Isamaya Ffrench on Her Latest Launch and Why Penis Lipstick Makes Sense

The East London-based makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench is known for a style that may, more than any other working artist today, define the cultural moment. Her looks are visceral, provocative, and often humorous, touching on the zeitgeist in ways at once utterly obvious (why isn’t anyone else going there?) and sharply subversive (that’s why). Think exaggerated prosthetic lips, ultra glossy and so large they nearly touch the nose; the off-kilter, kaleidoscopic color of Byredo’s debut makeup collection; or a soft classic look subtly turned on its head with bleached brows for Burberry. The ethereal animal prosthetics that Ffrench developed for Collina Strada’s Fall 2023 show may be her most recent viral sensation. Her work is emotive and full-on; there’s a physicality to it that feels less based in idealization than an exaggeration or play on reality. Color is a focus. She’s not a minimalist or a “beauty is fantasy” type. At least not in the traditional sense.

In addition to the vision she lends to the runways of designers like Vivienne Westwood, Thom Browne and Off-White, Ffrench has also consulted on formulations and beauty direction for Tom Ford, Christian Louboutin and others. A year ago, she launched her own line, Isamaya. Today, she’ll introduce Industrial 2.0, the follow up collection to the BDSM-inflected Industrial. Products include gunmetal and rusty orange lip glosses, with ginger oil and capsicum frutescens (also known as chili pepper) fruit extract to give the lips a vinyl-like shine and bee stung look, and an eye palette full of shimmery hues that range from pearly rose to glimmering slime green.

In advance of the launch, we spoke to Ffrench about why she felt compelled to launch her own brand, the beauty secret she got from Kate Moss, and just what is going on with her infamous dick lipstick.

Tell me the origins of your brand. How did you come up with the original concept?

Obviously, I’ve worked in makeup for a really long time. I felt like I had had a really good education in many different perspectives on beauty and, I suppose, industry and commercial needs. Then, Covid happened and suddenly I had all this free time. No time like the present. I began to unfold my perspective. A lot of it reflected on feeling like there were just so many opportunities within the beauty arena that hadn’t been grabbed. You know, like playing with interesting packaging and implementing interesting new formulas, campaign imagery, the whole approach really.

What do you want to say with the brand?

Makeup [typically] has a style. Fashion can be very fluid. I thought, Why don’t I approach this the way that fashion approaches seasonal changes, trends—to move with the times and do things that feel poignant and relevant to that moment in time? So I began developing the line with these ideas of having capsule collections rather than this idea of one full-on makeup thing. With Industrial, the idea of putting something BDSM-inspired into a cosmetic market felt quite radical and exciting. It felt like the most liberated statement to launch with. Around the same time fashion labels were also having a big BDSM renaissance, like Balenciaga, Kanye West was doing it, the Kardashians were doing loads of leather, R&M leathers were coming up, people were getting into heavy music, and I felt happy that the fashion zeitgeist had manifested in my brand as well.

The penis shaped lipstick caused quite a stir.

A lot of the time people say, “Why did you do it?” There’s no rhyme or reason. It was just this kind of obvious thing I had to do. I thought it would be very funny, of course: dick lipstick—it just makes sense! But there is so much happening in the world right now about sexual liberation, about embracing trans culture, about abortion rights, gender fluidity, sex on TV, nudity, and I feel like perhaps we’re at a moment where a dick lipstick just fell into the right time and place.

For me it made sense. Maybe for the people in the right cultural space it feels intuitive also.

I hope so. I feel like we’re at a place now where it's not taboo anymore. If anything, it's cool. It’s empowering. Why repress us anymore?

What is something that you’ve learned from working in the beauty industry that most people wouldn’t know?

God, how long have you got? A lot of cosmetics are just made in the same factories with the same formulas. It’s true. And as a makeup artist, you don’t become particularly loyal to one brand because you can recognize that so many brands are actually the same formula just in different packaging. So, just because your foundation costs £17 doesn’t mean that it's not the same formula as the one that costs £77. Don’t write off things because they’re less expensive, because actually they can be just as good if not better. It’s just about positioning.

Do you have any favorite makeup products?

I really love products that just naturally enhance. I’m very big into things like eyebrow pencils being quite versatile and not just being used for eyebrows, and things that have real tonal colors. I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow palette on lips, or to create enhanced micro contouring. For me, ultimately, if you want natural makeup, you don’t want people to know you’re wearing it. Products like Jones Road eyebrow pencils are really, really good. Westman Atelier does amazing contour sticks as well. They’re the heroes. Not just the bright colors. But the understated things that go unnoticeable. The untraceables.

With my collections, because we’re focusing so much on the storytelling, it's been really amazing to develop an eyeshadow palette where I can just pick and choose as many different formulas as I want. The beauty of the Industrial and Industrial 2.0 is being able to really curate color, which I think is often what I get brought on by other brands to do. Just the placement of the colors to look beautiful in the palette and interesting and unusual suggestions of things. That was the most fun to develop. I’ve really been able to flex my color muscle.

Do you have fantasy collaborators? Dead, alive, or even in disciplines that wouldn’t traditionally cross paths with fashion or beauty?

