“Hi everyone, I’m Serena Congiu, make-up artist represented by Blend Management Milan/Paris. I have been working in make-up for about 12 years, including fashion, beauty, music and set. Born in the 90s, I was born and raised in Milan but I carry my Sardinian roots with me. I have always been very curious, I love to observe and I am attracted to images, music, dance, drawing and experimenting. I believe that this way of looking at things is still an important part of the way I work today.” We intercepted her backstage at Milan and Paris Fashion Week, and we let ourselves be told about her universe and her vision for Under the Beauty Radar. This is what he told us.
Interview with make-up artist Serena Congiu
How would you define your visual style in three words?
Varied, natural, expressive.
When did you realize that this was going to be your path? Can you tell us about your journey?
I would have liked to do a thousand other things, but make-up remained the most natural and instinctive passion and kept coming back. I was already wearing makeup as a child: in kindergarten they took off the lipstick I was wearing from home and they told my mom that I couldn’t bring my makeup to school. For me it was a game, like dolls, cars, sheets and markers. At home I would leaf through the magazines and wonder who was behind the shootings to do the models’ makeup, while marking eyes and lips with a pen. In high school I started experimenting on myself and, when I discovered the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala, I realized that I wanted to attend it. It was a very important year: I was finally focusing on something that I liked and enjoyed. After some experience in very different jobs, I decided to launch myself. After my first experiences at the theater, I started working on the sets, including video clips, shootings, fashion and then increasingly different jobs. From there, the journey grew, one job and one person at a time.
What is your favorite thing about working backstage at fashion shows and what, on the other hand, do you not love or weigh you down?
I really like the preparation of the skin and especially the moment of the final touch: you don’t have time left, you can make that last adjustment on the fly and then finally breathe, smile and drink that glass of water that you had forgotten. The part that weighs the most? I struggle to respond and immediately give a timeline if I am asked while I am finishing a micro detail with extreme concentration and precision. If I remain silent it’s only because maybe I’m also holding my breath, but I’ll be there in two seconds.
You have worked on several occasions with Joan Thiele. What does it mean to follow someone so closely and create looks that reflect their personality and character?
We have known each other with Joan Thiele for years: Giulia Achenza had called me to do makeup in the video of Armenia and from there a journey began together, of growth as women and as artists. Over time, friendship, support and trust have also been born. A special understanding is created with some artists, which allows us to really get to know each other and build an image together. It is also important to work on your ego: you are there for the artist, who trusts your eye, and the result comes from the encounter between your sensitivities. With Joan I often start by preparing my skin, a cuddle and a facial massage. Then I work on the eyes, more or less emphasized depending on the situation, and I conclude with a bit of sun-kissed and redefine the lips. It already has a unique and strong beauty: make-up can accompany it, not cover it.
Can you tell us about your creative process? What do you take your inspiration from and how do you transpose that inspiration onto a face?
I take inspiration from magazines, movies, music, theater, video clips and fashion shows, but also from nature and from the people I see on the street. I immediately notice an unusual makeup or hairstyle detail. Sometimes I save something, other times it just sticks in my head. Then, when I do makeup, I am very instinctive. I’m not interested in replicating an image exactly: it changes based on my colors, the face in front of me and what’s happening at that moment. It’s a bit like drawing: you have an idea and then the hand goes by itself. You can blend, mark, or remove makeup and redo. I like both the almost invisible make-up, which becomes part of the whole, and the more artistic one. In face painting, above all, I feel very free.
For years, make-up was considered capable of expressing only one type of beauty, the traditional one. Today, however, what does makeup mean for you?
For me, makeup can express creativity, emotions, care or simply the pleasure of feeling better. Like when you put on your favorite shirt and you immediately feel more like yourself. Today, all possibilities can coexist: from the most natural beauty to full glam, from almost invisible makeup to the most eccentric makeup. I like this freedom of being able to choose how much to play and how much to dare.
In an ideal world where anything is possible, who would you like to work with?
With Tilda Swinton it would be a dream and also with Marina Abramović. Taking a step back in time, with Amy Winehouse: I would have put on makeup and hugged her very tightly. Going back to today, I would gladly spend a day “dirtying” the gorgeous Sofia Isella with makeup. And I could continue in this ideal world with Siouxsie, Shirley Manson, Amy Taylor Sues... I’ll stop okay?
What do you see in the future of the figure of the make-up artist? More recognition or more ‘behind the scenes’?
I am pleased that the person behind the work is also being recognized more and more. Everyone brings with them their own story, their tastes and their way of seeing things. We are often behind the scenes, but I like to think that there is also a presence behind there: not just someone who curates an image, but someone who takes care of the person and accompanies them in those moments.
What can never be missing in your kit?
Facial cleanser, serum and moisturizer, lip balm, eye drops, eyebrow brush, lips & cheeks red, mattifying papers and... a gloss.