Why a Vancouver TV Makeup Artist Launched Her Own Skincare Line

“Sorry.”

It’s not something you expect to hear from the telegenic actors starring in TV’s biggest shows, but film-industry makeup artist Victoria Ferguson says it comes up “like clockwork.”

“Actors sat in my chair every day and apologized for their skin issues,” says Ferguson, who has worked in the Vancouver film industry for the better part of a decade, most recently on The Good Doctor. The conversation would usually transition from there to questions about Ferguson’s own skincare routine; she soon found herself not just crafting looks for on-screen characters in the makeup trailer, but working as a de facto skincare consultant, sharing advice about the DIY serums and cleansers she had crafted for her own issues. “I’d created a handful of products to create a solution for my skin problems, not realizing that others potentially shared similar ones,” she recalls.

Now, Ferguson has launched East 29th to bring her homemade solutions out of the makeup trailer and into everyday skincare kits for, as Ferguson puts it, “open-minded individuals, regardless of gender, who believe in taking care of ourselves inside and out.” The products focus on clean, non-GMO ingredients and cruelty-free testing, including super-ingredient lemon rind extract, which can help cleanse, lighten and brighten, while stimulating skin growth.

The first product to launch is the Vital Serum, which features the lemon rind extract along with hyaluronic acid and vitamins C and E, designed to help improve hydration and tone, while firming and promoting elasticity. Ferguson also claims that the high antioxidants and potassium in lemon rind can help reduce depression and anxiety when applied topically, and while we can’t necessarily vouch for that, we do feel happier when our skin is healthier. And, as Ferguson puts it—ever the beauty pro, both on and off-set—”The key ingredient to looking good is feeling good.”

East 29th Vital Serum, $88, available online