The Bite Magazine - Issue 11

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The Canadian-born artist first studied Fashion
Illustration at Art Centre College of Design in
California, before moving to London where she
trained at Goldsmiths College earning a BA in Fine
Art in 1995 and then an MA in the same subject in
1997. It was through her love of art that inspired
Cohen to create Face Lace. She says, “I have always
loved very intricate paintings. I worked as a fashion
illustrator before I became a make-up artist. Most
of the illustrations I’ve painted were done with tiny
brushes and full of minute details. I carried this love of
elaborate detail into my make-up work.”
The fashion world instantly embraced Cohen for
her unique ability to combine painting and make-up.
Before long she had amassed an impressive portfolio,
creating advertising campaigns for brands such as
Revlon,Clinique,MAC and the Body Shop and became
the go-to make-up artist for the likes of David Bowie,
Boy George, Annie Lennox and Tina Turner amongst
others. Her designs have featured in publications such
as Vogue, Elle, Glamour,Tatler and Vanity Fair, and it was
through her passion for faces, portraiture and make-
up that drove Cohen to seek new ways to combine
her interests. When she saw a market for creating
facial embellishments she set to work immediately,
adding, “I was always searching for ways to adorn
faces in intricate details quickly.”
It was after receiving compliments on her work that
she envisioned ways to take it even further.“One day
someone commented on how beautiful my stencils
were.This set my imaginative wheels in motion to use
the machinery I had to create designs that could be
stuck directly onto skin as decorations themselves.”
Soon after thinking of ways to transform her stencils
into stick-on designs, she started noticing other
make-up artists doing similar things. “I knew it was
the right time to start developing the idea into a
commercial venture.”
Cohen strives on creating unique designs, which work
to essentiate the eyes and face. Her ready-to-wear
collection transforms your look, adds drama and
enables anyone to achieve a flawless professional look
in just a matter of seconds. Having had her designs
paraded on fashion shows and sported by stars such
as Lady Gaga, you can expect to see some of these
elaborate masterpieces at a festival near you soon.
Phyllis Cohen’s collection of beautiful designs can be
found in stores around the world including Harvey
Nichols, V&A, Topshop and Selfridges in the UK,
Suite7 Beauty, Hard Candy and Salon Voché in the
US, Le Visage in Belgium, Brigade Mondaine and
Oiseaux de Nuit Lyon in France, and Alt East and
Beautik in Japan.
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