I’ve got a few. I’m a big metal music fan so I’m somehow trying to work in a collaboration in that world but we just need to find the right balance of commercial and scary. Also, I’m working on a collaboration with a tattoo artist. We’re trying to find some interesting ways of temporary tattoos or pens or ink on skins. I’m really excited by other uses of cosmetics.

What’s your biggest beauty splurge and was it worth it?

I bought an infrared lamp. Technically it is because infrared is renowned for being great for regeneration and collagen production. It's a full body one. Honestly, it was inspired by Kate Moss because I work with her so regularly and now, is she turning 50 next year? She just looks better and better and better. And I asked her what it was and she said, I’m using my infrared lamp. And I’m like, alright.

Sold.

Sold. That’s my splurge.

Are there any beauty trends you’ve participated in over the years that would make you cringe today?

I probably end up doing more with my hair than my face because I work on faces all the time. My hair has been every color under the sun at this point. There are definitely a few shades that won’t see the light of day again. I had matte green hair. It was so disgusting [laughs]. It wasn’t like an azure blue-y green. It was like your back garden, and it was matte. There was no shine. It was disgusting! That’s my one.

What’s the last thing you saw that really shocked or inspired you or provoked an idea that you could bring into something you created?

We have big plans for fragrance. I’ve done work with fragrance in the past, with Off-White and others, and I think fragrance is really interesting because it's another way of expressing yourself, isn’t it? You’re transforming or becoming more of yourself, truer to yourself and how you present in the world. There is so much opportunity in it.

What’s your favorite scent?

I wear a lot of different fragrances, but the one scent I love most is by a company called Rook Perfumes called Undergrowth. It smells like the soil, like underneath your shed which sounds awful but it’s strangely therapeutic and calming. I suppose because it has a very, very instinctive earthy smell. I got quite attached to it because there was something that felt quite grounding about it.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning beauty or wellness wise? Do you have a routine?

This morning I lay under the lamp for 15 minutes. The alarm will go off, I’ll put my goggles on, and I’ll just lie there. It’s quite good because after ten or 15 minutes it turns itself off, so it's like the second alarm clock. My morning routine is generally quite minimal. I’ll do a vitamin C and an SPF. But I also have two things that I use very regularly. One is the Dr. Levy Facial Contour Tool, which is like a massage device. It’s great for circulation and it just feels good. And then, I’ve been using these at home injections with NAD+ [a compound with purported anti-aging effects] as well—every couple of days, I give myself a jab in the ass. All of these things are not superficial things. They work on a deeper level which I suppose is just as important.

Do you have a beauty icon?

Serge Lutens has always been my icon because I feel like he was so true to his vision. He’s a creative director, he developed products, he shot campaigns, he directed things. His style was so strong and sophisticated and unique and gorgeous—and dark. I love his aesthetic. It’s incredible. Creatively, he’s probably up there with my number ones. And since launching my brand, hats off to Charlotte Tilbury. She has seriously smashed it on every level. To see what she’s achieved and always stay so positive, I really admire that about her.

What’s the last personal project you did?

I have a little side music group hustle, so we played at a show in the Hague. There was a lot of blood. There was a lot of makeup. It was very performance heavy.

Is there one beauty product you couldn’t live without?

During lockdown, we all did so much retinol and so many peels… There was a whole movement about destroying the skin’s barrier. I went from someone who didn’t do a lot with skincare to suddenly being very enthusiastic about it, and I then had some real skin issues which I never had before from overdoing it. My savior was just Doublebase cream. I don’t know what they have in the States, but it was basically just a very simple emollient for eczema. Every day I slapped that on and it gradually restored the damage.

Then, quite honestly, I’ve got quite bushy brows and for me I’ve never found a product that will gel your brows up and they’ll not flake. I ended up using hair gels for my brows. So when I did the BROWLACQ, that was a game changer for me. You can laminate your brows with it. It’s really strong. You can spike it. You can mohican your brows.

Who or what is inspiring you right now?

I’m sure you know David Cronenberg but his son Branden is a young filmmaker as well. I became really interested in his work because he uses a lot of in-camera special effects. He doesn’t really do 3D animations. And some of the work he makes is just visually so beautiful. He uses a lot of wax. He uses a lot of real life casts. He melts them. I’m so for authentic, real, physical work. Everything is digital now. Everything is CGI. And it's so much more powerful when it's a real thing happening. I’ve been very inspired by his approach to filmmaking.

Is there a piece of skincare or makeup advice that you’ve received that’s changed your perspective on beauty?

One thing I do is shave my eyebrows instead of plucking them. Trends are trends, aren’t they? You don’t want to pluck so much that they never grow back.

In general I think don’t fuck around with your face too much. The less you do the better. Confidence is the most beautiful anyone will ever look. Being really confident. I would rather work on that than doing something to change myself. If someone wants to get a nose job because they hate their nose and it makes them feel empowered, go for it. For me, because I work in the industry where things are changing all the time. Last year everyone wanted to look snatched and skinny, and this year they’re realizing that, actually, a more youthful round face is more desirable. What are you going to do? You’ve got to be so careful. The beauty industry is the fastest globally adaptive and changing place for ideals and aesthetics. So you just gotta be careful and look after yourself.