Inside the theatrical, macabre, excessive world of makeup artist Yasmine Keong

“My introduction to makeup surprisingly involved a deep resentment for it.”

Sydney-based makeup artist and graphic designer, Yasmine Keong, approaches beauty as “subversive adornment”, a way to question and contort the dominant ideals of gender, race and sexuality. They embrace the excess, whether that’s through an ornate mask of makeup or a look exposing our viscera and flesh.

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For Issue 199, Lara Daly, Fashion Journal‘s senior editor (and a makeup artist herself), sits down with Yasmine to discuss their first memories of makeup, their most memorable job to date and their dream face to paint.

Lara: How were you first introduced to makeup?

Yasmine: My introduction to makeup surprisingly involved a deep resentment for it. My mum, a fashion designer, had creative inclinations but held conservative ideals about how women should present themselves. As a Chinese immigrant with a desire to assimilate into Western society, she believed that my success depended on adhering to white feminine norms of being submissive, polite and modest.

At first, I accepted this and viewed makeup as a transgression. However, as a teenager naturally does, I started to push against this conditioning and social media became my initial gateway into makeup as a form of self-expression. If I had been taught to assimilate into the background, then my rebellion was to stand out with heavy makeup.

As a non-white person, you exist in a paradox of being hyper-visible as a racialised type, but your personhood is rendered invisible, so my turn to makeup was about reclaiming control of that visibility.

How has your approach to beauty evolved?

I’ve always described my approach to beauty as subversive adornment. I see aesthetics as deeply political, which is why I embrace excess in my practice, whether through an ornate mask of makeup or exposing our viscera and flesh, to subvert categorisation and question what kinds of bodies are made acceptable and excluded.

When I first started, I simply did what I thought looked beautiful. As I’ve grown, my focus has expanded beyond beauty. Nowadays, my inspiration comes from combining both theoretical insight and visual imagery.

How would you describe your signature aesthetic?

Theatrical, macabre, excessive.

What’s the most memorable makeup job you’ve had to date?

The most memorable work was the first shoot I directed, where I captured the process of piercing a dress into my skin. I was going through a very vulnerable time, experiencing a level of emotional pain I hadn’t felt before. The shoot wasn’t just about creating an image, it was a healing process that allowed me to interrogate the pain placed upon me by racial and gendered expectations.

If you could paint anyone in the world, who would it be?

I would love to be FKA Twigs’ personal makeup artist; she has a deep appreciation for how makeup elevates the performative aspects of her artistry. One of my favourite performances was when she debuted her new album, Eusexua, while her makeup artist applied body paint.

If you were to launch a makeup product, what would it be?

A perfect cobalt blue eyeshadow. There’s something so captivating about the colour because of how notoriously difficult it is to find, so when you manage to apply it on the face, it feels almost otherworldly.

What are the three most-used products in your kit?

My go-to foundation for years has been the Nars Light Reflecting Foundation. It’s the perfect no-frills formula with a beautiful skin-like finish. I feel like it works for every skin type and has a great shade range.

For tightlining, I love using the Canmake Creamy Touch Liners. I tightline almost every client’s upper lash line because it gives subtle eye definition with very minimal makeup. These liners are perfect for it since they don’t budge, and the tip is thin enough to get right between the lashes.

Finally, I always use the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Neutral Eyeshadow Palette. It has the perfect range of taupes for sculpting the eye, and the formula is easy to blend. I particularly love the ivory shade for the brow bone and inner corner highlight to bring dimension into the eyes.

What inspired you to create this look on yourself?

The image above, photographed by Tatiana Rose, is an ode to my love for [French artist] Serge Lutens. I’ve always been drawn to how his work frames beauty as something highly theatrical, constructed and surreal. I wanted to capture his hyperfeminine and mystical portrayal of womanhood, and I feel the outcome conveys the eerie sensuality I’ve always loved in his images.

This article was originally published in Fashion Journal Issue 199.

Keep up with Yasmine here.