Artist in Residency: Cherish Brooke Hill’s Disco Dream
Welcome to Artist in Residency, our series that brings the industry's most innovative makeup artists to Rose Inc. for a month of creativity and inspiration. Each week, you'll discover an original look—and the story behind it—created by an artist we love.
Trends come and go in a cyclical fashion, but some decades never really leave the beauty zeitgeist. For celebrity makeup artist Cherish Brooke Hill, there’s one era that’s referenced again and again in her prolific work: The colors and shapes of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Breathing life into a bygone era’s over-the-top aesthetic requires a keen working knowledge of its power players—both creators and icons—and the kind of judgement possessed by only the most talented of modern artists. To wit: Technicolor shadow and avant garde shapes aren’t for the faint of heart, but Hill isn’t afraid to take risks, which is how she ended up in Hollywood.
“I told my family I was moving from Maryland to California to pursue a medical career,” she recalls with a laugh, noting that her traditional Ghanaian-American parents’ hope for a predictable career for their daughter was sidelined by Hill’s adolescent YouTube habit. “I used to watch backstage interviews with makeup artists at Fashion Week. I thought, ‘If Pat McGrath can make it as a Black woman, maybe I can, too’."
It’s been a decade since Hill arrived in Los Angeles and her portfolio is already brimming with stars, including longtime clients like Keke Palmer, Madison Beer, and Snoh Aalegra—and she’s just getting started. For these reasons and more, Rose Inc. is delighted to feature Hill as this month’s Artist in Residency.
Her Residency Inspiration:
Hill must regularly balance her artistic prowess with a client’s needs, but to kick off her Artist in Residency, she exercised a no holds barred approach to interpret her favorite era. “When you first start in the industry you have a childlike wonder and very few limitations,” she explains. “I wanted to tap into that freedom.” Hill let the color purple anchor this look, then modernized it with subtle rose accents brushed onto model Ashley Moore’s lips and cheeks.
Start with your lighter blush and move outwards to the darker shade so you get an airbrushed effect.
Behind This Look:
For a subtle glow, Hill prepped Moore’s complexion with a layer of Chantecaille Radiance Elixir before applying La Mer’s Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation with a brush. “It's important to use at least two different shades of foundation, especially for women of color,” she says, noting that a damp sponge is helpful when blending on the skin. “I used a warmer color on the perimeter of Ashley’s face and a lighter shade towards the center to give her a bronzed look without adding contour or bronzer.” Hill then buffed Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer under Moore’s eyes before setting with powder.
Sculpting with blush came next, but need not feel complicated. Hill created a slight graduation of color by using three complementary Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow singles, but notes that a blush palette is just as effective. “The trick is to take a step back and look in the mirror after each thin layer,” she says, adding that the color should fade into the temple for full drama. “Start with your lighter blush and move outwards to the darker shade so you get an airbrushed effect.”
To ground the eye, Hill sketched a thin line of Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in Versatile Violet along Moore’s upper and lower lash lines, then extended the line upwards at its tail. She topped with a deep blue Make Up For Ever shadow before reaching for Fenty Snap Shadow Palette in Pastel Frost.
Using thin layers, she smoothed the shimmery blue hue over the liner, then dusted a wash of purple and pink onto Moore’s lids by slowly blending the colors all the way into the temple to meet the blush. A thick coat of L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Mascara finished the eyes.
Hill lined Moore’s lips with Patrick Ta Precision Lip Crayon in She’s Bold before topping with a coat of Hourglass Unreal High Shine Volumizing Lip Gloss in Prose.
Ashley Moore photographed by Ford. Written by Lexy Lebsack.
