Honesty
Jane left Los Angeles to become a farmer.
Somewhere between the noise, ambition, and speed of it all, she chose a quieter kind of life.
I think that’s what I see in her face now.
Stillness. Strength. Clarity.
A woman no longer performing herself for the world.
There’s something deeply romantic to me about people who return to what’s real.
The earth. The body. The seasons. The truth of who they are.
Honesty.
@mattskyphoto@matthewskymakeup — makeup & hair
#tothyownselfbetrue
Not young love.
New love.
Love has never been about a number.
Tony and Laura—
a story that plays out cinematically,
like viewing a European film as it happens.
Nothing forced.
Nothing performative.
Organic.
It just is.
In their 70s.
Still curious.
Still sensual.
Still a little dangerous.
Laura + Tony
Photography,Styling & Direction: Matt Sky
@mattskyphoto@matthewskymakeup@llaurafritz@spinelli.tony
Shot on Nikon Zf
#EditorialPortrait
#NewLove
#AgelessStyle
#PalmSprings
#modernromance
Living downtown. West Village, New York City — when my main occupation was living as creative a life as possible as a gay man in fashion photography, and my part-time job was doing everything I could to look as hot as possible, as if confidence were something you could put on and wear.
This was taken in my bed, the morning after what was meant to be nothing more than a roll in the hay — following a night of nonstop sweating and dancing. As he was leaving my bed, he pulled his camera from his leather jacket and snapped this. My eyes quietly saying what my heart already knew: I hope you come back…
I assumed I’d become just another fleeting moment in someone’s downtown story. Instead, he called me the moment he got home. That single night became the beginning of one of the most extraordinary, deeply connected, inseparable four-year rides of my life.
He was later lost to the plague. Todd Marsh now resides in the heavens — not coming back in this life, but never forgotten...
Looking at this photo now, more than twenty years later, I see someone both fearless and fragile, already becoming the person I was trying so hard to be. New York City had a way of making that possible.
#WestVillage #NewYorkCity #FashionPhotography #DowntownNYC #GayLife QueerHistory AIDSMemorial AIDSAwareness HonorTheFallen NeverForget 🖤🤍✨
On my walk through town yesterday…
I came upon a White Cadillac Eldorado Convertible with a Cherry Red interior — a true Palm Springs moment.
Asking price: $27,000 💭
For a little perspective — the original 1973 MSRP was $7,681, which equals about $52,712 in today’s dollars. That means this beauty is a bargain by any measure!
📸 @mattskyphoto
#fujifilmphotography #palmsprings #classiccar #cadillaceldorado #vintagevibes
Cobalt Confidential: The Shade That Never Left My Kit 💙
Blue has always been my color. In the ’60s, it shimmered across lids as the ultimate statement of glamour. By the ’80s, when I arrived in New York City as a young makeup artist, it was suddenly considered passé—too obvious, too much. Loving it became almost a guilty secret.
But beauty has no rules, only reinvention. Over the years, I’ve learned that a stroke of rich cobalt or indigo can do what few other shades can: make brown eyes ignite with depth and intensity.
At the end of a advertising shoot , I indulged that instinct—tracing a bold cobalt across the lash line for no one but myself took a photo & It felt both nostalgic and entirely modern. Sometimes, the shades we’re told to abandon are the ones that stay with us forever.
@matthewskymakeup@mattskyphoto
#FridayGlam #MakeupObsessed #BlueVibes #CobaltCrush #BrownEyesMagic #MakeupArtistLife #BoldBeauty #ColorCrush #EyeLookOfTheDay #GlamMood
Ten minutes late…LA traffic strikes again ! and there she was. I may be gay, but even I can recognize true, undeniable sensual beauty. Brazilian goddess, Sofia fresh from the shower, her hair still damp, glowing in the light as if it had been staged just for her.
She could see I was flustered, apologizing for being late, and said, “Take your time, just enjoy the moment.” That line made me relax—being comfortable in her space mattered more than any brush stroke. She didn’t need much, just a touch here, a sweep there. Truly the definition of Effortless beauty.
After finishing her makeup, I wanted to remember her kindness and radiance for eternity, so I asked if I could take a quick iPhone photo. Nothing posed, just a little keepsake of her luminous presence. She said, of course.
What stayed with me most wasn’t only her beauty, but her warmth and kindness. Sofia made the whole experience feel less like work and more like sharing time with someone truly lovely. It’s times like this when I can totally see what straight men see….
@matthewskymakeup & hair
@mattskyphoto
#MakeupByMatthewSky #BrazilianBeauty #EffortlessGlow #HairAndMakeup #StudioVibes #EveningReady #NaturalBeauty #MattSkyPhoto #BeautyInTheMoment #glamlife
The Art of Restraint: A Makeup Artist’s Evolution
After decades of creating every look imaginable, leaving New York City , & calling California home marked a shift in how I saw beauty. In the fourth decade of my career, I realized it wasn’t about perfection anymore…it was about restraint.
In the ’90s and early 2000s, I thrived on drama: black smoky eyes, dark lips, flawless, elaborate finishes. But over time I saw that omission could be just as powerful. A bare eye, no liner, no mascara—I love the natural shape of an eye , & letting light in with nothing to compete with it’s natural beauty . I began using almost no foundation as well, women weren’t wearing it much anymore, and it felt lighter, modern, and more confident.
I also came to understand that how someone feels is as important as the makeup itself. With age, I lost patience for marathon makeup sessions, I wanted simplicity.
It’s a philosophy I now carry into my portrait photography, letting light, honesty, lead my vibe in my work. Still, I’ll always love the thrill of painting up a face—the glamour, the play, the transformation. My evolution is knowing when to dial it up, and when to let it breathe.
#MakeupArtist #BeautyPhilosophy #LessIsMore #NaturalBeauty #PortraitPhotography #BehindTheLens #ArtistLife #BeautyRevealed #MakeupJourney
Model: Berry
@matthewskymakeup & hair
@mattskyphoto@NikonZF
The waves parted for a long-haired brunette surfer, confident, and utterly captivating amongst the Blond Laguna surfers.”
Walking the beach in Laguna this weekend, I saw a figure out in the lineup…long hair flowing, leading the pack of blond, blue-eyed surfers like they owned the waves. At first, I thought, “Wow, that brunette boy running the show.” But as they paddled closer, surprise—it was a stunning brunette girl, totally in command out there. 🏄♀️🌊
When she came out of the water, I asked if she’d sit for a portrait. She laughed and said she wasn’t into modeling anymore, but if I could do it in under 30 minutes and skip the foundation, she was game. Challenge accepted.
The next morning she showed up just as she was. Quick touch of mascara, liner, cream blush, and gloss, a fast blow-out, and photographed her in the top she walked in wearing ,done in under 30 minutes !
She didn’t want her real name shared, so I asked if she had a nickname. She grinned: “The boys call me Wave, because I always catch the best waves.” 🌊
When I asked if it was strange being the only girl in the group, she shrugged:
“Not really—because I can beat every one of them. They follow my lead.”
Thank you, Wave, for the portrait.
#LagunaBeach #SurferGirl #WaveCatcher #OceanMuse #SoCalVibes
@mattskyphoto@matthewskymakeup & hair
