“Ultimately, confidence completes any lip look,” says Marco Antonio, CHANEL UK Make-up artist, fashion stylist, creative director/ image creator, fashion and beauty director and much more. Not only has Antonio been a prominent figure in the industry for 27 years, but his tagline is “Here to be inspired and to inspire.” And indeed, he is doing that.
Words by Sandy Aziz. Portrait by Mateusz Sitek.
Sophia Laura at IMG Models photographed by Arved Colvin Smith. Makeup by Marco Antonio using CHANEL 31 Le Rouge and Équinoxe de CHANEL. Hair by Sky Cripps Jackson at Of Substance.
Manicure by Kim Treacy at Stella Creative Artists using CHANEL Le Vernis 2023 and CHANEL La Crème Main. Photographer assisted by Jomile Kazlauskaite. Hair Stylist assisted by Alice Schneidau.
From his work gracing the covers of Harper’s Bazaar, Financial Times, Hunger Magazine, King Kong and more with his incredible aesthetic, to working with the industry’s most legendary models – not least Kate Moss, Marco Antonio is passionate about, “transforming faces and empowering people with the art of make-up.” Previously, Antonio teamed up with the legendary photographer, Rankin, to release a book, Marco X Rankin – which Antonio describes as, “A mix of my pop colour palettes and Rankin’s signature sense of humour.” The book was an organic, collaborative feat born out of the two closely working together for five years. “We want to inspire people by pushing boundaries and present our vision in a less predictable way. We want this collaboration to subvert [the] viewer’s perception of beauty and demonstrate the creative potential of make-up.” It is exactly this mentality that solidifies Antonio’s position in the industry as a true visionary.
While he has previously commented that beauty is subjective, Antonio also believes a recurring and important theme is confidence. “Beauty goes beyond the reflection in the mirror, and that is why beauty is such a powerful tool for people to express their creativity, highlight their features, embrace their uniqueness, celebrate their personal style, and feel more confident in their appearance.”
But pushing the beauty philosophy aside, let’s talk about the main focus – lips. Focusing on the facial feature that is perhaps the most controversial, Antonio shares that “expression” is the first thing that comes to mind when someone even says the word ‘lips’. Sensible. For this lip-locked editorial, Marco Antonio graciously shares that he began by curating a moodboard. “Since the focus was lips, I was interested in textures, finishes and style. Once I highlighted these themes, I started speaking to the photographer and rest of the team to collaborate on ideas and ensure we were all on the same page.” Antonio also notes that this process allowed him to deep dive into the Chanel archives, and as a “huge fan of the brand”, he highlights that even that process of “looking back” can be “highly inspirational” as you can see how the products, ideas and editorials “evolved through the decades.” This of course aligns with Antonio’s tagline of “Here to be inspired and to inspire.” It seems that in order to push the beauty boundaries forward, there is great beauty in looking back.
Luckily for us, Marco Antonio spills the secret to how to choose a lip product if you want to keep your lips moist. Specifically, he recommends, “lip products that contain ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, or beeswax [to], help to retain moisture and nourish the delicate skin on your lips.” Antonio also divulges his personal favourite lip technique – which involves blotting and setting the lips to create a “long-lasting effect.” Outlining the details of this, he says to “blot the lips gently with a tissue to remove the excess and prevent transfer, then apply a thin layer of translucent setting powder over the lipstick.” And voilà! Our lips are sealed.
You can discover the complete beauty editorial inside the Fall Winter 2023 Issue 11
Purchase your copy here.
