“I’m Vanessa Icareg, a make-up artist. For me, make-up is first and foremost a tool for transformation and storytelling. I’m interested in creating characters, atmospheres, and emotional states through the face and body, building images that are at once narrative, melancholic, and suspended, existing in dialogue between fashion, art, and visual storytelling.” And that’s how our latest episode of Under the Beauty Radar begins, the series dedicated to beauty professionals who go beyond the surface.

Interview with make-up artist Vanessa Icareg

Describe your style in three words

Narrative, melancholic, unsettling.

How has it evolved over time? What kind of visual research are you pursuing?

I’ve never seen make-up as a tool for enhancing beauty. From the very beginning, what interested me was its ability to define an identity, build a character, or suggest a visual universe. My research is the sum of everything I’ve collected throughout my life: images, memories, films, experiences, people, obsessions, and references that continue to settle and evolve over time. It’s like having a personal archive that I constantly draw from. My work comes from translating these codes into a visual language. I’m interested in transforming deeply intimate and familiar elements into images that can be shared and interpreted by others. In that sense, every project becomes a form of storytelling, a way of giving new shape to something that already exists in memory.

Can you tell us about your professional journey?

My path hasn’t exactly been linear. I started in theatre, transforming actors into characters. Then I worked with children, who are probably the most honest and hardest audience to impress. Later, I worked in the adult film industry, an environment that taught me speed, pragmatism, and how to develop a very direct relationship with the body. Fashion came only afterward. Sometimes I think my current approach comes precisely from this unlikely mix: a bit of theatre, a bit of childhood fantasy, a bit of raw reality, and finally image-making. Perhaps that’s why my work constantly moves between storytelling, transformation, and identity.

You’ve built a recognizable aesthetic: slightly messy, dreamy, and not always “beautiful” in the traditional sense. What inspires you?

I’m fascinated by images that exist in shadowy spaces, where beauty and strangeness coexist. I find inspiration in fashion photography, cinema, contemporary art, and visual subcultures that use the body as a means of expression. I’m drawn to images that retain a sense of ambiguity and a certain melancholy, images that cannot be exhausted by a single interpretation. Rather than perfection, I look for images that suggest something without fully revealing it.

How do you approach your work on set? How does the creation of a look for others begin for you?

I always try to start with the narrative. Even before thinking about make-up, I want to understand what visual universe we’re building and what role the face will play within that image. I often gather references that don’t belong to the beauty world at all: photographs, films, archival images, materials, or visual fragments that are part of my personal imagination. From there, I begin constructing a language that can interact with styling, lighting, and photography.

Your work often has to interact with very specific aesthetics, such as Ann Demeulemeester’s. How do make-up and fashion either connect or create contrast?

When working with very strong aesthetic identities, I first try to understand their language. I’m not interested in make-up overpowering the other elements; I want it to help amplify the narrative. Sometimes the dialogue happens through harmony, while other times it emerges through a subtle contrast that introduces tension and makes the image more complex. I believe the most interesting images are born from the balance between these two possibilities.

Are there any colleagues whose work you follow? Who would you recommend we follow?

I admire the work of many colleagues and industry professionals, but it would be difficult to mention only a few without risking leaving out others who are equally important. Instead, I’d rather recommend some of the sources that have shaped my visual imagination. I find The Romance of Food by Barbara Cartland incredibly inspiring. I’m fascinated by its almost kitsch aesthetic and by the way food imagery is paired with objects such as antique porcelain. It creates a very interesting visual dialogue, especially from a color perspective, and it continues to be a major source of inspiration for my make-up work. I’m also fascinated by the face-painting work of Serge Dyakonov and by Serge Lutens, a true visual genius capable of creating an extraordinarily rich and deeply personal aesthetic universe.

What’s your favorite beauty product, the one you can’t live without?

The Chanel Sublimage concealer and Armani Luminous Silk blush in the shade Bold Pink.

What’s your relationship with beauty trends? Which ones do you like, and which do you avoid?

I observe trends as cultural phenomena before I see them as aesthetic ones. They’re interesting because they reveal the desires, fears, and aspirations of a particular historical moment. That said, I try not to chase them. I’m more interested in building a personal language that can evolve over time without depending on current trends. I avoid anything that tends to homogenize images; I prefer what leaves room for identity, imperfection, and experimentation. Ultimately, what interests me is creating images that remain open to interpretation, images capable of existing within that ambiguous space between attraction, memory, and imagination.

