She's a major player in the world of makeup artists, the subject of a MOLI View video, and a force to reckon with when she's holding a tube of lipstick (which may be of her own making). The international artistic director of Lancôme Paris had a muddy start, literally, and forged a reputation by making someone amazing look, well, awful. Here, 12 facts on Gucci Westman (not including an explanation of her fabulous name):

• She got in trouble for playing with make-up when she was 13, which, she said, just fueled her fire.

• Her first job: Au pair for a fashion/beauty writer's family in Paris.

• Her first gigs were in special effects makeup.

• What put her on the map: covering bikers in mud for a Annie Leibovitz Vanity Fair cover in 1996.

• What else: turning gorgeous Cameron Diaz into plain-faced Lotte when she was the makeup artist for Being John Malkovich.

• Other movies in her roster include: Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (this time, she made Cameron Diaz look even more gorgeous than she already is); Buffalo '66 (remember Vince Gallo? Later he kind of out-bunnied himself, but that had very little to do with makeup. On the other hand, think of Christina Ricci.)

• She's great friends with Drew Barrymore.

• She's worked with Jennifer Aniston, Diaz, Barrymore, Jullianne Moore, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

• You've seen her work on the covers of Vogue, W Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and Vanity Fair.

• She works with Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, Bruce Weber, Peter Lindbergh, Carter Smith, and all the bigs.

• At Rag & Bone she created a '60s look with a heavy eye, tan complexion, and peachy nude lips — that's what she's referring to in the MOLI View video when she says that for her boyfriend's show, he asked her to just not make it orange. Rag & Bone's David Neville is her boyfriend.

• She recommends you not use soap when you wash your face.

Jana Martin is The MOLI View's contributing editor for Fashion & Design.