Alex Box

Alex Box

For a long time, particularly within the twenty-first century makeup artists have sought inspiration from the fashion, film and television industry. This often stems from a more dramatic or raw approach to passing on a sense of emotion or passion ; the techniques used often employ extreme colour, style, fashion, and movement in ways which challenge particularly the present day makeup artists and photographers.

I initially looked at the relationship between the makeup and the way the characters movement on a photographer set or a film set. Makeup helps the person wearing it to see it visually so they know how to respond to it verbally or through movement.

I started looking at the makeup artist Alex Box who is an only child in Grimsby, Box’s artistic streak showed itself early on: “The minute I could grab something to draw or paint with, I did.” During her teenage years, she submerged herself in the subcultures of fashion, art and music. Her artistic skill took her to the prestigious fine art degree at Chelsea College of Art where she discovered the body as a new canvas. Alex Box is a make-up artist and creative director of Illamasqua, Alex Box is instrumental in shaping the brand’s product development, imagery and creative vision from conception to execution. Her masterful work with shade, texture, and contrast brings to life the fantasy and creativity inherent in everyone, inspiring them to explore and express their alter ego. Her installation-based work challenged and explored the relationship between the body, environment and desire to a pure form. As well as her site specific installations, Alex has exhibited in numerous London and international art galleries. She has contributed to Vogue, i-D and Dazed & Confused, and a book about her work, The Makeup Artist, was shot by Rankin. Alex Box is an unconventional makeup artist whose amazing creations have adorned the faces of models for Karl Lagerfeld and Avant Garde British designer, Gareth Pugh. With a background in fine art, Box has become known for pushing the boundaries of makeup, taking it to a whole new level. Alex Box has a way of making her work come to life, she is well know from being vague about her work to clients before she applies the makeup but from building up a strong reputation there is no doubt that her work will be outstanding. Her work is very emotionally driven, aided by music, paintings, fairytales and folklore. It’s manifesting monsters and angels. The model’s face guides Alex Box and she can feels spiritually connected to people as she puts the make-up on.

To me Alex Box is such a inspiration as she has managed to create her own brand her work has a certain signature look in the way she uses colour, it’s always bright and sometime scattered. She creates movement and music with the colour with the different brush strokes. Normally she has a central structure whether it’s a bright yellow paint down the face or the eyes are really over exaggerated with black cartoon makeup, you are always drawn to some aspect of the face.

Her work is unconventional and in today’s society everything is about fashion and beauty but her work isn’t about having perfect skin and beautiful smoky eyes it’s about creating a piece of art and she making it look beautiful and elegant in its own right.

 The true definition of how I see makeup is that its art. Applying makeup is an art itself, but the finished piece is what excites me. My inspiration comes from past and present art, from people and colours and the cosmetic products available around me. I love makeup and consider it a very important tool to help not only enhance your own natural beauty, but to build confidence for everyday life. When you feel good, you look good, and makeup helps you achieve this positive feeling.

In conclusion I think Alex Box is a new start to whole different world to makeup. More and more artist are wanting to be more weird to stand out more and more. Not just in the fashion industry but in all industries. Being different now is seen as a good thing whereas we all lived in a box following each other hoping we didn’t look different to others. Alex Box is an inspiration to many other makeup artists and she has got to work with some amazing actors and fashion designers. Her work is unconventional but even so she has managed to create her own style that works for many stylist and fashion designers.