“I’m Stephanie Glitter. I live to transform myself, to tell stories through the body and the face, and to bring fantasy into everyday life: a mix of glamour, irony, and a little bit of chaos here and there.” That’s how our interview with Stephanie Glitter begins. This is someone who hardly needs an introduction, except for the ones she gives herself. A truly multifaceted creative, she has turned herself not only into a character, but also into a form of “social art” (as she calls it): communicative, entertaining, and incredibly effective. That’s exactly why we decided to include her, as an honorary guest, in our Under the Beauty Radar series, which explores beauty in all its forms, including the unconventional ones.

Interview with Stephanie Glitter

This format is dedicated to make-up artists and beauty experts. Give us your pitch: why are you one of them too?

For me, make-up isn’t just aesthetics, it’s identity-building. Every face I create becomes a character, an amplified emotion. I’m a professional make-up artist in every sense of the word, not only because I paint myself like a living canvas, but because I’ve worked in fashion for many years: runway shows, red carpets, international campaigns with luxury brands. Along the way, I became increasingly fascinated by artists’ visions, having the technical ability to express their desire to appear in their own theatrical form deeply inspires me. The projects I still carry in my heart are Dario and Veronica from La Rappresentante di Lista and, more recently, the visual identity for Ditonellapiaga’s album Miss Italia. I love when work meets my highest aesthetic expression, it draws me in completely.

Do you consider yourself your own make-up artist and hairstylist? What don’t you do yourself?

Absolutely. I’m my own laboratory. Make-up, wigs, styling, manicures… I do everything myself. It’s my obsession. Creating looks is almost a mystical process: the research, attending shows already fantasizing about the next outfit I’ll wear, then coming back to my studio and starting to piece everything together. It’s not just a fitting. It’s a chaotic dance of iconographic language. This with that, that with something else. I make an absolute mess: shoes everywhere, wigs tangled with jewelry, earrings on the floor, mountains of clothes hanging around. When a look finally works, I feel this rush of adrenaline running through me. The house is left destroyed, and I keep the Polaroid to remember what to wear for the next occasion.

Let’s get serious again: how important is it for you to have total control over your look?

It’s essential. My look is my language and my calling card: every detail communicates something. Without clothes, accessories, high heels, make-up, and hair, I literally wouldn’t exist. Stephanie only takes shape through these elements, just like a painting without color would remain a blank canvas. Having total control means building exactly the image I want to project and enjoying it without compromise, bringing an almost rhetorical femininity into ordinary contexts: something that sparks a subtle intellectual itch in whoever’s watching.

How would you define your style in three words?

Eclectic, distinctive, and slightly provocative. I like there to always be a subtle erotic reference hidden within the codes of the way I dress. I often aim for something elegant and playful, usually colorful, but it’s that tiny secret mistake that excites me because it makes everything more interesting.

Tell us about your beauty routine in detail (and how long it takes)

It basically lasts 24 hours a day… let me explain. For me, beauty is a ritual, a constant practice of self-care. Sleeping well, clearing my mind, eating healthy, and allowing myself the occasional indulgence are the foundations of my method. In everyday life, I pay special attention to my skin: skincare morning and night, plus occasional treatments with next-generation devices to encourage skin regeneration. My cosmetic drag, on the other hand, takes about two hours of grooming from beard to doorway, ready to go out.

What makes the Milan drag scene unique? Tell us about your journey within it and how it differs from scenes in other cities

Milan is all about cross-pollination: fashion, clubbing, art. The drag scene here is highly aesthetic but also experimental. I started performing in underground clubs and built my style by blending fashion and pop culture. There’s a strong fashion influence here, everything has to be visually powerful, especially lately. Compared to the scenes I experienced in London, where glam-punk culture shapes everything, or Paris, where French cabaret defines the most sophisticated and precise glam in Europe - maybe even internationally - Milan feels more carefree and fresh. It merges the city’s fashion energy with club culture without too many layers of structure, allowing for a more instinctive creative approach. I feel like I’ve translated an entire drag encyclopedia into a personal language, distilled into a kind of minimalism that preserves its essence while remaining permeable enough to truly coexist within contemporary society.

Where do you draw inspiration for your looks?

