Images courtesy of Streeters London
It’s all about gutsy artistry for this transformational beauty shoot shot by Christian Anwander. Featured in the Sunday Times Style Magazine, the editorial has model Aline Weber in far out there creations polished by the trained hand of Pep Gay. We spoke to the makeup artist to understand more on the elaborate shoot and the motivation behind the concept.
Tell us about working with Christian Anwander and the rest of the team?
Working with Christian is always a lot of fun for me and inspiring. He is very energetic and always makes the models feel comfortable enough to push them (the girls) to do unexpected things.
Joanne Blades is very intuitive when it comes to her fashion sense and is extremely creative and patient. Every time that we’ve worked together, she is able to bring the best out of me. Rolando Beauchamp and I have known each other for a long time now, so having him on the team always guarantees a lot of fun and a good days work. Last, but not the least, Aline Weber. What a pleasure it was working with her again! She understood the concept of the shoot quite fast and gave it her best. And her features take make up on amazingly well. Aline was so much fun and extremely patient through out the shoot. And what a beauty!
Where did inspiration come from for the shoot?
My inspiration for this shoot came from the power of transformation that fashion in general has on people. I wanted to show that through the make up, hair and with the help of beautiful designer pieces. One can empower women and transform them to become that “other self” that they may be dreaming of. I loved the idea, to show that we can take any girl and turn them into a different character. For centuries, face painting has helped turn people into something else that they were not, I love that idea. It’s very uplifting, positive and empowering.
Why the use of bold color to transform Aline?
Color has always played a big role in my work. Since my youth, I have been fascinated by color. At a very young age, I was aware of the existence of different color hues and not just the primary colors. And in my mind, I dreamed and played with the colors of all the things that were around me. Growing up in the Mediterranean, I looked at the sea and saw different layers and hues of blues. I played in the forest, imagined and day dreamed of all the diversity of colors surrounding me…so it was natural that color, later on in my professional life, played a very important role for me. I like the use of bold and strong colors on a make up look. And I love the idea of the playing and mixing of colors to come up with “new” shades of color.
What’s the key in keeping the beauty without it becoming too “theatrical”?
The idea of creating strong fashion looks that don’t fall into the “theatrical” category is really quite challenging. I think it is very difficult to have that balance between unrealistic and a beautiful look. I want to create looks and imagine that you can wear them on the streets. I often think about new ideas and I find myself asking, “Why not”? “Why can’t this be an every day look”? I want to show people that you can still have a playful attitude with make up, without looking ridiculous. And somehow be more playful than just putting on a new lipstick. I would love to see out there, in general, more open minded make up companies, more bold and playful make up advertising. I believe consumers want to feel more inspired and challenged, and I believe that it can be done in a more playful way.
How long did each look take?
The more elaborate looks can take up to 2 hours to create, but other looks just took about 45 minutes to do so. I am always thankful for the collaboration with the models that I work with. Without their patience, it would be impossible to go through the transformation that I put them through, I am always thankful and appreciate their time.
Which beauty products can’t you live without?
Lip balm, concealer and a good black pencil. With these three basic products, you can do an entire photo shoot. And you can most definitely transform someone with just one black pencil…I love that idea!
