In The News
-Sathish Raman
For makeup artist Rikardos Garib, also known as Richard Ghareeb, beauty is increasingly less about following a recognizable formula and more about understanding the person sitting in his chair. That philosophy has helped shape a career that now moves between celebrity makeup, fashion editorials, bridal beauty and creative collaborations, while connecting his Middle Eastern roots with a growing professional presence in Los Angeles.
Discover Rikardos Garib, the visionary makeup artist blending Middle Eastern artistry with Los Angeles glamour. He shares his unique philosophy of personalized beauty, moving beyond trends to create iconic looks for celebrities and brides. Learn how his approach is redefining the global beauty landscape, making every face a masterpiece.
The past year, Garib says, has been especially important in defining what kind of artist he wants to become. Working across very different areas of the beauty industry has given him space to refine his technique while becoming more confident in his own creative instincts. Rather than approaching every face with the same signature look, he focuses on creating makeup that feels specific to the individual and appropriate for the moment.
That approach was particularly important when actress Mona Zaki contacted Garib to create her makeup for Vogue World. Zaki, one of the Middle East’s best-known actresses, was representing the region on an international fashion stage, giving the assignment a significance beyond a typical celebrity appearance.
Garib chose restraint over excess. His intention was to create something elegant, confident and timeless without allowing the makeup to compete with Zaki herself. The challenge was finding the balance between making the look polished enough for a major fashion event and preserving the qualities audiences already associate with the actress.
That idea of adapting makeup to a larger visual story also shaped his work with actress Ash Santos for an ERA Magazine cover shoot. Editorial beauty, Garib explains, requires an artist to think beyond the face. Lighting, photography, wardrobe and the overall creative direction all influence how makeup ultimately appears in an image.
With Santos, who already has a strong visual presence, Garib wanted the makeup to support rather than overwhelm the shoot. The result reflected an area of his work he continues to explore: glamour that feels powerful on camera while remaining controlled and refined.
His growing profile has also brought recognition from the industry. MOIVO Magazine ranked Garib No. 9 on its list of the Top 50 Makeup Artists in the Middle East. For him, the recognition carried personal weight because the region remains central to his understanding of beauty and glamour, even as he develops the next phase of his career in the United States.
Los Angeles has given Garib access to a different beauty environment, but he does not see his career there as a departure from what came before. Instead, he views the two chapters as connected. His Middle Eastern background continues to influence his aesthetic, while working in the American market exposes him to new forms of fashion, entertainment and celebrity culture.
That intersection is also visible in his collaborations. Garib recently worked on content featuring makeup brushes created by internationally known makeup artist Hrush Achemyan. For Garib, the project offered an opportunity to demonstrate how professional tools contribute to precision, structure and detail while allowing him to bring his own technique to products associated with another established artist.
At the same time, one of the strongest areas of his Los Angeles work has developed outside traditional celebrity and editorial settings. Garib describes his bridal aesthetic as luxury glamour with an editorial influence. Sculpted features, perfected skin and defined eyes are recurring elements, but he resists the idea that bridal makeup should follow a single template.
Before creating a look, he considers the bride’s facial features, personality, dress, hairstyle, cultural background and the atmosphere of the wedding itself. Transformation may be part of the experience, but recognition is equally important. He wants clients to see a more polished and memorable version of themselves rather than feel as though the makeup has created an entirely different person.
That philosophy helps explain the connection between the seemingly separate parts of his portfolio. Whether the client is an actress preparing for an international event, a model on an editorial set or a bride getting ready for her wedding, Garib begins with the individual rather than the trend.
Technique remains fundamental, but he also views makeup as emotional. A viewer may first notice the skin, eye makeup or detailing in a photograph, yet for Garib, the lasting value of the work comes from how the person wearing it feels.
It is a perspective that also influences his ambitions for what comes next. Garib wants to continue expanding internationally through celebrity work, fashion editorials, beauty campaigns and collaborations with artists and brands. He is particularly interested in projects that bring greater visibility to Middle Eastern artistry within the global fashion and beauty industries.
Looking further ahead, he also sees potential in education and product development, areas that could allow him to translate the techniques and creative identity he has built into something beyond individual appointments and shoots.
The beauty industry moves quickly, with aesthetics and social media trends changing constantly. Garib’s response has been to focus less on chasing each new look and more on developing a recognizable point of view. As his work moves between the Middle East and the United States, Rikardos Garib is building a career around the idea that memorable makeup should do more than photograph well. It should still feel connected to the person wearing it.
