Get to Know Lily’s Glam Group: Hairstylist Gregory Russell and Make-up Artist Fiona Stiles

Traditionally, the “B-side” refers back to the flip-side of a file. The A-side accommodates the extra front-facing hits; the singles—however on the B-side, you may get in a bit deeper with the artist. And fairly truthfully, there isn’t any higher metaphor I can consider for the artistic crew behind a magnificence look. They pull the references, scour the archives, and paint the image you see on the massive display. The superstar, mannequin, or actor is the only with essentially the most air time. However the glam crew? They’re the producers, conductors, buddies, and household. For lack of a much less ubiquitous phrase, they make it work.

It has at all times been our mission to shine a lightweight on the BTS of magnificence, because the artistry of hair and make-up is an intricate, detailed exploration on the cross-section of aesthetics and tradition. Why? As a result of the origin of a glance is simply as necessary because the look itself. The backstory deserves its personal hard-earned glory.

This time round, we’re introducing you to Fiona Stiles and Gregory Russell—the masterminds behind the hair and make-up seems for Byrdie’s sophomore difficulty, Dualities, that includes Lily Collins. Under, be part of us in taking a peek backstage with Stiles and Russell, as their recommendation and sweetness musings are fantastical and humbling in equal measure.

Make-up: Fiona Stiles

“[Lily] is a dream to work with,” Stiles says, “she’s form hearted, humorous, and so open to collaboration.” Stiles describes the belief between herself and Collins, swooning over her facial construction and skill to belief her crew to run wild with a glance. “Her options are so delicate and I like working with the contours of her face. However largely, I like the connection and time we spend collectively, in addition to working along with her and Gregory as a crew. The artistic connection I’ve with these two is one thing I cherish,” Stiles says beaming.

The shoot’s first make-up look is an ideal instance of Stiles’ genius and Collins’ exceptional means to do each; she can look prim and doe-eyed—after which she works a glance so exceptionally rad it is virtually chilling. Stiles painted her face pink and secured a jeweled fishnet on high, the dichotomy of which spurred the theme for our difficulty, Dualities. The inspiration for Stiles, although, was just a few totally different photos, each by Annie Leibovitz. One, a photograph of Meryl Steep the place her face was painted white, and the opposite, a portrait of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd with blue face paint because the Blues Brothers. “I like how including colour right here and there modifications the face fully,” Stiles says, including, “Lily is commonly photographed very romantically, and I used to be seeking to discover different methods of decoding her options.”

The re-evaluation, the powder blue shadow and black brows which ended up making the duvet, was a nod to the top of the ’90s. I might be remiss to not point out Lily Collins’ brows, as I am fairly certain they’ve their very own Twitter web page. She’s identified for them, they’re lusted after by thousands and thousands, and Stiles felt this was an apt alternative to intensify them. “I started my profession as a make-up artist within the ’90s—and although many are presently referencing the sculpted nude seems of Kevyn Aucoin—for me, the ’90s had been about minimalist make-up with daring decisions from the later a part of the last decade.” Stiles coos over the seems from David Sims shoots and Pat McGrath for Italian Vogue or i-D.

“Dick Web page would take a naked face, use a slash of black eyeliner, and relish in its imperfection,” Stiles says. “We’re in a time of such hyper-perfection that I wished to discover the sensation of tough hewn work, of blurry traces and swaths of colour.”

In that very same vein, Stiles wished the ultimate look to really feel powerful and never remotely ethereal. She selected incongruent shades for the attention, excited in regards to the color-clash. “Different colour decisions might have felt comfortable and romantic, however I wished to avoid overly polished,” she explains.

“Magnificence will be something, which is why it is so fantastic. It may be sensual, lovely, repulsive, and empowering,” Stiles says. She was a goth as a youngster, which “served as safety for a really delicate particular person navigating the world,” she tells me. She characterizes her 20s and 30s as a softer, extra historically female time in her make-up exploration. “It was about discovering my place on the earth and seeing the place I slot in,” she explains. As she obtained older, although, Stiles realized make-up, for her, was about working along with her options and adapting to the numerous modifications a face goes by because it ages. “The one time I put on make-up today is for a Zoom assembly,” she says with amusing.