Everywhere: vintage magazines, runways, cult movies, pop icons, ‘90s advertising. Even people on the street can spark an idea in me. I love taking something real and pushing it to the extreme. I keep a folder filled with images, both for myself and for the clients I work with. Having a specific moodboard for every look is essential. It’s a process I genuinely love, the research phase allows me to have all the ingredients ready, like in Asian cuisine. Unlike the way we usually cook, where ingredients are cut and incorporated along the way, in Asian cooking everything is already prepared, cleaned, organized, and ready for assembly. That’s exactly the approach I apply to my work: I arrive at the make-up or hairstyling moment fully prepared and organized, so I can then let myself be inspired by the moment and actually have fun. First structure, then play.

Which make-up trends do you love, and which ones can’t you stand? Do you follow trends in general?

I love the return of gloss, intense black eyes, bold textures, and false lashes. What I can’t stand are overly “clean” trends. I observe trends, but I don’t follow them blindly: I filter and transform them. Don’t get me wrong, everyone expresses their beauty however they want, but I think make-up is far too fun not to get a little messy with it. People often say make-up hides or masks you; I believe the exact opposite. I think it reveals you. Embracing nuances, not only in eyeshadow but also within your own identity, moving through them and accepting both their light and contradictions is, to me, the most authentic beauty routine we can give ourselves.

What does the future of your look look like?

In my future, I see an increasingly radical evolution. I feel like I’ve moved past a sort of stylistic adolescence. I’ve experimented with everything: volume, hairstyles, clothes, hundreds of make-up shapes and colors. Now I feel a more authentic confidence with my alter ego, to the point where becoming Stephanie feels as natural as flipping on a light switch. I want to enjoy this new phase, more of a young-adult vibe. I feel like I’m in my Carrie Bradshaw era. Through my new editorial project, Senza Zucchero, my free Substack newsletter, I’m also exploring another side of my aesthetic and storytelling. One defining feature remains my hair: I still love impulsive transformations, but lately I’ve been feeling blonde like panic itself.

Under The Beauty Radar is nss G-Club’s format exploring beauty artists by going a little deeper. Deeper into the very concept of beauty itself, into inspirations, contaminations, and experimentation. So it was only natural that one episode would be dedicated to Greta Giannone. To be clear, she’s the make-up artist behind the looks of Olly and Gaia but she’s also so much more than that. Beneath the surface, this is what she told us, starting from herself and her story before diving into the transformative power of make-up, which doesn’t just make people look attractive, but does so much more.

Interview with Greta Giannone, the SFX make-up artist behind (among others) Gaia and Olly’s looks

Introduce yourself to our audience

I’m Greta Giannone, I’m 27 years old and I’m Sicilian, born in Noto but raised in the province of Varese from 2003 onwards. My passion for make-up was born in Sicily, watching my mother work (she was a make-up artist at the time) and my uncle, who is still a make-up artist and head of the hair and make-up department at the Greek Theatre of Syracuse since 2000. I spent my first springs and summers in that place, surrounded by actors and costumes. When I look for myself, I still see myself enchanted among those sets and reconstructions. Right after graduating in human sciences, I wondered whether to continue along that path and study Philosophy or return to something more visceral yet artistic. I was searching for a form of expression; I probably needed to lighten myself after an adolescence full of intense and conflicting emotions. I decided to enroll at the BCM make-up academy and later studied Special Effects at La Scala in Milan. I know there’s destiny in all of this.

Describe your artistic style in three words

Mutant, sexy, gore.

You’re a make-up artist working with stars and singers, but also with prosthetics and SFX make-up. What feels most natural to you?

I feel like both, and I don’t fully recognize myself in just one direction. If I think about what feels most true to me, I’d say it’s the dialogue between these two worlds. I identify with both because, ultimately, they answer two different yet complementary needs in the way I create, or even simply the way I see things. Make-up can be an act of listening, while SFX make-up is a possibility, a kind of hyper-realistic surrealism. I don’t think this duality is a contradiction. Make-up always exists between these two poles: on one side it reveals, on the other it alters. It’s a language that defines and rewrites. In that sense, I see myself in this oscillation: between respecting what already exists and imagining what could exist. It’s constant tension, and that’s what keeps my work alive.

