In honor of Father's Day, I'd like to share a film, Man of a Thousand Faces, that my Dad gave me a couple years ago.

When I graduated college, I had no idea what I wanted to do (does that sound familiar?). My parents, sensing my misdirection, suggested that I should start a career in makeup and I couldn't believe it. I was thrilled that they wanted to support me in something that was wholly different from the education I had just spent the past four years curating.

My makeup career began by attending Makeup First, here in Chicago. While I was in school, my Dad presented me with this movie: Man of a Thousand Faces. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift, because he could have handed me any number of beauty or makeup related items and called it a day, but he didn't. He gave me a gift that would mean something to me because it meant something to him. Like most dads, my dad is not overly familiar with beauty or makeup, but he loves classic (and new) movies. It is often our conversation topic.

Our conversation about films leads to broad discussions about politics, religion, or society and culture. (Sometimes, it's merely idle gossip about Jackie Kennedy). Never once were these discussions ever makeup related, so it meant everything to me when he presented me with this film as a way to start a conversation about my fascination and appreciation for makeup. Now, I always point out makeup techniques and tricks when we watch or discuss films. My dad is my reference for period looks, LOL.

The film fascinated my dad because the star, Lon Chaney, a makeup artist, could turn himself into any just about any character, including the Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera, from a small makeup case. My Dad really went into a lot of detail of the plot of the movie before I actually sat down to watch it, which took some of the anticipation out of the film, so I won't spoil the plot any further. It's an exciting film that any makeup artist or enthusiast will enjoy.

Happy Father's Day!!

Jacob