However, this stunning look is only scratching the surface of Alejandre’s talent. He’s worked with huge names, such as Zendaya, Naomi Campbell and Lil Nas X. His intricate use of shapes and other-worldly designs make for eye-catching makeup looks, unlike anything we’ve seen before. He has a much more holistic, experimental approach to his designs, resulting in extraordinarily unique looks.

He never sticks to just one style and is constantly trying new things with his techniques and creations; experimenting with using face jewellery, chrome makeup, metallic makeup and has sometimes even gone for a more stripped-down approach, showing incredible versatility in his talent as a makeup artist. Alejandre uses face jewels to create patterns on the face that makeup alone can’t create. The 3D effect of the jewels adds a sense of ethereal beauty. He uses chrome and metallic makeup to accentuate the high points of his models’ faces and bodies, precisely analysing their natural features and selecting the perfect products to emphasise the desirable parts of their faces.

A lot of his looks feature some sort of wing on the eye, but he takes that as a starting point to create something so much more wonderful and different. A look he did on model Ashara, featured a pink highlight on the cheekbone, and browbone, and a purple highlight on her arm. The cherry on top was the golden graphic liner design which perfectly complemented the dark red lip.

These types of looks are slowly but surely making their way into mainstream media, with so many beauty influencers having a go at these eccentric looks. Diego Godoy (@beautybydiego on TikTok) shared a video of her recreating an extraordinary, butterfly-themed look by Alejandre on singer-songwriter Kali Uchis. Godoy perfectly captured the bright red embellishments around the eyes from the original look while also adding her own touch with the butterfly wings on her brows.

One of Alejandre’s more daring looks utilises blue glitter on the higher points of the face, red warm-toned contour for the lower points and a striking black zig-zag liner look to top it all off. This astounding, androgynous look seems reminiscent of the 1970s glam rock era, when David Bowie continuously reinvented himself, showing the world his flamboyant makeup and style.

His use of shadows and light accentuates some very unusual features, which almost seem to contort his models’ face shapes while still flattering them. For example, in one of his outstanding looks, he chose to put the focus on the centre of the model’s forehead, by blending out the green and red shades in a circular shape around the area. This was enhanced by the eye makeup, designed to look like spider legs running down each side of the face.

Phoebe Duverger (@phoebeduverger in TikTok) tried out one of Alejandre’s looks that was posted to his Instagram, featuring a unique take on a bold, smokey black wing.

Another jaw-dropping look by the 27-year-old makeup artist featured gold ornamentation across the cheeks, nose and jawline with a natural base. These types of looks have put forward the notion that makeup looks can be created from so much more than just cosmetic products. Simple jewels and embellishments can make a look complete without the help of foundation and concealer. His work goes to show how imaginative makeup can be. Classic and basic makeup looks are slowly fading out of the spotlight, and now comes the era of expressing individuality through makeup. Alejandre is one of the main pioneers of this type of approach to makeup.

Whether this type of makeup is your thing or not, it’s hard to deny the sheer talent of Raoul Alejandre. He’s brought something new and fresh to the beauty world and we can’t wait to see his work flourish even further. For the few daring beauty gurus who would like to give these kinds of looks a try, here are some products that Alejandre uses for his designs, as well as a few drugstore alternatives:

£ 36

Valentino Beauty Twin Liner

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£ 9

NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner

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£ 82

Valentino Beauty Colour Flip Eye Palette

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£ 5

Revolution Re-Loaded Palette Velvet Rose

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£ 40

Valentino Beauty Rosso Satin Refillable Lipstick – Soft Vienna

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£ 9

e.l.f. O Face Satin Lipstick

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Words by Ayushi Nathwani

^{Header Image by Raoul Alejandre}

The post Meet The MUA Who Started the Dystopian Makeup Trend – Raoul Alejandre appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Talking to Vogue, the brands creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli said:

‘Our couture shows are always the perfect field to experiment with some very extravagant, bold and memorable make-up looks. The freedom we have in that case is, of course, linked to the nature of couture itself. I can be free with my imagination, having the most powerful tools to express that, and I wanted to give the same feeling to our beauty line. This is also the reason why you will find products that have a super versatile attitude.’

The campaign is set to feature 16 models and non-models as they strive to make the line as inclusive to all ages, sexes and cultures. So expect 40 foundations, 50 lip colours and a range of eye and face products. To put the cherry on the proverbial cake, they have even adapted their SS17 bag into a teeny cosmetics clutch, only big enough to house their satin face powder and mini lipstick tube. There goes our monthly wage.

Valentino aren’t entirely unfamiliar with the cosmetics industry. Last year they dropped a campaign for scent Voce Viva with couture-queen Lady Gaga as the face and are known for a plethora of delightful scents preceding this. In fact, they are one of the last of the big fashion powerhouses to dip their toe in the cosmetic world. Hermes and Gucci have recently taken the plunge in the last couple of years – with Gucci selling over a million lipsticks in the month after it release in 2019. Impressive.

All the Valentino Beauty makeup collection product details will be revealed on May 31, 2021, at Selfridges Department Store in London.

Words By Rosina Findlay

The post Valentino Makeup Is On Its Way appeared first on Voir Fashion.