{"id":165123,"date":"2024-11-05T11:48:10","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T16:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=165123"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:16:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:16:35","slug":"makeup-artist-kennedy-on-painting-beauty-with-soft-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=165123","title":{"rendered":"Makeup Artist Kennedy on Painting Beauty With Soft Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Behind the Image is an ongoing MODELS.com series taking a more personal look at both established and emerging creative talent.<\/em><\/p>\n<style>\n.quote {\nline-height: 1.2em !important;\npadding: 35px 25px;\n}\n.wp-caption {\n    margin-top: 65px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141369\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141369\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/11\/kennedy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"653\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165137\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141369\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/kali-kennedy\">Kennedy <\/a> | Image courtesy of <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/agency\/streeters\">Streeters<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/kali-kennedy\">Kennedy, <\/a> Makeup Artist<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Hometown\/country:<\/strong> The Inland Empire \u201cThe IE\u201d, Southern California. Are there any Lynch fans out there?<br \/>\n<strong>Based:<\/strong> Los Angeles and New York<br \/>\n<strong>Representation:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/agency\/streeters\">Streeters<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>How would you describe your work?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think of my work as a journey to try to find the unexpected within a beauty norm. My work focuses on the idea of undoing what\u2019s been done.  My approach has always been similar to a fine art\u2002approach in that pursuit. I enjoy studying both the techniques and cultural context that beauty exists in before using that understanding to break beauty down in unexpected ways, carve my path, and totally fuck things up!  <\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s your trademark?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy work has a soft edge. At some point, someone coined it as &#8220;Nightcrawler Beauty,&#8221; and I really loved that description.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you first discover your passion for makeup, and what drew you specifically into the world of beauty?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was obsessed with makeup from a young age. I think there\u2019s a photo somewhere of me with my first piece of makeup; I was 3 years old. My first exposure to the creative realm was in my preteens with my grandmother, who was a painter and sculptor. She was creative and eccentric, and I think she saw those same qualities in me. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes, and from there, I really took the ball and ran with it. I made it my goal to take everything she\u2019d taught me and translate it into working on a three-dimensional space \u2014 using the face as the canvas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What other jobs have you had?<\/strong><br \/>\nI worked at an auto auction when I was 17, and at one point, I was a creative director for<a href=\"https:\/\/lip-service.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Lip Service<\/a>, an iconic Los Angeles-based fetish wear company owned by one of my best friends. I\u2019ve been doing makeup exclusively for the past 13 years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What inspires your creative process and influences your artistic vision?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy inspiration comes from film, music, and my roots &#8211; never forget where you come from. The part of the IE (Inland Empire) I\u2019m from was a really unique and bizarre place. It was an old trade hub, citrus community, and college town surrounded by canyons, train tracks, and trailer parks.  I grew up fast; it was a hub for street races, dirt bike races, lifted trucks, and nu metal.  Those roots and my artist grandmother\u2019s background bred who I am today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You and <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/charli-xcx\">Charli xcx<\/a> have recently created some standout<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DB7BIG5SDCv\/?img_index=1\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> makeup looks<\/a>. Can you walk us through your usual collaborative process with her?<\/strong><br \/>\nI appreciate collaboration \u2014 understanding a person&#8217;s vision and crawling into someone\u2019s mind.  Charli and I have a lot of crossover in taste which makes the process easy.  She has been really involved from the inception of anything and has an impeccable work ethic, but she still manages to have fun &#8211; big respect!  When she brings an idea to the table, I sort of run with it, pitching different ways we can enhance the idea (she loves hearing a pitch to a process).  Once, she brought me a photo of some brows with the ends shaved off; after a few minutes of dialogue and a guarantee that it would look great, we had the brow trimmer in hand to shave the ends off.  She is a fun girlie who\u2019s always down!  It\u2019s always a matter of trust, and I think we breached that point years ago.  Love u, Charli!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What have you watched\/heard\/read lately that has inspired you?