CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

Fresh Paint

Isamaya Ffrench knows her way around an airbrush gun. The internationally renowned make-up artist has just used packaging tape, a fishnet stocking and said gun to create a precise graphic pattern extending from the corner of a model’s eye to her hairline. The unique effect is just one of several looks Ffrench demonstrated at a Christian Louboutin Beauty event held last month at the St. Regis Hong Kong, others of which included Swarovski crystal-studded lips and bold red mascara piled on eyelashes and painted across eyelids.

The Hong Kong event marked Ffrench’s official debut as the fashion and beauty brand’s first-ever global make-up artist. The London-based artist – who started out face painting at children’s parties while in university and has since worked with everyone from Rihanna to Junya Watanabe and now has her own Instagram following of more than 240,000 – was personally chosen by Louboutin to bring his brand’s beauty offerings to life. That includes developing colours and collections as well as creating and executing campaigns.

“I met him early on and honestly, I’ve worked with all these big brands but it’s so much more gratifying working closely with a small brand that has a really lovely team, that gives you a lot of permission to do what you want,” Ffrench says. “I really like him and I love the vibe.”

Ffrench came on board earlier this year, when five new shades of Velvet Matte Lip Colour (being launched in Hong Kong as part of the event) were in development. She created storyboards for the campaign and launch events, working with a VJ to design original video and effects to accompany her make-up demonstrations.

“Everything from this point on, I’ve pretty much had my hands on,” Ffrench says. “For the collections that will follow, I personally worked on the colours and in the labs.”

While she’s coy when it comes to revealing new product lines and collections, it’s safe to say Ffrench is “exploring a number of new innovations” for the brand.

The self-described “beauty exec” will continue to work on fashion shows, music videos, editorial shoots and her own projects. But she seems genuinely excited about bringing Christian Louboutin’s vision to life. “It’s a really luxurious brand but the man behind it is the most humble, funny, well-travelled and well-educated guy,” Ffrench says. “For me that says so much. I just need to think about what he would do, then it’s easy.”

“I’ve worked with all these big brands, but it’s so much more gratifying working closely with a small brand”