If anyone can be truly be called legendary in the ever-growing universe of beauty, Isamaya Ffrench tops that list. My first tryst with her art, yes I’m going to refer to it as art because that’s what it really is, was when I stumbled upon the sexy chaos that is her Instagram feed. One will be greeted by the imagery of whacky piercings, quirky metallic patterns and – Since then, Isamaya’s beauty escapades have had me in a chokehold. Whether it’s AI-inspired makeup or celestialcore, she’s always setting the bar for beauty high. Very few people can manage to weave a story worth telling through their makeup skills, Isamaya doesn’t just weave a story, she probably writes the whole book.
Apart from her skills on the runway, she’s also created groundbreaking makeup looks for some of the biggest names in the industry ranging from Rihanna to Cher and Kate Moss. Giving unconventional an entirely new meaning, Isamaya’s creations often involve the use of prosthetics, piercings and lots of alt-glam. Apart from unleashing her creative side, Ffrench has a daring entrepreneurial side which has almost broken the Internet! Phallic lipsticks anyone? Yep, her eponymous beauty brand, Isamaya has pushed the envelope when it comes to creating makeup products that make you question what beauty really is. She always says, “I don’t want to tell people how they should look. It’s about using makeup to return to who you are, not become something else.”
Here are a few times she proved that being rebellious in beauty is everything.—
Animal Frenzy
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Never fancied getting to see a zoo on the runway till I saw Collina Strada’s Fall 2023 show. Duck bills, bunny ears, cat whiskers— we saw it all, courtesy of Isamaya Ffrench who brought hyper-realism to life. By using prosthetics to achieve this, Ffrench took things up a notch. These prosthetics were full of vibrant ombre and metallic hues which in turn seamlessly matched the fits they were sporting.
Sexy Lips
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Okay, everyone loves something NSFW. While conversations around sex are booming now more than ever, Isamaya decided to intertwine beauty with sex, and thus the penis lipstick was born. A part of the LIPS collection under her eponymous brand, the casing of these lipsticks is very cheekily created in a phallic shape, not the first risque move by her. Ffrench has playfully mentioned that these naughty lipsticks make for a great sculpture too!
Celestial Magic
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The newest makeup aesthetic to hit the block is celestialcore, and Thom Browne’s AW23 showcase was an explicit testament to that. Who isn’t a fan of golden and silver sparkles with a dash of some metallics? Isamaya brought the stars down to the runway with this, wherein she crafted looks that were heavily inspired by celestial bodies. Models were adorned with stars using metallic pigments and shimmer with some rhinestones making an appearance too. Celestialcore is about to be everywhere this year, we didn’t say it, Ffrench did!
Makin’ Waves
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Mermaidcore, 2023’s very first makeup aesthetic is an amalgamation of all things glossy, slicked back and glittery. However, Isamaya decided to give her own spin to this with Rita Ora’s look for the British Fashion Awards. We’re all aware of how much she adores her special effect prosthetics by now, don’t we? Ora’s brows were bleached blonde and facial scale-like prosthetics that mimicked the appearance of a fish graced her temple bones. Mermaidcore at its very best!
Cherry On The Top
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Cher has been the epitome of all things glamour for as long as we can remember. Giving glitter and rhinestones centre stage, Isamaya has played around with teals and blues to accentuate Cher’s eyes and opted for a silver rhinestone eyeliner for a very Euphoria-like vibe. The sparkly inner corner glitter is what adds the last bit of glitz to this look.
Of Shells
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Your beachy makeup mood just got an upgrade with this look created by Isamaya for Burberry’s SS21 showcase. While shells and pearls make for great mementoes of a day well spent at the beach, Ffrench used visually-appealing shells, pearls and starfish and symmetrically placed them to create a groundbreaking beauty look which exudes elegance and a dash of maximalism at the same time.
Goth Glam
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Giving a sultry spin to gothic makeup, Isamaya’s creations for Junya Watanabe’s SS17 showcase were brimming with charcoal-laden eyes and minimal lips. The bleached brows add a certain rebellious energy to the makeup and the strong black eyes trickle down to mix with some iridescent shimmer.
