The Sexy Balmain Beauty Look on Kendall, Kylie and Gigi
The fall/winter 2015 ad campaign from French design house Balmain stars three sets of famous siblings. (Photo: Balmain)
Last week, French design house Balmain attempted to break the internet when it released the photos for it’s fall/winter 2015 ad campaign, shot by Mario Sorrenti. The campaign stars three sets of sibling duos: Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Joan and Erika Smalls. Behind the makeup look for the sultry photos was artist Aaron de Mey, one of the most in-demand makeup artists who has worked with everyone from Bruce Weber to Kenzo. “I worked very closely with Olivier [Rousteing] to establish a modern take on Helmut Newton’s women,” says de Mey. “Both of us love the color black, and shine, so this led to all the girls having dramatic eye makeup.”
Kendall and Kylie Jenner join the Balmain sister gang. (Photo: Balmain)
De Mey describes the look slick smokey eye look as being powerful, tough and sultry. It’s not too precious looking yet remains wearable. “I respected and followed the natural shape of each girl’s eyes, using exactly the same products and textures, but I elongated and elevated each girl’s [eyeshadow] to make them look more tough and fierce,” he says. “I really wanted them to all look similar to establish the look.”
Bella Hadid applies lipstick on sister Gigi Hadid in the Balmain campaign. (Photo: Balmain)
To create the look, he started by sketching a soft black eye pencil around the lash line, then blending upward and outwards with a small, soft brush. Next, he layered on matte black eye shadow. He applied multiple coats of mascara to get a clumpy look. A clear, shiny lip gloss on lids created a sexy finish for eyes. When it came to flawless skin, de Mey focused on hydration, only applying concealer where needed and skipping foundation completely. As for those cheekbones, de Mey applied an iridescent balm to add highlight and used a cream taupe shadow to contour under the cheekbones.
Model Joan Smalls poses with sister Erika Smalls in the new Balmain campaign. (Photo: Balmain)
Coordinating a busy group of A-list sisters normally wouldn’t be easy, but the team planned the shoot for the day after the Met Ball, where they all had partied the night before. “Everyone was genuinely excited to be working on this shoot together,” says de Mey. “There were a lot of fun stories.”
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