To Surprise, to enhance and to add edge: for decades this renowned French Makeup Artist has been working with the most prestigious magazines thanks to his unique vision of what makeup should and shouldn’t be. Scroll down to discover Tom Pecheux’s story, skills, and all the ways he can make you feel beautiful. In the early 80’s, Tom was training to be a pastry chef when his journey with makeup began. He met a makeup artistry student in a famous Parisian nightclub, and the rest is history. Thanks to a wide-ranging body of work and renowned collaborations, Tom is considered as one of the world’s top-class makeup artists both by peers and clients alike.

His signature style, which is always imbued with sensuality and a colourful playfulness, has been featured in numerous advertising campaigns and magazines such as Vogue, W, V, Interview and Harper’s Bazaar. “I love to bring the creative side to makeup when it’s right, but you also have to remember that a makeup artist is never working for himself – we’re always working for someone,” said Tom about his artistic vision.

Palettes like these don’t play it safe, and yet they manage to be wearable at the same time. How do you go about selecting the perfect combination of colours?

I try to imagine the women who will be wearing this palette. Some will be buying it for the way it looks, and the fact that it’s so collectible. But mostly, any woman who buys a palette does so because she really loves makeup. When you think of YSL you think of gold, black, and colour in general, so I wanted to avoid creating a collection of nude shades, because we already have one with the Satin Crush. I wanted a palette that was a true reflection of the world of YSL Beauté, that felt like a signature. And you can’t do that without being inspired by Marrakech, and Paris. Marrakech, with its blue skies and bold blue of Majorelle. Paris, with its unusual colour sensibility, always so bold and unique. It was a joy to work on, and I hope it will be a joy for women to use.

Couture Colour Clutch Paris – What would a quick Paris by day look be for you? And how would you update it for evening?

I thought of the Parisian woman and her busy day turning into a busy night, and created shades which are easy basics: a pink, a bronze, a pinkish-red. There are two shades – gold and silver – which are great staples, as is the black. And a purple and yellow to bring a little excitement to any day look. I like to add a little purple or yellow as an extra touch to a day look, as it’s unexpected. As for updating it for the evening, one thing we always forget about a palette, is you don’t just use the colours individually or in a pair or a trio; you can blend them, really mix the shades together and create something very interesting. I love to mix the purple and yellow together, you get a really interesting shade. Equally I like to mix some purple into the pink, or even into the silver to make a pretty sparkling lavender. It’s about creating a fantasy.

Couture Colour Clutch Marrakech – Marrakech is always a colour inspiration. Again, how would you create a day look using this palette? And how would you create a look for a night out?

Marrakech is such an inspiration. In the palette you have the blue of the sky in the bottom left, while on the bottom right you have the sandy shades. There are three warm colours – the two orange reds to me represent the sunset and the flowers. Grey and white are contrast colours – the light is so strong in Marrakech that you’re either hiding in the dark of the shade (grey), or you’re in the full glare of the sun (white). Although white is also a celebration of the snow on top of the Atlas Mountains, and the little clouds that look so pure. The three green-blue shades are a nod to the end of the day, when Marrakech becomes a green oasis in the middle of the desert. The best advice I could give for creating looks with this palette is to use the grey-black and the white to mix with some of the brighter colours in the palette. This way, if you like wearing strong makeup by day, you can mix the colours or wear them on their own. The white shade is so useful at creating a look that is more subtle, or a bit more of a pastel shade. Mix any colour with this white and you’ll create something soft and gentle. Equally, if you want the colours to be darker, but also less vivid, if you mix them with the grey you can deepen their effect. I like to add lots of grey to the green-blue or to the orange, to bring a lightness to each shade.

For the campaign, Kaia is wearing the Couture Colour Clutch Paris – what shades did you use specifically and what was the desired effect?

For the campaign image of Kaia, I applied a mix of the black and the violet shades; following on the eyelids with a mix of the gold and the yellow. To get the black on the upper eyelid, I used a kajal first, applying a little of the dark eyeshadow on top of it, blending it with purple. You can see the line is not so sharp, it’s more soft and blurred. I was aiming to create a bold, colourful look, that was a contrast between what was happening on the top lashes, and on the bottom. It’s quite sophisticated but not too over the top.

Overall, if you could describe Kaia’s look in the campaign, in just three words what would they be?

Bold. Wearable. Simple. I’d say it’s colourful but it’s not an abstract makeup. There’s an element of almost glam rock but it’s not pushed to the extreme, it’s easy to wear and to apply. That’s assuming I can have a few more words!

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