11 Botanical Makeup Artists Mastering Experimental Beauty

Eva Gerholdt’s “flowerpower” concept is the kind of face art that CGI animators hope to create for fairytales– only in this case, the work is hand-painted on the model’s face, rather than superimposed with a computer. Working from a studio inside the double city of Ginsheim-Gustavsburg (in Northwest Germany), Gerholdt captures the ethereal color palette of Victorian porcelain on her subject’s face. Working with traditional Face Charts, she sketched this concept before translating it with Kryolan onto model Anja’s face.

Lauren Parsons‘ floral menswear makeup first caught our eye when it landed on Christopher Shannon’s runway for the designer’s spring 2013 menswear collection in London. Parson’s gender-bending approach to makeup was inspired by the haberdashery Shannon invoked in his designs for that season: “[The flower patterns] were 3D as we wanted them to look like real flowers,” Parson’s once told Stylish. “Each boy had a different look, so my assistant and I spent two days making each one from scratch using fake petals, plastic leaves, craft shop finds, and haberdashery bits Chris had used in his collections. I’m now mad for a fuzzy pom pom. To affix them, we used false lash glue and prosthetic glue to make sure they stayed in place through cigarette breaks and quick outfit changes.”

Annabelle Petit‘s wellness-inspired work stems from her interest in yoga, organic food, and cooking. Working as a makeup artist at Agence Saint Germain Paris, she fashioned this simple hibiscus silhouette for MAC Cosmetics.

Suuz Brouwer’s detailed lip paintings harken to both paisley and pattern-work. Working primarily with The Netherlands’ MUA MUAH makeup and hair outfit, Brouwer’s attention to detail and capacity to create color gradients on the lips has made her a standout in the editorial world in the low countries.

LA-based makeup artist Vlada Haggerty is known for her detailed and often hyperrealist editorial work, from cute painted eye-lid gardens to epic Vincent Van Gogh lip art. While Haggerty works across all makeup mediums and features, her nature-inspired lipwork is particularly impressive– from berries to bees and beyond. (Dandelion lips, anyone?)

Andrea Reed, who goes by Girl Grey Beauty on Instagram, is a Victoria, B.C. based makeup artist who creates imaginative, botanically-inspired designs on her own lips. Her more recent botanically-inspired series caught our eye, particularly these black, gothic palm lips, but Reed is capable of replicating miniature patterns across all genres of design. Aspects of her dramatic fantasy makeup can be applied to create more subtle, everyday looks, as Reed regularly posts hypnotic, artsy videos and tips for how to replicate her lipstick art at home.

Sara Engel adeptly captures Scandinavian minimalism with her catchy, bold eye makeup. A certified makeup artist who works in beauty, editorial, and special effects in Denmark, Engel’s botanical designs harken to space more than the garden– two equally magical sources of creative inspiration.

Fairies, mermaids, nymphs, and other fantastical beings have always been muses in the fashion world, but in Spring 2017, makeup artist and L’Oreal Paris Global Makeup Director Val Garland captured this spirit beautifully using real flowers. Working with Mac Cosmetics for Preen’s London Fashion Week runway show, Garland pressed dried flowers to the lips, décolleté, neck, and jawline of dozens of fresh-faced models. The results? An earthy, grounded aesthetic that not only harkens to nature, but is made from it.

21-year-old Gina Frey has worked across various art mediums, from make up and photography to modeling and social media. But she’s also a medical student based out of Long Island, New York, and in her approach to modern art lips she emphasizes plant-based eating and cruelty free living. These stickered, metallic lips reminisce of both Snow White and the evil Queen that threatens her– a mix of realism and mysticism that is very on-trend given the nascent interest in magic.

Paris-based makeup artist Claire Plekhoff believes that “beauty isn’t about hiding behind makeup, but using it to make a person look its best self in highlighting its natural beauty.” Plekhoff loves organic beauty and aims to go full organic on the products she uses in the next few years– an ambition to which Plekhoff harkens in her naturalistic, pressed-flower editorials.

Sydney, Australia based makeup artist Tatiana Rose believes in the beauty of coloring outside of the lines. Leaving trails of lipstick smudged elegantly onto the face, she paints makeup fluidly to create an effect that has been described as “makeup art poetry.” For lips, Rose favors dramatic colors and loose lines to create dreamy, ethereal looks. Ready-to-wear? Try ready to stare.