Search
Close this search box.

Sign in/Register

Free spirit

By Milly Nolan

A master of colours, pigments and textures, 
Lancôme’s Aaron De Mey is inspired by opposites and extremes, from beaches to punk rock, MiNDFOOD reports.

Born and raised in New Zealand, Aaron De Mey now lives in New York and works in Paris. He has come a long way since his days as a fine arts student at Whitecliff College of Arts and Design in Auckland. Succeeding Gucci Westman, 
De Mey was appointed Lancôme’s make-up artistic director in 2008 and has recently unveiled his debut colour collection. Named Pink Irreverence, the title is fitting for the free-spirited De Mey, who is hooked on pop culture and rock-and-roll. The collection is an eclectic fusion of fuchsia pink and sparkling black in homage to Lancôme’s emblematic rose and the black volcanic sands of De Mey’s homeland beaches, such as Piha. “I love opposites and extremes and the clash of colours and textures,” he says.

The use of black in the collection also acknowledges De Mey’s love of London’s punk culture in the ’70s and the smoky eyes of screen diva Marlene Dietrich, 
who created her own black eye shadow 
by burning cork and mixing the ashes 
with petroleum jelly. The hero product in the collection is the translucent Color Fever Lip Gloss in Piha Black (see page 91). 
Most women would shy away from putting black on their lips, but the gloss is translucent enough to be worn on its own or on top of your favourite lipstick colour to deepen the tone. It can also be patted onto your eyelids for a sexy, smouldering, sparkly black shine. Somehow, it works.

The face of Pink Irreverence, Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann “is the perfect embodiment of this collection,” De Mey says, “not just for her youth and beauty but also for the way she represents timeless sophistication, making her the perfect muse. She is as resplendent with a natural look as she is with more sophisticated 
make-up, which only enhances her allure.”

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Print Recipe

BECOME A MiNDFOOD SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Let us keep you up to date with our weekly MiNDFOOD e-newsletters which include the weekly menu plan, health and news updates or tempt your taste buds with the MiNDFOOD Daily Recipe.