Alex Box, famous for her unconventional approach to makeup, has created a book, with Rankin Photography and it shows some of her wildest and most creative looks to date.
Starting out as a fine artist and installation artist, her career took her into makeup where she melded nature, science, art and magic together.
Today, Alex works with such world renowned designers as Gareth Pugh, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, and is the driving force as the creative director for Illamasqua.
I caught up with her at the weekend when she was showcasing the Illamasqua Dystopia collection and she kindly took some time out to chat with me.
Resplendent in Bright Emerald Green with her trademark black and white hair, her face was bare of makeup except for sculptured brows and Emerald Green lips, I was pleased to also be cutting edge with my emerald green nails…!
Her philosophy on makeup is that it doesn’t always have to be about natural, but then it doesn’t always have to be wild and overly creative.
She’s very thankful for where she is in her career today, and at 36, is world renowned for her outrageous makeup looks, but is also called upon to create softer, more natural makeup for fashion and runway. She says that not every designer wants wild and colourful, and that though they know her style, she will be asked to create other looks.
When I asked her about her inspiration for her creations, she said that often she doesn’t know where she’s going when she picks up her brushes, and that each face moves in a different way, but it isn’t always about creating conventional beauty. In fact, when there, her demonstration on a male model was done completely on the hop, without any preconceived ideas, she hadn’t even met him before the start of the demonstration!
Very passionate about her makeup, she was pleased when I asked her about her own career path, and where she is today. I’d listened to numerous young women asking her questions, and then proceeding to answer their own questions while Alex stood sipping from a bottle of water, with small opportunity to interject her thoughts. Almost celebrity perhaps? Certainly in the makeup world, yes.
Her book, available from October, is an explosion of colour and creativity. And ‘The minute you obliterate someone’s spirit, you’re abusive’ is a statement that at first seems at odds with her fantasy looks, that on some occasions seem almost disturbing. However, each model is shown as a mysterious creature, with the exotic and wild being at the centre.
And given the somewhat shocking looks in some of the images, one would think that Alex is a ‘divaesque’ makeup artist, but she really isn’t. Her gentle movement of her model’s face from side to side as necessary, demonstrated that fame as an artist doesn’t mean throwing your makeup brushes around, but with it stays her status as a world class artist.
Sam Donald
© Photography Rankin, Make Up Alex Box
Alex Box is published by Turnaround (£50) and runs as an exhibition at the Annroy Gallery, Kentish Town from 23nd Oct – 22nd Dec.
