Isamaya Ffrench is setting the beauty world ablaze with her avant-garde, boundary-blurring approach to makeup artistry. Through her collaborations with fashion industry icons such as Junya Watanabe and Vivienne Westwood, work with publications including Vogue and W Magazine and the launch of her beauty brand ISAMAYA in 2023, Ffrench has become known for redefining beauty norms with her daring creativity.
Her ISAMAYA beauty range is known for its outrageous packaging, from the BDSM-inspired Rubberlash Latex Lift Mascara tube to Water Balm lip colours encased in phallic chrome. Ffrench is not just reimagining makeup; she’s crafting an entire aesthetic that subverts traditional ideas of beauty and celebrates individuality.
What fuels all her creativity? The British artist sits down with Service95 to discuss ‘eureka’ moments, a life-changing trip to Mongolia and the perpetual need to daydream...
How I Start My Working Day... My working day is so varied! If I’m on a shoot, I could be up at the crack of dawn to down a coffee and fly out the door. If I have a little more time, I make time to do a reformer Pilates class. It takes me two hours to walk there and back, and that’s when I schedule most of my morning meetings. Walking through the park while doing a meeting really helps me think in a more creative way – it’s something about the dynamic; you’re not sitting still and stagnant.
My Working Playlist... Surprisingly, I don’t find music stimulating when I’m trying to focus or come up with ideas. Most ideas come to me when I’m lying in bed in the dark with no other stimulation. That’s when I write my best love letters, too. I do love to listen to everything from metal to classical to world music, but I find music is the thing that helps me relax.
What I Wear To Work... I’m not a die-hard fashion victim, I like comfort. My motto has always been: if you can’t do a hiking trail in these shoes, take ’em off. So much of my job is physical – managing heavy kits up flights of stairs, travelling, running on and off set... and don’t forget the chaos an improperly put-together airbrush can cause. Sometimes I come home looking like a [Cy] Twombly painting.
The Place That Changed Me... Last year I did a two-week horse trek in the Mongolian-Manchurian Steppe (above), sleeping in tents, eating yak and drinking fermented horse milk three times a day. I love being in pure environments.
My Muse... There is no defined muse – I believe if you create the world, the muse will arrive.
The Makeup Artists I Look Up To... Serge Lutens, Kevyn Aucoin, Topolino, Peter Philips, Pat McGrath and Val Garland.
The Best Career Advice I’ve Ever Received... Do it yourself – don’t wait for anyone else.
I’m Most Proud Of... My work with Junya Watanabe stands out as some of the most meaningful. So much thought and connecting go into the work we make together and I love him as a collaborator. He’s like no one else I’ve ever worked with.
What I Do To Feel Inspired... I always feel like the idea finds you, not the other way around. I don’t dwell and push myself to come up with something, ever. I believe if you meditate on the concept but don’t put too much pressure on it, eventually you will have a ‘lightning bolt’ moment. (Usually in bed or on the plane.) Daydreaming is so important.
What I’d Be If I Wasn’t A Makeup Artist... I’d probably be on stage with the Theo Adams company – I performed with them for five years until makeup got the better of me.
The Makeup Moments That Will Forever Stay With Me... I consider the work of artists Pater Sato, Philip Castle, and Sorayama as inspirational – although, technically, airbrush artists of the late ’70s had such a significant impact on how I do makeup. The same for Serge Lutens, he was a visionary!
The Beauty Products Isamaya Ffrench Can’t Live Without
- Micellar water
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pro Palette
- ISAMAYA Skinlacq Triple Hyaluronic Glow Serum
- MAC Retro Matte Lipstick
- Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray
- ...and perhaps a bit of Pros-Aide glue!
