Cindy Miguens: The Makeup Artist Behind Fresh Off the Boat & More

You may be unfamiliar with her name and her face, but you sure know her work and the faces she's made.

Cindy Miguens is the hand and artistic mastermind behind the Makeup Department for Fresh Off the Boat.

During her 25 years as a TV makeup artist her most notable TV shows include Pretty Little Liars, Faking It, Famous In Love, The OC, and many more. 

She initially joined the industry after receiving her Cosmetology license and decided to move to Los Angeles to work with big names and big faces.

She received training under Joe Blasco from the Joe Blasco School, one of the most renowned and prestigious makeup artists in the industry. 

It's a hard industry and the path to success is through connections and who you know.

Miguens said the person who gave her her first job is now a coworker on Fresh Off the Boat. Things truly come around full circle.

Her work on Fresh Off the Boat primarily pertains to Constance Wu and Randall Park. When creating Jessica Huang's character she specifically tries to "stay true to the 90s look" as the show is based in the '90s.

Jessica's character is a housewife who dabbles in her kids' school, realty, and eventually seeks to become a school administrator.

To match this, Miguens puts Wu in a brown smokey eye and plum lip, something very reminiscent of the 90s makeup trend and what makes Wu feel the most comfortable. 

Miguens described Wu as "very respectful, sweet, and very professional" saying she is more wonderful in person than her character is portrayed on the show. 

Wu's makeup routine is done in a speedy 30 minutes. So, to all you makeup gurus, it is possible to look flawless in a short amount of time.

Miguens attributed the speedy routine to the help of lash extensions which cuts down the amount of time dedicated to lash curling, mascara application, and all the tedious extra work. 

While Randall Park's makeup takes only about 20 minutes and most of the makeup routine is dedicated to covering up his tattoos. You heard it here folks!

Park has the names of his daughter and wife on his arm.

A sweet sentiment, but one that doesn't fit with Louis Huang's character. It's easy to forget that makeup isn't entirely about the face, but also includes body makeup as well. 

We're used to hearing of the long 12+ hour workdays actors put in, but oftentimes we forget about the makeup artists, costume designers, and behind the scenes agents who also put in the time to create the sets and characters we're so used to seeing come together effortlessly on-screen. 

The true magic behind these huge productions. 

A typical day, Miguens revealed, starts around 5 am and ends around 7 pm.

She said there's hardly any downtime to sit around, between getting characters ready for the next scene and quick touch-ups.

But when there is a rare moment to breathe, it's usually dedicated to paying bills and other necessary chores, nothing too glamorous. 

It's very much an environment dedicated to professionalism in order to create smooth transitions. 

Miguens expressed that an actor's personality is the element that makes the makeup process either easy or difficult. As long as the actor trusts in the makeup artist's abilities, then it's an easy flow. 

Her favorite actor to work with has been Janel Parrish, Mona Vanderwaal from Pretty Little Liars. 

She stated, "I love when people are just into looking how they're supposed to look for the character. I do what the director wants, what the producer wants, and then also what the actor wants, but mainly I have to please the Network."

Although makeup is an artistic process and one that allows the artists to be creative, they are still working for a Network and must stay within the guidelines that the Network envisions. 

As for what's next for Miguens following the sad adieu after Fresh Off the Boat Season 6, she does not know.

Currently, her agent is knocking on doors looking for her next gig. 

Longevity is the key and most desirable outcome for anyone in the industry, so she hopes to work with a show that can offer her a stable future.

Her dream would be to work with a period piece.

Specifically set in the '70s in which she was raised because, in her words, "The '70s is cool, man."

Makeup is what she loves, and she expressed how grateful she is to have found something she loves to do.

In her eyes, that's the most important thing in life, "to just find what you love."

She mentioned the possibility of a spin-off for Fresh Off the Boat, following the story of an Indian family that will be introduced in the coming episodes. 

Preity Zinta and Vir Das are set to star in the spin-off. Both of whom are well-known actors in the Bollywood scene. 

One of the writers for Fresh Off the Boat, Rachna Fruchbom, will be writing the spin-off. So if you're a fan of Fresh Off the Boat you know you'll love the spin-off as well. 

Miguens' notes if you haven't seen the most recent Christmas episode of Fresh Off the Boat you really should.

The makeup for the episode is especially intricate hailing from the Victorian Era. If you haven't seen it, don't forget you can always watch Fresh Off the Boat online here via TV Fanatic. 

Inga Parkel was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She left the organization in June 2020.