Photography Sarah Feingold
Model Destiny Joseph
Makeup Molli Gloss
Welcome to NEW ERA BEAUTY — a brand new editorial series bringing the delicious intricacies of personal beauty to the forefront. With each forthcoming editorial, I will introduce a new muse of mine and an original beauty look — paired with a step by step tutorial — inspired by their persona. As the founder of NBGA, my goal has always been to spotlight the incredible diversity of our community and start conversations around beauty that go deeper than surface-level. Having called so many influential cities around the world my home, I have been constantly energized by charming chance encounters with the women I find around me in daily life. This editorial love letter is close to my heart for that reason.
In the #NewEra, beauty doesn’t stop at the exterior. It is an expansion of my theory that beauty is a reflection of all that lives inside of you. How you see yourself, what you focus on, how you make people feel. I wanted to pause, stop the noise, and capture the multidimensional nature of beauty as I see it and as I feel it. This editorial is a time capsule of what is happening within me creatively; a celebration of the human face in all of its countless colors, shapes, and forms.
I’m ready to pull back the velvet curtains on my private beauty universe, take you by the hand, and let you in.
— Sarah Feingold, NBGA Founder
Destiny and I met at a dinner in NYC last year. I noticed her aura right away. Sometimes energy really does say more than words do. She was sitting on the other side of the table and we didn’t have a chance to chat much but as fate would have it, we met again on the way home and exchanged numbers. Typical of the bubble we call the New York fashion scene, our paths crossed again at a mutual event. We started our journey home together and decided to grab a bite while the night was still young. Over fish tacos and Phó we had the opportunity to get to know each other better and decided to create something together.
Rather than being inspired by a specific era or aesthetic, I let the energy I sensed from Destiny direct my artistic choices. I wanted a look that brought the architecture of her inner world out onto the surface. Something majestical, calm, yet impactful.
I see Destiny as the heroine of her own story. I wanted the look to portray that, first and foremost. Her eye makeup simulates a superheroine’s mask, underlining the innate charm of her features while also playing up the theme of personal power. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a lover of graphic lines — Destiny effortlessly wears these shapes; her eyes are so expressive. Her unibrow wasn’t specifically a focal point but we also didn’t want to make it disappear to the background. It just ended up framing the look so well.
I think it’s incredible when we love, proudly, all of the attributes that maybe set us apart from the mainstream ideal and integrate them as a feature of our beauty. One memorable moment from the shoot was when Destiny shared that she wishes her unibrow was even stronger, like her father’s.
BEAUTY BREAKDOWN?
To put it simply, this look is: Ethereal, chic, timeless.
- Sophisticated, Venusian, visionary, a tour-de-force, potent, bronzy, hypnotic, ultra-glam, experimental, playful, avant-garde, celestial
LOOK INSPIRATION
I took the opportunity to reimagine “classic elegance” for modern beauty lovers. With the metallic silver and gold, I wanted to channel the same sublime quality of royal and religious paintings, but make it casual, cool, and contemporary. I feel like there is something so sacred about this combination if you think about how so many historical depictions of messengers of important news are set against a bronzy gold backdrop, or how silver haloes floating around the head signify the purity of one’s aura…
EYES
For the metallic winged eyes, we used the Chanel Multi-effect Quadra Eyeshadow to mix metallics between silvers and golds for more dimension. We used a lotion based makeup remover with some precision cotton buds to shape and sharpen the lines and negative space. We added a brown liner into the waterline to warm it up a little, and finished with MAC Cosmetics’ Stack Mascara. Brow gel is Got2b Invincible Styling Hair Gel, applied with a clean spoolie to give the brow hairs more definition.
LIP
For the lip combination, I chose to dab on BYREDO’s Liquid Vinyl Lipstick in Molasses, topped with the clear Fantôme gloss.
SKIN
We kept the skin pretty neutral. We used the Dior Backstage Face and Body foundation and the Dior Backstage concealer to even out the skintone – applied with a brush for a satin finish. We used fingers to apply the BYREDO Color Stick in Mesolithic to the high points of the cheeks and to give the skin an all-around hydrated finish, we used Danessa Myricks’ Balm Highlighter on the inner corners and high points of the face.
“Beauty has a metaphysical quality to it; it starts from within and always finds its way to the surface.”
Recreate this look and tag us Instagram. #NewEraBeauty #NBGA.