This year, Halloween returned in full swing, and with it came a renewed commitment to high-impact costumes. And from Hailey Bieber’s impressive Britney Spears retrospective to Yara Shahidi’s Aaliyah, 2021 was all about the style-minded homage. For Kaia Gerber, this meant reuniting with makeup artist Sam Visser and hairstylist Chârlie Le Mindu to re-create the mane and visage of ‘60s and '70s (and eternal) icon Jane Birkin.
“I think she had a very relaxed yet put together appeal,” says Visser of Birkin. “Her makeup was quite effortless—when she’d apply the lashes and lines through the crease it was always simple and never felt overdone. Simplicity was her elegance.” To help Gerber channel Birkin, the artist opted for an interpretation of one of Birkin’s more dramatic moments, focusing on eye-encasing liner and drawn-on lashes—all while keeping the look soft and aspirational. And with a pin-straight honeyed mane, replete with full bangs and sleek, glossy texture, the transformation was truly one that, even with its bevy of retro cues, felt entirely current. “Jane Birkin used to say that you don’t need makeup, as a smile will take ten years off your face—Kaia has that smile," says Le Mindu.
Here, Visser shares a behind-the-scenes peek into Gerber’s seasonal switch-up, from trompe-l'œil lashes to faux freckles.
Photo: Sam Visser1/8“Kaia came to us with the idea, we both share Jane as a beauty icon of ours.” – Sam Visser, makeup artist
Photo: Sam Visser2/8“I used a combination of creams and powders to execute the eye. First with a white powder eyeshadow all over the eyelids and brow bone, followed with black cream in the crease.” – Sam Visser, makeup artist
Photo: Sam Visser3/8“On the bottom lashes I used a black liquid eyeliner with a thin tipped brush. It helped achieve multiple drawn on lashes, which created an element of depth and is also seen in variations among many other 1960s icons.” – Sam Visser, makeup artist
Photo: Sam Visser4/8“To create the freckles, I used two different tones of lip liner, one very warm brown and the other a more gray toned brown, it gave depth and differentiated tones so they looked more natural. Using a stippling technique, I dotted on each individual freckle, then I patted in the lipliner with a makeup sponge to make it more sheer.” – Sam Visser, makeup artist
Photo: Sam Visser5/8“Kaia is a true actress and embodies each character that we are creating. She’s so open and is dedicated to the process. It’s always such a joy to collaborate with her!” – Sam Visser, makeup artist
Photo: Sam Visser6/8“Since the eyes had such a linear feeling, I didn’t want to create harsh lines anywhere else on the face.” – Sam Visser, makeup artist
Photo: Sam Visser7/8“Janes lips appeared natural for the most part, but we wanted to add a little something to balance out the face and we went for a rose toned satin finish lip without any liner.” – Sam Visser, makeup artist
Photo: Sam Visser8/8“I think [Birkin] is often used as reference now because she was modern in her approach to beauty.” – Sam Visser, makeup artist
“This hairstyle is one that takes a lot of work to make it look so effortless. The picture I was inspired by is the one where Jane is wearing a Paco Rabanne dress, and she had lighter ends likely created by the sun—I used French balayage on the wig to create the effect.” - Chârlie Le Mindu, hairstylist
