Lou McLaren is a professional makeup artist and hair stylist with an extensive experience in film, television, theatre, SPFX and fashion. Her folio reveals an innate flair for colour, form and shape as well as the perfection of clean and precise technique. Her dedicated approach to makeup design involves a highly collaborative relationship with clients and talent.

She has come a long way since her first foray into the industry, holding a boom pole naked while assisting an Argentinian Discovery Channel crew in the production of a documentary about the Ecuadorian Jungle. Being a runner for the crew meant she had to run a long way. It took her several days by rickety old boat, apparently, to get supplies downstream.

A visual arts graduate, she welcomed the opportunity to mix cerebral elements with painterly application and the use of the face as a living, breathing canvas. She studied makeup and hairdressing before quickly progressing to designing roles, where she discovered an equal passion for fashion and film. For Lou McLaren, bold is gold.

With a reputation for character work and a flair with wigs she is hired regularly on TV commercials, often painstakingly transforming talent with the use of wigs, facial hair and fx makeup. This particular skillset also comes to the fore in her film and TV series credits. She has also utilised these skills and period hairstyling on numerous video clips.

Her clients have included Chanel, YSL, eBay, Toyota, BWS, Myer, David Jones, New Balance, Bonds, Sony, Vodka Cruiser, Sovereign Hill, Forever New, Jag, Dotti and Jim Beam. Music video credits are Kimbra, Amy Shark, The Presets, Vance Joy, Paul Dempsey, Worlds End Press, The Kite String Tangle, Children Collide, Courtney Barnett and Airbourne. Her editorials have been published in Cosmopolitan, Madison, Marie Claire, Cream, Fashion Journal, The Age and Chaos Magazine.

She has headed the makeup department, supervised and assisted on multiple feature films and TV series as well as designing hair and makeup for numerous internationally screened short films.

Recent TV credits include Crazy Fun Park (ABC), Human Error (CH 9)  & Safe Home (SBS).