My approach changes drastically, even if the root remains the same. Make-up is the quieter side of my work: it’s enhancement, observation, the ability to connect with a face. It’s a delicate gesture, almost intimate. I find delicacy rewarding. I look for a balance that feels believable, without interrupting the identity of the person in front of me, especially when we’re talking about an artist or celebrity. There’s a deeply relational, almost empathetic component. Special effects activate a more instinctive side of me and require entering a completely different mindset. It’s a more transformative approach, but one developed through highly technical stages: planning, sculpting, moulds, material knowledge, chemical processes, all steps that demand control. It’s an almost “mechanical” precision but also a freer one, a more altered narrative surface. I work to create illusions that feel believable, even when they take you far away from reality. In both cases, whether make-up or prosthetics, the concept of truth remains central.

Can you tell us about your professional journey?

I started around 2019, after graduating and while attending make-up school. I used to shoot with photographer friends and junior stylists; we needed material and we needed to put ourselves out there, to be seen. It took a lot of perseverance and faith in what I was doing. My family was fundamental in this because they were the ones telling me, “you know what you’re doing,” when in reality what I was doing was simply believing in it. The feedback eventually came. Music videos, magazines, and so on. Over the years my work evolved, and today I’m part of the teams of artists I love, both professionally and personally. Between 2024 and 2025 I worked on my first film as head prosthetic department, Orfeo by Virgilio Villoresi, presented at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. It’s a project I carry deeply in my heart because it feels like a small miracle. There’s still so much to do!

How does a cover look come to life? Tell us about your creative process

A cover look is born from the interaction between different departments, from translating an idea into something more concrete and operational. My creative process undoubtedly starts from the search for meaning, which I consider fundamental. Often, in project moodboards, I come across countless references (even related to prosthetics) included purely for impact, completely unjustified and without any real narrative reason behind them. I always ask myself: Why?! What is supporting this? I believe a creative process, to truly work, needs intention. I need to enter the narrative framework, or at least know there is one. Trust me, often there isn’t. In any case, I constantly feed myself by watching an enormous amount of cinema. I think knowledge is one of the best ways to truly learn how to see.

In Italy, the SFX make-up field still feels very niche. The general public barely knows these artists. Why do you think that is?

On one hand, there’s definitely a cultural issue. SFX is often associated with genre cinema or very specific productions, so it remains distant from the more immediate language of fashion or the beauty industry, even though in recent years there have been interesting intersections between SFX and fashion. There’s still very little awareness of these figures or this field. It remains a territory that is rarely talked about, and honestly, I’m okay with that because it feels like a way of preserving it from overuse. That said, I truly hope conditions in Italian cinema evolve in ways that encourage the use of prosthetics to tell stories different from the ones we’re used to seeing.

SFX make-up doesn’t seek beauty, but effect. What changes? Do you think there’s something revolutionary about that?

Everything changes. It has a completely different goal, above all the need to feel believable. I would define it as unsettling, tied to the Freudian concept of “Das Unheimliche,” meaning the familiar made strange. It breaks our habitual perception of reality, creating a kind of mental friction, even if only for a moment. We could say, or believe, that there’s something revolutionary about it not because it rejects beauty, but because it completely detaches itself from that parameter. It’s a language that doesn’t aspire to please. Sometimes it’s simply necessary, and that alone is revolutionary. “Transformation happens because it cannot not happen.”

Which make-up trends do you love, and which can’t you stand? Do you generally follow trends?

One trend I love is glitter lip combos. One I hate is blush make-up, simply because it means nothing. I don’t particularly love the concept of trends itself, nor the way they’re generated and consumed. Social media is hungry for content: everything is immediate and temporary, with very few truly new ideas. It’s difficult for a professional not to perceive trends as repetitive in their visual grammar.

Are there any make-up artists you follow and would recommend?

Sadhbhnicuidhir, yurybelyavskiy, izzigalindofx. To me, they’re disturbing, fascinating, and fun.

”I’m Luciano, born in Milan in 1985. My artistic streak has always been there: as a child I would spend my time creating objects out of nothing using cardboard, inventing shows, studying characters and taking care of every detail, from costumes to makeup. After attending art high school, I felt the need to explore this fascination with transformation. I didn’t know much about makeup from a technical point of view, but I decided to take the plunge and enrolled at BCM in Milan. It was love at first sight: there I discovered a wonderful world and started to play with it. What began as an experiment is now my job: I’m a professional make-up artist and I split my time between photo shoots, fashion show backstage and celebrities across Milan, Paris and London.”

