Makeup is an art form. This statement is taken at face value by makeup artist Ayami Nishimura and British photographer Rankin who have collaborated for a beauty book filled with surreal makeup styles. Check out some of the original makeup styles included.
We are often concerned with popular makeup styles, with the acceptable and the flattering. But what if we gave up precautions for just a moment and focused on the endless possibilities that makeup offers? We might just discover a different world that would capture our imagination and enable us to expand our visions. Avant-garde makeup artist Ayami Nishimura has dared to do just that and the results are truly astonishing and thought provoking. Another Magazine and Another Man publisher and photographer Rankin has helped bring the makeup artists' efforts to life for his second beauty book.
“I’ve worked with hundreds of makeup artists and there are only a few of them that really inspire you in [this] way. Not to say the others aren’t good, but it’s just that these guys [like Ayami] have stories to tell and they want to tell them. [She] has just got brilliant ideas; very original that really surprise you. My brief for the book was, ‘Do what you feel, Ayami. Free range—just go for it,” Rankin told style.com.
Ayami chose futuristic themes for the project: “I studied photography, fashion illustration, African art, nature, animals, painting, music – everything, really. I found myself fascinated by the idea of a cyber theme, and accumulated lots of different ideas based on that. By the time I started the drawings, I could see the makeup in my head. For each image, I needed people – stylists, hairdressers, nail artists, and set designers. Set design was the most important for me. I like the full image to tell the story, so I always fill the space."
And the results were exactly as she pictured them to be. Out of the box, thought provoking, memorable, distinctive and completely out of the ordinary. Despite the declared futuristic theme, the makeup artist has explored a wide range of possibilities: Harajuku girls, nature, the aquatic life and more serve as perfect influences to completely transform the idea of the true role of makeup. Escaping from the real world and entering a world where everything is possible is a sensation that is easy to get into from the first glimpse of the look.
Regarding the process of working on the new book, Rankin said that: “Ayami was a joy to work with and really took the open brief to heart. We’ve created so many original and unique images. It demonstrates why make-up artists like Ayami, truly are artists in their own right.” More ultra creative images like these ones can be found in the already available Ayami Nishimura by Rankin book priced at £40.