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve been really into films lately; shout out to Letterboxd. I LOVED <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RlbR5N6veqw\" data-rel=\"lightbox-video-0\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Poor Things<\/a>; <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/emma-stone\">Emma Stone<\/a> and <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/willem-dafoe\">Willem Dafoe<\/a> in a Frankenstein-hedonistic fantasy gagged me. I also recently re-watched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sST7AVrZNDk\" data-rel=\"lightbox-video-1\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Federico Fellini\u2019s La Dolce Vita<\/a>. Nobody understands glam like the Italians in the \u201960s. I love glam with black-and-white contrast\u2014it\u2019s dark but timeless. It has the soft edge I love!<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve been working with <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/petra-collins\">Petra Collins<\/a> consistently since 2020\u2014can you share what it\u2019s been like to create alongside her?<\/strong><br \/>\nOh, Petra, what a gem, a true gift to this world.  She\u2019s such a creative wonder.  I truly feel her creative vision to my core. She is playful and comes off as pure and innocent but has an honest edge that makes you really buy into what\u2019s being sold.  I remember we were shooting a Vogue cover in Joshua Tree, and I was coming off of a 14-hour day driving straight there with an assistant.  On the car ride, I had this weird fever dream where I saw a green powdery eye on<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/models\/tess-mcmillan\">Tess McMillan<\/a>, a Raphaelite angel.  When I pitched it to Petra, she knew exactly what I meant and saw it too.  That\u2019s it, she\u2019s just down!  She is a real one who is there for the art and to truly create a world for the viewer to live in.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you love about what you do?<\/strong><br \/>\nI love traveling, being surrounded by creatives, and executing a vision. There\u2019s nothing more rewarding for an artist than turning what you see in your mind into reality. <\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s one thing outside of your work that you would like people to know about you?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019d love for people to know that I\u2019m not just a makeup artist.  I deeply respect the wild and am fully obsessed with the outdoors, off-roading, and ATVs. I also carry a pink tool kit with me, so I can fix pretty much anything!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who do you think is one to watch?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/theo-liu\">Theo Liu<\/a>; I am obsessed with his work.<\/p>\n<h3>Selected Work<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/11\/2408-NewYorkMagazine-DavidLaChapelle-Cover-KDY-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2250\" height=\"2813\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165127\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/charli-xcx\">Charli xcx<\/a> by <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/david-lachapelle\">David LaChapelle<\/a> | Image courtesy of <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/agency\/streeters\">Streeters<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/new-york-magazine-new-york-magazine-august-2024-cover\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New York Magazine August 2024 Cover<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s always been a goal of mine to shoot with <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/david-lachapelle\">David LaChapelle<\/a>. The entire shoot made sense when the day came &#8211; <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/charli-xcx\">Charli<\/a> and David were a dynamic pairing. David has an entire entourage, including the infamous Sharon Gault.  The day was awe-inspiring and gave me a glimpse into a different time.  I mean, come on, Charli was being chased by a 12\u2019 hand! <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/11\/2405-VogueItalia-TheoLiu-KDY-Singles-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3000\" height=\"1980\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165130\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/models\/Irina-Shayk\">Irina Shayk<\/a> by <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/theo-liu\">Theo Liu<\/a> | Image courtesy of Streeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/vogue-italia-formula-1\/2225389\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Formula 1<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nWe shot this story at Pista Di Fiorano in Modenese, Italy. I felt like I had walked into a Ferrari movie set, but it was all authentic \u2014 I mean, we shot in front of Enzo Ferrari\u2019s home with <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/models\/Irina-Shayk\">Irina Shayk<\/a>?!  Insanity. Vogue Italia is one of my favorite publications; the team is so special.<a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/theo-liu\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Theo<\/a> took Irina on an adventure, shooting her with a pit crew and actual F1 racers all over the facility. She\u2019s great; what a force and the face of an angel.  I remember Theo had a mini racetrack with hundreds of these Japanese race cars that he wanted Irina to lie on.  At the end of the shoot, he let us all take one home \u2014 a token from a core memory.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/11\/22Winter-Dazed-CarlijnJacobs-KDY-Cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2389\" height=\"3000\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165132\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/taylor-russell\">Taylor Russell<\/a> by <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/carlijn-jacobs\">Carlijn Jacobs<\/a> | Image courtesy of Streeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/dazed-magazine-dazed-magazine-winter-2022-covers\/1827344\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dazed Magazine Winter 2022 Covers<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nAnother dream match-up. <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/taylor-russell\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Taylor<\/a> is insanely gorgeous, and I really understand her face + <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/carlijn-jacobs\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Carlijn<\/a> is a creative genius. I remember mixing lots of custom colors of grease paint that day for a green mask I painted on Taylor\u2019s face in 15 minutes before I had to catch a flight to LA. Carlijn had sent me a sketch of the mask on Taylor\u2019s face the night before. This job can present impossible challenges, but conquering them gives you this sort of superpower feeling that you can achieve anything.