This is the magical introduction to our new episode of Under the Beauty Radar, dedicated to Luciano Chiarello, a make-up artist without limits. We’ll let him speak and allow his words to tell and explain his practice, his inspirations, his art and his work. Enjoy the read!

Interview with Luciano Chiarello, Milan-based make-up artist

Describe your style in 3 words

Talking about myself always makes me a bit uncomfortable, but over time I’ve learned that it’s important to value your own talent and vision. If I had to sum up my approach to make-up in three words, I’d choose: thoughtful, colorful, creative. Thoughtful because I always try to carefully study the volumes of the face I’m working on, the colors and what I want to express with my make-up. Colorful because I then let creativity take over, and color is often the path I follow. It can be a single color or multiple shades combined or blended to create new ones. Creative because what I love about my style is that I never know where it will end up. I often start with an idea, but if something around me catches my attention - like a beam of light or a reflection falling on my model’s face - I change direction, and what I had planned transforms into something completely different.

Can you tell us about your professional journey?

My “baptism by fire” was on the set of a commercial with a famous football player, while I was still in school. From there, the make-up artist I was assisting introduced me to the industry. I worked my way up through commercials, music videos and theatre. Then came the Venice Film Festival: for three years I worked on international stars, learning the rules (and secrets) of the industry and the celebrity world. The real turning point, however, came with fashion. Working alongside a hairstylist, I joined an agency and started assisting a make-up artist: Topolino. I’ll always be grateful to him, it was an incredible learning experience. From there my path really took off as a professional. I worked on editorials and campaigns, also assisting backstage icons like Charlotte Tilbury, Aaron de Mey, Peter Philips and Lucia Pica (with her I was part of the core team for all Chanel shows, an unforgettable experience, and today we’re great friends).

I lived in Paris for three years, working in huge teams on incredible sets, before returning to Milan a year before lockdown. Here I met my current agency, Julian Watson. Today, alongside shoots, I work as a Key Artist for fashion shows of brands like N21, Alberta Ferretti, Ermanno Scervino, Luisa Spagnoli and Etro.

What inspires you? Is there anything unexpected in your references?

I’m an insatiable observer. Art, cinema and theatre are my foundations, but I often literally lose focus if something on the street catches my eye. People themselves are a huge source of inspiration: it’s enough to capture a detail, make it your own and reinterpret it. Something unexpected in my references? My moodboard is total chaos, full of contrasts. There was a period when I was obsessed with textures: among my references you could find rusty taps, peeling walls and industrial materials. Anything can translate into inspiration for a color or a texture on the face!

We met you backstage at fashion shows. How do you bring your creativity into that context and how does it meet the designer’s vision?

Backstage at a fashion show is pure teamwork. The real challenge is merging your creative vision with the needs of the designer and stylist. The process always starts with listening: what is the inspiration behind the collection? What kind of woman do we want to portray? Together we analyze key colors, fabrics, but also the location, lighting and casting. That’s when I step in. I develop a couple of looks that encapsulate the whole narrative, and then we move on to makeup tests. My goal is to never limit myself: I always try to introduce a bold, creative detail that makes a difference. At the same time, you need the clarity to understand when “less is more”: sometimes a nude makeup and perfectly clean skin have the same visual impact as a highly conceptual look, and they can be the key to making the collection work at its best.

How does your approach change from fashion show backstage to editorial makeup?

The initial approach is similar in terms of briefing and idea sharing, but the main difference is the adrenaline of the unexpected. For a show, you decide the makeup days in advance and have to ensure it’s replicated identically by your team on dozens of models, adapting it to each face and skin tone. On a photo shoot, instead, everything is live. You don’t test anything beforehand, and your creativity must be fast and reactive. If the concept allows it, you can create incredible things. In those cases, I always prepare a small moodboard before arriving on set and bring unusual materials with me, ready to pull a trick out of my sleeve.

What is your favorite, must-have product?

I have a real obsession with luminous, ultra-hydrated, flawless skin. Achieving that base would require too many products, but if you pair it with a beautiful red lipstick, you get - at least in my opinion - the essence of beauty in enhancing a woman’s face. So without a doubt, I’d say red lipstick.

Tell us about the craziest makeup you’ve ever created

In 20 years of career, I’ve done everything, but two projects really stuck with me. In London, for an editorial for T Magazine, the photographer wanted the effect of an unfinished sculpture: I covered the model from head to toe in white clay! Luckily she had fun, even though it required a lot of patience. Another very “crazy” project I did recently involved gluing mirror fragments onto the model’s face, creating the illusion of shattered glass. It was an extremely meticulous and time-consuming process. Again: all thanks to a very patient model!

