For four years, Claire Rivals has been working behind the scenes at the Cannes Film Festival. Between stress, confidentiality, and hectic schedules, the makeup artist from Ariège prepares several celebrities every day before the red carpets. It’s a demanding world that she shares from the inside.
In the corridors of the Hotel Le Majestic in Cannes, Claire Rivals moves from one room to another with her black suitcase in hand. Behind each door, a celebrity is getting ready before hitting the stairs. A French actress? An American star? An international influencer? She only finds out at the last moment. For the past four years, this 29-year-old from Ariège has been one of the many hands behind the scenes at the Cannes Film Festival, working away from photographers but still playing a crucial role in creating the image of the celebrities.
“I really get into the intimacy of the personalities,” says the professional makeup artist from Saint-Martin-de-Caralp. Every day, the same ritual is repeated. Arriving a bit early at the hotel, she sets up her equipment, disinfects her brushes, checks her products… Then, her schedule arrives in the early afternoon, and the work can begin.
“We have about thirty minutes for each person’s makeup,” she explains. Between five and six celebrities pass through her hands each day. Alongside her, always the same hairdresser with whom she has been working in pairs for several editions of the festival. While he styles hair, she does the makeup. The goal is to be ready before the evening screenings and red carpets.
“The stress is mostly for us, but we don’t show it,” she says. In Cannes, there’s no room for makeup mistakes just before the globally photographed stair climb. Celebrities are used to it. It’s their daily routine. The stress is mainly for us, but we don’t show it. This year again, she can’t reveal the names of the celebrities she’s working with. Confidentiality contracts are strict. “We can’t say who we’re doing makeup for or where.” Discretion has become essential in an environment where trust is as important as talent.
Despite the intense pace and repetitive days, Claire Rivals claims she never gets tired of it. “When I’m there, I don’t feel like I’m working.” Between two festivals, the makeup artist is now preparing for the opening of her own institute in Pamiers, scheduled for next September. A high-end salon where she intends to leverage all her experience gained from major international events. Advanced face and body care, professional makeup, beauty workshops… The young woman aims to develop a place in her image, focused on makeup, her “real domain.”
But that doesn’t mean she’s giving up red carpets. “I will always try to continue with the Cannes Film Festival because I love it,” she says. And among the events she still dreams of adding to her already full career path, one name immediately comes to mind: Coachella. “I already have a few contacts,” she hints. An objective kept in the back of her mind, amid two stair climbs.
