I first heard about Louis through a friend of mine who had him saved in his phone as Louis Fritz: Makeup Genius and I’d say that’s a pretty apt description. It’s ironic though that the man himself doesn’t need a stitch of the stuff himself.
Perfect skin, impeccably groomed hair and facial hair and about the most luscious set of lashes I’ve ever seen on a man make you understand that he knows what it means to look good, and through that, feel good.
Inception
Louis got his first taste of makeup when he was two, literally. “I ate a lipstick, some of them tasted really good. Needless to say I really liked it and it was like my first little kick,” he says.
Having grown up in a very religious household, Louis never saw his mother with makeup on until the first time she got it done at a store. “She drove into the yard, I think I was about five years old. I remember looking at her and thinking, I can’t believe that’s my mom!”
That was the moment that he says he realised makeup could completely transform faces. To Louis, makeup is the perfect fusion of art, movement, painting, drawing, colours, the psychology of colour and the art of transformation. Now, faces are his canvases and he perfects them through makeup.
“I just love flawless, beautiful, incredible makeup. So yes I can play around, I’m a painter, I get excited about makeup – I love the smell, texture and the whole process. I’m really more into just simple, stunning makeup. I especially love doing weddings and making that person look like themselves, but just incredible. I get so involved.”
Louis’s mom and sister are his ultimate muses and number one fans – having inspired him from the start.
The man behind the makeup
Louis has been lucky enough to travel all over the world and has worked in Miami, Germany, China and Seychelles. He’s worked on some pretty well-known faces including a runner up from America’s Next Top Model, Miss India, Miss Columbia, Miss Puerto Rico, Miss Florida and a few Miss South Africa’s to name a few.
You can sense how grateful he is for it all as he explains that he got to know these people and though they may be incredibly beautiful, they are also lovely and down to earth – they’re not just celebrities.
Louis worked for MAC for five years, and was then the National Artistry Director for Bobbi Brown. Having trained with some of the best in the industry including Terry Barber and Nadine Luke, he’s built his own skills on a solid foundation.
His number one inspiration is Pat McGrath, not only because she’s fantastic at what she does but because she knows how blessed she is to be doing it. “It’s always about more, it’s about meeting people. It’s about experience, as a brand you are selling experience. It’s an industry that makes you so aware of what you look like. But that doesn’t have to be seen as negative…wear makeup or don’t, it’s about how it makes you feel inside,” says Louis.
This is a philosophy that he and I can agree on. Louis now owns his own business which will soon include hair styling done by his partner, a celebrity hairdresser who has also travelled extensively. Look out for this one, he may have already done big things, but he’s only going to get bigger from here.
Q&A
Favourite makeup brand?
MAC. I love the way they design their concepts and their stories and the whole creative concept behind it – it is so inspiring! They celebrate all ages, races and sexes. The DNA of the brand is about honouring one’s individuality and uniqueness. But I also love how Bobbi Brown caters for the maybe not so out there person. It encourages woman to look like the best version of themselves and to simply be who they are. I love the signature clean, fresh and modern makeup looks designed to enhance rather than disguise a woman’s best features.
The product you can’t live without?
MAC Fix +. It’s super hydrating and refreshing, it’s like having your own little spa in a bottle.
Dream face to work on?
I love and appreciate beauty in all its forms and my favourite – I love striking beauty, but I’m also fascinated by the kind of beauty you would miss if you didn’t pay attention. Sophia Loren, Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman are some of my dream faces to work on. They possess captivating beauty that’s breathtaking but I realise that beauty is ultimately in the eye of the beholder.
Golden makeup rule?
Full, filled-in brows are everything. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to give life to brows and frame the face. The strength of a woman’s brows is in the arch. By paying attention to detail on the arch of the brow you can create an instant eye-lift.