What’s your relationship with beauty trends? Which do you like and which do you avoid?

It’s definitely a love-hate relationship. Social media is an amazing tool, but professionally speaking it often takes away originality. It repackages old techniques as “new” and makes creative thinking lazier: we’re used to having everything already done and seen, so our brains make less effort to create from scratch. Take the famous glass skin created by Pat McGrath for the Margiela show: incredible. But in my opinion, she shouldn’t have revealed how she did it! Keeping it secret would have pushed us to experiment, to search for our own way to achieve that effect. Instead, knowing everything immediately takes away some of the magic of the process. That said, of course I follow trends. Today, new languages are born there and you have to stay constantly updated, because questions about “new trends” are always around the corner. In the past, trends were dictated exclusively by the runway, and you had to wait for the next season to see what would be in style; today, social media has completely taken over that dynamic.

“I’m Kola Payer, the creative soul behind Kola the Tooth Fairy. I define myself as a smile professional: my work is all about transforming a small detail into a one-of-a-kind design accessory. I work in various Italian cities, where I aim to merge technical precision with the aesthetic vision of tooth gems”. This is the opening of the new episode of Under The Beauty Radar, the nss G-Club series that explores the underground beauty world in all its forms. Today, for example, we’re talking about teeth.

Interview with Kola Payer aka Kola the Tooth Fairy

How would you define your aesthetic in three words?

Ethereal, bold, anatomical.

Tell us how you started and how you found your artistic expression

I started out of a desire to merge smile care with self-expression. My artistic concept was born from observing light: I didn’t just want to decorate, I wanted to create facets that interact with the facial features. I found my voice by experimenting with different symmetries, realizing that a tooth isn’t a flat canvas, it’s a three-dimensional surface that reflects the personality of the wearer.

Adapting tooth gems to each smile requires both experience and study. How do you find the right approach for each client?

Every consultation begins with a study of the client’s facial structure and tooth alignment. I don’t believe in “copy-paste”: I analyze the space and shape of each tooth to suggest a design that enhances, rather than covers, and that lasts over time. The key is listening: I try to understand the client’s vision, whether they want a minimal, chic touch or a heavier, more underground setup, and translate it into a safe technical plan.

How did you become passionate about tooth gems? Where did it come from, and how did you decide to make it your career?

My passion started from looking at ‘90s and 2000s hip-hop culture, but I wanted to elevate it, bringing it into a more editorial and sophisticated context. I knew it could be my career the first time I saw the joy on a client’s face in the mirror. That’s when I realized tooth gems are a form of decorative self-care, a way to reclaim your own smile.

How does your work make you feel? Tell us about the importance of giving confidence to your clients

It’s incredibly rewarding. Many people are initially shy about their smiles; my job is to transform that shyness into a strength. Seeing someone leave my studio grinning ear to ear because they finally love what they see, that’s the best part. Giving confidence means giving someone one more reason to smile freely, without filters.

Tooth gems have become increasingly accessible in recent years. With uncertified artists and DIY kits available online, how can someone recognize a legitimate product or service?

Professionalism comes down to three things: hygiene, materials, and method. A true professional only uses medical-grade dental adhesives (not industrial glue!) and lead-free gems. The procedure must be completely non-invasive, no drilling or filing of the tooth. If there’s no clear explanation of the hygiene protocol, or if the price is too low to cover certified materials, that’s a red flag.

Which gems are your favorite for decorating a smile?

I love Swarovski crystals for their classic sparkle, but lately I’ve been obsessed with 18k gold gems in various shapes: they add a tactile, luxurious touch that I find irresistible.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start doing your job?

Don’t rush. Study dental anatomy, invest in serious training courses, and practice the technique extensively. Most importantly, find your style. The market is saturated, but there’s always room for those with an original artistic vision who prioritize client health above all else.

“Hi! I’m Ricky Morandin, I’m a make-up artist and I live in Milan” clear, direct and effective. This is how our new episode of Under The Beauty Radar begins, a format dedicated to beauty artists in all its forms, now also landing on Substack. “I mainly work in the fashion industry, so everything related to the creation of lookbooks, advertising campaigns, runway shows and editorials,” he tells us.

