New York City.[6]
Death
Shu Uemura died of pneumonia in Tokyo on December 29, 2007.[5][6] He was 79 years old and was survived by his wife and son, Hiroshi [6] who founded his own cosmetics line, UTOWA, in 2002.[7] Uemura's funeral was held on January 4, 2008.[6]
References
- ^ "Pronunciations for 植村 秀". Forvo. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ New York Times. Associated Press. 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ Jiji Tsūshin(in Japanese). 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
- ^ jpninfo.com Shu Uemura Cosmetics: Legendary Eye-Pleasing Beauty Products for 55 Years
- ^ a b c d e f Shilling, Mark (2008-01-08). "Makeup artist Shu Uemura dies". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ Time Magazine. Archived from the originalon January 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "Utowa|ウトワ". www.utowa.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2013-08-13.
External links
- Shu Uemura Art of Beauty (U.S. Site)
- Shu Uemura Art of Hair (U.S. Site)
- Shu Uemura at IMDb
- Time Magazine: Shu Uemura, Makeup Pioneer, Dies
- Vogue.com: Shu Uemura Remembered[permanent dead link]
- Shu Uemura at WN
- AFP: Japanese makeup guru Shu Uemura dies: spokeswoman Archived 2008-01-12 at the Wayback Machine