Elle Fanning's newest flick is about to come alive on the pages of V Magazine—and we've got the exclusive.
The young actress and her two co-stars, Abbey Lee Kershaw and Bella Heathcote, star in the upcoming film The Neon Demon, which depicts the darker side of modeling and that was, ultimately, the inspiration behind the above and below covers as well as the much-anticipated spread. Combining the spirit of horror films with editorial fashion, photographer Steven Klein, stylist Patti Wilson and makeup artist Kabuki brought the movie to life.
Read all about cosmetic guru Kabuki's process below, as well as his every thought before the magazine hits newsstands on July 14.
What do you love about this particular cover?
[Magazines] don't often use strong makeup on covers—usually that's inside, and the covers are quite plain. I love this particular cover because it kind of reminds me of poster art.
Describe the aesthetic of the whole shoot.
I would describe the aesthetic as decadent. It's kind of aggressive in a way. Another way I would describe it is "glamour gone berserk," just on the edge of whether or not it's glamorous or scary.
Can you tell us about the amazing eye makeup?
To achieve the looks on the eyes, I used colored creams. For the lips and cheeks, I used Dior beauty.
What about the full makeup for all three girls?
We started off in a place where we wanted the girls to all be different skin tones than they actually are. That's why in the photographs, they're kind of bronzed. They were actually painted beige! Then we wanted to see more color because it was The Neon Demon, so we kind of made that leap and we just went for it. And because of that kind of beige skin I did, it made the colors glow even more. And then Steven [Klein] started shooting it with the lighting, which turned it into something else. It was kind of like feeling your way or going with your instinct.
Were there any guidelines given to you when it came to the makeup?
[For shoots] you have to understand what the parameters are or what the context is. You know when you work with Steven [Klein], there's this element of surrealism...when you look at his photographs, it's like you're looking into a parallel world, like a dream world, where you know something is going on you just don't know what it is. But you can feel the tension. On this one they kind of just said 'go for it.' Each job is its own thing.
What was it like to work with Elle?
[Elle] created a positive energy on the set. All the crew was captivated by her. She totally went with it even though it was something that must've been completely unusual for her, the style. I felt she really had confidence in the process, and the group. She just captivated everyone there. It just kept everyone's energy level up because it was fun to watch her posing. It felt like we were watching a movie on the set. That's what's exciting. When I'm working backstage [at a fashion show] I'm just trying to get the person ready quickly, and I'm in my zone, but what's really exciting for me is when I'm seeing a person on set and it's almost like seeing a movie. You kind of get lost in the illusion.