Artist in Residency: Cherish Brooke Hill’s Studio 54 Revival
Welcome to Artist in Residency, our series that brings the industry's most innovative makeup artists to Rose Inc. for a month of creativity and inspiration. Each week, you'll discover an original look—and the story behind it—created by an artist we love.
Trends come and go in a cyclical fashion, but some decades never really leave the beauty zeitgeist. For celebrity makeup artist Cherish Brooke Hill, there’s one era that’s referenced again and again in her prolific work: The colors and shapes of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Breathing life into a bygone era’s over-the-top aesthetic requires a keen working knowledge of its power players—both creators and icons—and the kind of judgement possessed by only the most talented of modern artists. To wit: Technicolor shadow and avant garde shapes aren’t for the faint of heart, but Hill isn’t afraid to take risks, which is how she ended up in Hollywood.
“I told my family I was moving from Maryland to California to pursue a medical career,” she recalls with a laugh, noting that her traditional Ghanaian-American parents’ hope for a predictable career for their daughter was sidelined by Hill’s adolescent YouTube habit. “I used to watch backstage interviews with makeup artists at Fashion Week. I thought, ‘If Pat McGrath can make it as a Black woman, maybe I can, too’."
It’s been a decade since Hill arrived in Los Angeles and her portfolio is already brimming with stars, including longtime clients like Keke Palmer, Madison Beer, and Snoh Aalegra—and she’s just getting started. For these reasons and more, Rose Inc. is delighted to feature Hill as this month’s Artist in Residency.
Her Residency Inspiration:
Studio 54 attracted leading artistic talent from across disciplines during its heyday—from Grace Jones to Andy Warhol to Brooke Shields—but its closure wasn’t the end of glamorous nightlife. “There is a club in New York called Club Glam that delivers similar vibes today,” Hill says, noting that its refreshingly-bold clubgoers served as the inspiration for this sunset-colored eye look.
"When people would go to Studio 54, or even Club Glam today, they would often translate their inspiration onto just one area of the face, like a gorgeous cheek or bold eye,” Hill says. “I wanted to call upon that mentality to create a look that was all about the eye.” Tempered with fresh skin and a glossy lip, it's disco designed for 2020.
Behind This Look:
Hill began by implementing the same complexion strategy as her first look, then got to work on model Ashley Moore’s eyes. “I like building layers slowly,” Hill says. She started by dusting a veil of Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow in Baby Pink over Moore’s lids, then buffed the hue into the model’s bottom lash line. Next came the same powder formula in the color Orange, which Hill layered onto Moore’s lids before switching back to Baby Pink to extend the shape into a slight wing.
I wanted to call upon that mentality to create a look that was all about the eye.
Next came a show-stopping addition: An artsy swipe of shimmery gold pigment courtesy of Pat McGrath Labs EYEdols Eye Shadow in Gold Standard. Hill focused the gold color on the inner corners of Moore’s eyes, then extended the hue into a slight swoop that ended on the model’s brow bone. A few coats of L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Mascara defined Moore’s lashes.
To keep the look thoroughly modern, Hill mixed Jouer Cosmetics Hydrating Lip Oil with the darkest shade of lip color from Pat McGrath Labs Mini Lip Fetish Balm Trio. To finish, she created balance between Moore’s skin and her gilded eye by patting Chantecaille Radiance Elixir over the high points of the model’s face for extra luminosity. “It ties it all together,” Hill says.
Ashley Moore photographed in Los Angeles by Ford. Written by Lexy Lebsack.
