• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • The State of the Uterus
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
instagramatic collaborations
December 31, 2013

See a Polaroid-Inspired Beauty Collaboration

By Kathleen Hou

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
Photo: Courtesy of Make

Photographer Erik Madigan Heck is a Cut favorite. In addition to receiving the International Center of Photography’s 2013 Infinity Award, he’s appeared regularly in our  Out of the Box feature, creating high-contrast, technicolor narratives with a focus on reverse silhouettes. He brings his painterly aesthetic to his newest collaboration in the beauty realm, partnering with MAKE Cosmetics to create a series of images shot on Polaroid 59 film. The images, shot in New York’s Hudson River Valley, are richly moody and chromatic, inspiring the eye shadows, lipsticks, and palettes of MAKE’s Post-Impression Concept collection. The Cut interviewed MAKE creative director Ariana Mouyiaris for details about the collaboration. Click through the slideshow for images of the campaigns and products.

How did the collaboration with Erik come about? 

When originally working on the design for our website, I had come across his work. I used some of his images in our early mock-ups and thought it would be amazing to work with him as a photographer for one of our collections. Luckily, we were working with an amazing stylist, Kat Typaldos, who had collaborated on our shoots from the beginning, and she’d begun working with him on some jobs. Through a personal introduction and conversation, it seemed like the collaboration would be very interesting; to see how a broad brief on color could translate from an original new series of artistic work through to a final photographic vision of beauty.

Why did you think Erik’s work would make a great beauty collaboration? 

I was inspired by the bold, highly chromatic work he produced, as well as his personal vision across projects from his site Nomenus to his more abstract video work for designers such as Ann Demeulemeester and Mary Kantrantzou. It’s so refreshing to stumble upon talent and then be exposed to multiple sides of people’s work through the digital space. His continued collaboration with certain clients made me confident that he could create something that would push notions of traditional beauty collaborations.

What was the process of working with Erik like? 

It was a dialogue. A pitching of ideas and discussions that led to two series of Polaroid photographs, shot on his last role of Polaroid 59 film: one monochromatic, shot in Monachyle, Scotland, and the other closer to home, in the Hudson Valley, New York. The latter was highly chromatic, deeply hued, and led to the lush palette of the Post-Impression Concept Collection. We will be launching the first series on our Tumblr later this month for the holidays.

Erik is known for his dramatic use of color. Were you worried that some of the colors wouldn’t look wearable? 

The beauty of our collaborations is that we pair a creative outside of the beauty space with a contemporary makeup artist whose work we think is both artistic and wearable. This season we worked with Sam Addington, an amazingly talented makeup artist whose background was also in editorial work, as a beauty editor. She brought her own artistry to the product and made both bold, abstract looks - like Velvet Noise — and others that translated to the face in a more natural way, like Hudson and Twilight.

Our challenge is to take colors that people don’t think are wearable and to make them desirable. Pigment can be incredibly inspiring, but daunting. But different collections approach color differently. And our looks range from modern nudes and flesh tones to more high-impact tones.

Will collaborating with different photographers become something recurring MAKE will do? 

While it may not always be [with] a photographer, MAKE forges new collaborations seasonally for our concept collections. We believe in cultivating a community, as well as a shared space for learning and discovery, that’s brought to life by our contributing artists (creatives outside of the beauty sphere) who are next-generation visionaries in their respective industries. They give highly personal, unique perspectives on color and beauty that are then translated into looks by our resident makeup artists, whom we collaborate with to create boundary-free looks incorporating MAKE. These can be seen online through our seasonal photography, as well as how-to videos and GIFs that include downloadable instructions and easy links to learn how to do it yourself.

Related Stories

Without a Face: Erik Madigan Heck Shoots Fall’s Most Entrancing Backs

Related Stories

Spring in Reverse: Detailed Backs Take Center Stage

Related

MAC and Proenza Schouler Surf Into Spring
View
1 / 12 Photos
Velvet Noise  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Twilight  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Red Brake Lights, Midnight  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Dissonant Noise, Red Reflection  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Acid Yellow Mountains  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Post-Impression Palette  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Matte Eyeshadow in Thunder  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Matte Eyeshadow in Midnight  Photo: Courtesy of Make/© Four Square Studio Inc. 2012 (212) 216 9100
Satin Finish Eyeshadow in Acid  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Silk Cream Lipstick in Velvet Noise  Photo: Courtesy of Make/© Four Square Studio Inc. 2012 (212) 216 9100
Silk Cream Lipstick in Hudson Red  Photo: Courtesy of Make
Cream Luminous Lip Gloss in Purple Noise  Photo: Courtesy of Make
1 / 12

Tags:

  • beauty
  • erik madigan heck
  • make beauty
  • we see beauty
  • makeup
  • polaroid
  • photography
  • new york hudson river valley
  • beauty collaborations
  • instagramatic
  • instagramatic collaborations
  • More

More Galleries

grammys 2023 5:11 p.m.
Every Red Carpet Look at the 2023 Grammys All the looks from the biggest night in music, updated live.
By Brooke LaMantia
Jan. 10, 2023
All the Looks From the 2023 Golden Globes  Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenna Ortega, Jessica Chastain, Julia Garner, Jeremy Allen White, Angela Bassett, and more. 
parties! Sept. 23, 2022
Katie Holmes, Chloë Sevigny, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Chanel, Mejuri, and more celebrate. 
parties! Sept. 16, 2022
Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Fendi, Frame, and Coach all celebrated NYFW. 
emmys 2022 Sept. 12, 2022
Emmys 2022: All the Red Carpet Looks  Updating: What Hollywood is wearing to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. 
By Olivia Luppino
nyfw spring 2023 Sept. 9, 2022
Gigi Hadid, Chlöe Bailey, and More of the Bestest Party Pics of the Week  Saks Fifth Avenue, Longchamp, and more celebrate the beginning of NYFW. 
rip Sept. 9, 2022
The Queen Sure Did Love to Color-Coordinate  Monochrome for decades. 
red carpet Sept. 6, 2022
The Venice Film Festival Is a Major Fashion Event  Valentino and Gucci and Armani, oh my. 
red carpet June 5, 2022
All the Best Looks at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards  Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Ellis, and more! 
parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
celebrity style Apr. 18, 2022
The Best Looks From Coachella 2022  From Harry Styles’s sparkling Gucci set to Megan Thee Stallion’s metallic bodysuit. 
style Apr. 13, 2022
A Look Inside the New Museum’s Spring Gala  Featuring all the best looks. 
grammys 2022 Apr. 3, 2022
Grammy Awards 2022 Red Carpet: All the Looks  Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and more. 
oscars 2022 Mar. 28, 2022
How Were The Oscars After Party Looks Better Than The Actual Award Looks?  Finally, some fun. 
oscars 2022 Mar. 27, 2022
All the Looks From the 2022 Oscars Red Carpet  Zendaya, Regina Hall, Timothée Chalamet, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Ariana DeBose, and more. 
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • About The Cut
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.