That stated, Stiles remains to be impressed to interrupt with conference. Her references really feel punk in a world of purple carpets and painstaking perfection. “I just like the weirdos and misfits,” she says. “The unhealthy children who performed gown up each day like their lives relied on it.” As a lot as she relishes glamour, Stiles can be drawn to the morning after; the deconstructed work of Isamaya Ffrench is as interesting to her because the ultra-glam make-up of Tyen and Means Bandy. She names heavy-hitters like Pat McGrath, Val Garland, Diane Kendal, Francois Nars, Peter Philips, and Lucia Pieroni as mentors. “I spent numerous hours pouring over the make-up seems they created for magazines, marveling on the magnificence,” she says in a haze of nostalgia. “These photos are seared into my thoughts endlessly.”

She did not simply work together with icons from afar, although. Stiles labored as David Bowie’s make-up artist for years within the early aughts. “Day by day with him was a present in itself, however when he would casually sing whereas we had been working it was electrifying. These days had been, and can at all times be, the highlights of my profession,” she says. After I ask about her favourite on-set reminiscence, she takes me to church. “It’s not one second, it’s the second,” Stiles solutions, her eyes virtually dancing. “When the whole lot comes collectively and the mannequin or actress is on set and the pose, hair, lighting, and styling is all on level—there’s a second of actual fantasy, there’s nothing prefer it. That feeling is so satisfying. Every time that second occurs, my artistic bucket is stuffed and I’m satiated.”

Stiles leaves me with one final piece of knowledge, a morsel I’ve thought of because it got here out of her mouth: “Work onerous. Be on time. Be form. Know your references. Have a standpoint.” So, there you go.

Hair: Gregory Russell

The primary time Gregory Russell labored with Collins was for the Met Gala in 2013—the theme was Punk: Chaos to Couture. She wore Moschino and Russell pulled blue and gray streaks by her hair. Based on him, it has been a dream ever since. “Lily is so open our imaginative and prescient and inspirations; she’s so collaborative. What extra are you able to ask for? She’s gorgeous and she or he needs to push a glance—she’s such a muse to me. I am so grateful to work with somebody like her.”

The primary hair look on set was a straightforward one to conceptualize. “She was carrying a veil, what was I going to do?” Russell jokes. “I pulled it again,” he says with amusing. The second—comfortable whimsical curls round Collins’ hairline—was meant to juxtapose the severity of the side-knot and high-gloss end Russell created across the again. “I used to be impressed by Fiona’s make-up—the robust forehead—and Lily, after all,” he says with a smile. “The third look was this actually structured, dramatized pompadour with a pointy angle on the entrance—it actually served the make-up.”

I requested Russell to take us again to the start of his profession when he set his sights on hair. He had determined to get into magnificence early on, by the use of his sister, who he calls as his first-ever muse. “[She] was actually into hair, make-up, and garments,” he tells me, “and it actually opened my eyes to how artistic I might be with these parts.” For Russell, expressing himself by all artwork kinds—whether or not it’s hair, clothes, music, sculpting, or portray—is therapeutic. And it has been an outlet for him all his life. “It is such a launch,” he says. “Magnificence, to me, is expressing your creativity and particular person model.”

Russell’s magnificence icons are many and widespread. He lists Cher on the high (do not all of us), persevering with with Debbie Harry for her iconic “cool hair,” Barbara Boucher, Sylvie Vartan, Donna Jordan, Jean Shrimpton, Françoise Hardy, Sharon Tate, Diana Ross, and The Halstonettes, simply to call just a few. For mentors within the enterprise, he lists the greats: Ara Gallant, John Sahag, Vidal Sassoon, Orlando Pita, Garren, and Sam McKnight.

He tells me a narrative a couple of stand-out profession spotlight, one I can see nonetheless lingers inside him every time he is on set. He idealized a sure photographer for his whole profession and eventually had the prospect to work with them. When the photographer instructed Russell, “The hair is gorgeous,” it was monumental. “Having felt like an outsider my whole youth, validation from somebody I actually revered and admired actually meant the world to me,” he explains.

Earlier than the interview is over, Russell breaks to snigger and chat with Lily. Their friendship is actually pretty to see. “I am modeling,” he yells to her earlier than she leaves. She solutions, “You higher work, honey.” And that was a wrap.