Former Moose Javian working with Canadian country music stars

Former Moose Jaw resident Caitlyn Dixon continues to leave her mark on the make-up industry.  

The 30-year-old freelance make-up artist who now lives in Calgary, Atla, had the opportunity to work with Canadian country music star Brett Kissel last year in his latest music video “Watch It”. 

“It was awesome!” says Dixon. “He was so down to earth and so kind and gracious. It was a really positive experience.” 

Dixon left Canada’s Most Notorious City about four years ago to move to Calgary to fulfill her dreams.  

Being a country music fan, Dixon has had the opportunity to work with several artists since moving to Calgary, especially at the Canadian Country Music Awards in September 2022, which is where she say Kissel for the first time.  

“I did see him,” adds Dixon. “He did pass by our make-up station lots during the show and I was very excited to get that call.” 

She got the opportunity to work with Kissel through her mentor Karen Malcolm-Pye who sent her to the music video shoot in November 2022.  

It was a scramble to get prepared for the shoot, as she got the call at around 7:00 p.m. the night before and had to arrive at 4:00 a.m. the next day to start doing make-up.

Dixon explains that the music video took place at a theatre within Mount Royal University, but what made it such a cool experience was what Kissel was wearing when he walked into the make-up room 

“He was wearing one of his merchandise shirts that had the Saskatchewan license plate that said Kissel on it. I was like oh my gosh that’s too perfect and really cool.” 

Kissel said in an interview Country 100's Morning Show host Courtney Fielder, that he was very grateful for Dixon's flexibility at the shoot. 

"She was a champion and I don't know if I've ever looked so good," says Kissel. She gets all the credit."

Dixon working on Brett Kissel during his latest music video shoot in November 2022. Photo credit: Caitlyn Dixon

It was quick music video, as Dixon says she was only on site for about four hours, but was well worth it and an experience of a lifetime.  

She is a commercial make-up artist and usually works on film or tv sets, but hasn’t done a whole lot of music video. When it comes to the actual make-up portion of the job, she says that it doesn’t change much between films, tv, or movies.  

“We may have added a little more warmth with a little bit of bronzer so he didn’t look washed out in the camera. We did do a slightly fuller coverage just because you really want it to look flawless but not too flawless on a guy and not want them to make him look fake or made up. You have to find a balance in that.” 

The former Moose Jaw resident fell in love with the art of make-up when she was young and in high school wanted to do something different than going to university.  

“I’ve always been more creative and I’m so glad that I followed that. I could've been in an office. I was initially looking into interior design, but I ended up doing make-up.” 

Every day is different for Dixon between weddings, commercials, tv, and now music videos, which is one of the reasons why she loves the industry.  

“You’re always on your toes and always preparing for something different. It’s what works best for me.” 

Her love of the industry has taken her to Paris, as in 2015 she won the Canadian portion of L'Oreal's "The Brush" competition in Toronto.  

See the full interview below with Dixon and Country 100's Morning Show host Courtney Fielder: