Meet Michael Anthony
From music videos and campaigns to movies, red carpets and live performances, this week, we’re getting to know the person behind some of the biggest beauty moments in pop: Michael Anthony.
Michael and Ariana during the Eternal Sunshine Tour in 2026.
He has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Ariana Grande. But his career started way before celebrity glam and backstage passes.
Michael’s interest in makeup began when he was only 6 years old. He would experiment with different looks and eventually started doing makeup for his sisters. What started as a childhood interest slowly became a way for him to explore his creativity and express himself.
After working at MAC Cosmetics, Michael moved to New York, where he began assisting some of the biggest names in the makeup industry, including Pat McGrath. Working alongside artists at that level allowed him to develop his technique and understand what happens behind the scenes of the fashion and entertainment industries.
From there, his own career started to take off.
And looking at his portfolio, it’s easy to see why.
Michael has been behind beauty moments from Katy Perry’s “When I’m Gone” and Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain On Me” to Ariana’s “34+35”, as well as editorial, campaign and red carpet work.
MICHAEL & ARIANA
His collaboration with Ariana Grande began with “Rain On Me” in 2020. What could have been just another music video quickly became a long-term creative partnership.
Since then, Michael has worked with Ariana throughout different eras of her career, including Positions, Eternal Sunshine, her Wicked era, campaigns such as Swarowski, red carpets and, most recently, the Eternal Sunshine Tour.
One of the things that makes their collaboration so interesting is how much Ariana’s beauty changes depending on the project. Michael isn’t creating the same look over and over again. He helps translate each era, character and story into makeup.
And this relationship goes beyond Ariana’s own projects.
R.E.M. BEAUTY
Michael has also become closely connected to r.e.m. beauty, using products from Ariana’s brand across many of her looks and working on creative projects for the brand.
At the 2026 Golden Globes, for example, he created Ariana’s makeup entirely with r.e.m. beauty products, going for glowing skin, softly defined eyes, full lashes and a pink-toned lip.
The collaboration continued into the Eternal Sunshine Tour. Michael is part of Ariana’s glam team throughout the tour, and in one of the show’s moments, he and hairstylist Alyx Liu come onstage to give Ariana a quick touch-up before “7 rings”.
BEYOND ARIANA
Although Ariana has become one of the biggest collaborations of his career, Michael’s work goes far beyond one artist.
He has worked with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Paris Hilton, Gwen Stefani and Doja Cat, moving between music videos, fashion editorials, campaigns, red carpets and live performances.
That variety is probably one of the most interesting things about his career. One day he can be creating a futuristic, high-concept look for a music video, the next, he is working on a beauty look for a red carpet or a fashion campaign.
And that is what makes Michael Anthony more than just a celebrity makeup artist.
He knows how to understand the person sitting in his chair, but also the world around them: the music, the clothes, the character, the lighting and the story.
Michael is part of the visual language that makes each artist’s world feel like their own, and this is definitely next-level makeup.
Follow Michael Anthony on Instagram.