“I also sometimes handle make-up for celebrities during events such as the Venice Film Festival.” A well-rounded perspective on beauty, both on the page and in real life, without forgetting the runway dimension. Not that this limits or constrains his creative vision, quite the opposite.

Interview with Ricky Morandin

Describe your aesthetic in 3 words

When it comes to my aesthetic, I think of myself as a whirlwind of confused ideas that constantly blend together, but if I had to choose three words, I’d say: grunge, imperfect, dreamlike. I’m very extroverted but at the same time also quite shy, and I hope this personal side of mine comes through in my work.

Can you tell us how you started your journey and how you found your creative expression?

The way I started was completely сasual: I never attended any make-up schools, but I’ve always been fascinated by the world of art, theatre and circus, where performers often create characters on themselves using costumes and make-up. Having worked in fashion retail for years, I was also always intrigued by the fashion world, especially during Fashion Weeks, where I admired the creative explosions of different artists. Over time, through friendships with people working in the industry, I started doing my first tests and covers, and it was exciting. I’m also a very emotional person, so I admit that at the end of every show, when models return backstage to warm applause, I often get emotional like a child. In recent years, I’ve been receiving a lot of satisfaction, both commercially and editorially, and I’ve started managing make-up teams for runway shows, such as Antonio Marras, whom I’ve been working with for several years now, building a strong and trusting relationship.

Where does your inspiration come from? Is there a specific medium (cinema, music, art or literature) that has particularly influenced your visual universe?

I love constantly mixing different concepts, drawing inspiration from theatre, circus, films or past movements. I’m a huge fan of horror films and, oddly enough, some ideas were born from make-up looks seen in those movies. I love dark atmospheres, but I try to make that melancholy intriguing rather than scary. What do you want to communicate with your looks? I’d like people to feel that, within each project, everyone involved felt free to express themselves while having fun. Fashion can be, in some ways, a harsh world, but it’s also a place where the goal is to create emotion. More broadly, not just in our field, I’d love for people to start experimenting again with bold looks, to rediscover a more authentic identity. I was born between the ’80s and ’90s, surrounded by people with countless looks and identities, all different but all real. Today, unfortunately, there’s a tendency to conform too much, and I do miss that about the past.

What do you want to communicate with your looks?

I’d like anyone looking at my work to feel that, within each project, people felt free to express themselves while having fun. Fashion can be a harsh world in some ways, but it’s also a space where the goal is to create emotion. More broadly, not just in our industry, I wish people would start experimenting again, even with bold or exaggerated looks, to rediscover a more authentic sense of identity. I was born between the ’80s and ’90s, and I grew up surrounded by people with countless looks and identities, all different but all real. Today, unfortunately, there’s a tendency to conform too much, and that’s something I truly miss about the past.

What does it mean to be a key make-up artist for a runway show? How do you manage the creation of looks? Tell us about your work backstage and how it differs from working on set

Being a Key Artist for a show, besides giving me great professional and personal satisfaction, is definitely one of the parts of my job I enjoy the most (even if the pressure of finding the perfect idea can sometimes be overwhelming). Starting from an idea discussed with the designer, we begin to think about what could work. Recently, I bought a tablet with a program that allows me to draw over photos. Once I have a concept, I use a picture of the model’s face as a base and sketch over it to visualize the final result, studying proportions, colors, and so on. It’s important to find a striking idea that is also easy to execute to avoid issues. Backstage, there’s never enough time. That’s why I tend to organize specific teams, creating a sort of assembly-line workflow, where everyone focuses on a precise task. Unlike studio or on-set shoots, where more time is dedicated to one person, runway shows require you to be everything at once: fast but precise, organized but ready for the unexpected. It’s an emotional mix that I truly love, especially when, at the end, you see on the runway what you’ve been imagining for days and nights. On set, what I enjoy most is creating a relaxed atmosphere between myself and the team, stylists, photographers, models, etc. I also always try to arrive early to set up my make-up station and make sure everything is clean and sanitized (which I consider essential in our job) before the shoot begins.

What do you think about make-up trends? Which trend do you love and which do you hate?

When it comes to make-up trends, I tend to stay fairly neutral. I’m always fascinated when a look I created, or one by another artist, becomes an inspiration for someone. At the same time, I’ve always been a bit rebellious, and by choice I avoid following current trends, focusing instead on creating what truly satisfies me, trying in my own way to bring something different.