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/11\/2107-VogueUkraine-PetraCollins-KDY-Cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2300\" height=\"3000\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165133\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/models\/tess-mcmillan\">Tess McMillan<\/a> by <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/petra-collins\">Petra Collins<\/a> | Image courtesy of Streeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/vogue-ukraine-vogue-ukraine-julyaugust-2021-cover\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vogue Ukraine July\/August 2021 Cover<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nI had to share this image as an all-time favorite because of the story I told in my interview. This makeup look was literally in a dream I had, and<a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/models\/tess-mcmillan\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Tess <\/a> is so open to really wearing a look and feeling insanely confident and beautiful in it. The set designer, <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/Nick-des-Jardins\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nick<\/a>, was sketching alien drawings in charcoal on the side where we were shooting as a prop for another shot. It was pretty surreal\u2014a true <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/petra-collins\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Petra<\/a> moment.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/11\/21-FairyTales-AlexaDemie-PetraCollins-KDY-Cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1996\" height=\"2560\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165134\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/alexa-demie\">Alexa Demie<\/a> by <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/petra-collins\">Petra Collins<\/a> | Image courtesy of Streeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Fairy Tales<\/strong><br \/>\nThis book feels like a child I gave birth to. Its entirety formed deep bonds that exist until this day. I had always wanted to make a book, but to make one with <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/petra-collins\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Petra<\/a> and Alexa was wild. I could cry thinking about this. We conceptualized it in early COVID as one shoot,<a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/alexa-demie\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Alexa<\/a> as a sexy elf. The internet went wild, so it needed to be a book. We spent 13 days making this during COVID as one unit in our own bubble. We all had to take a COVID test every morning before walking to set. Those times seem like distant memories, but I will remember them forever. I have such a cool job!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141376\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141376\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/oftheminute\/images\/2024\/11\/2306-AcnePaper-TheoLiu-KDY-Singles-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"6679\" height=\"4452\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-165131\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/models.com\/models\/ella-snyder\">Ella Snyder<\/a> by <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/theo-liu\">Theo Liu<\/a> | Image courtesy of Streeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/work\/acne-paper-the-enchanted-vaults-of-dungeon-world\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Enchanted Vaults of Dungeon World<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nI remember being so excited when <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/people\/theo-liu\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Theo <\/a> asked me about this shoot because we were shooting in this wild underground bunker in Las Vegas, which I had always wanted to see.  It was built in the 70\u2019s by a doomsday preparer as a fallout shelter. It\u2019s a total fantasy land of fake trees, sunset skies painted on ceilings, multiple real homes, and pools.  It\u2019s sort of indescribable.  We spent 12 hours underground, and when we all came up, it was a bit disorienting but such a wild experience.<\/p>\n<p><!--pp-thumb-start--><!--PictPress found no dir \/2024\/11\/165123--><!--pp-thumb-end--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Behind the Image is an ongoing MODELS.com series taking a more personal look at both established and emerging creative talent. Kennedy, Makeup Artist Hometown\/country: The Inland Empire \u201cThe IE\u201d, Southern California. Are there any Lynch fans out there? Based: Los Angeles and New York Representation: Streeters How would you describe your work? I think of&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":165143,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6476,12752,13941,10414,16,13943],"tags":[12930,13154,10874,10184],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165123"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/450"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=165123"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165152,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165123\/revisions\/165152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/165143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=165123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=165123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=165123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}