Isamaya Ffrench on disrupting the beauty industry and her desert island make-up bag

Few people are so skilled at navigating the blurred line between make-up and art as Isamaya Ffrench. The 36-year-old is acclaimed for creating whole worlds in her approach to make-up; using it as an instrument for transformation, disruption, or now, with her new core collection, a way to enhance what's already there.

Ffrench has had a storied career in the industry. While studying at university, she started face painting at children's parties. It was a slow eureka moment, which evolved into body painting male models for an i-D magazine editorial in 2011. In the years since, she has collaborated with and spearheaded the beauty arms of brands like Tom Ford, Junya Watanabe, Byredo Makeup, Off-White and Burberry, before launching her eponymous beauty line in 2022.

Like everything Ffrench does, her new core collection comes with a wink. Her new Face Glaze—a gel-based balm—is a standout take on the classic highlighter, and is infused with brown algae extract and phyto-collagen to hydrate and plump while glossing the face. But with its silver packaging and long, thin nozzle, it looks like a needle, and Ffrench wields it like one when I speak to her amidst the bustle of Selfridges' Beauty Hall.

Her offering stands out amongst the department store's array of legacy brands; it's sleek, playfully medical, and above all, aesthetically and formulation-wise, brings an editorial edge to the mass market. "I created the brand for anyone who wants to elevate their look and amplify their natural beauty," she tells me. "It's such a powerful tool, it can transform you from feeling rough in the morning to feeling a million pounds. Beauty is boundless and limitless." Below, we discuss the new collection and her evolving approach to make-up and aesthetics.

On her make-up bag essentials

I think the essential things that you should have on you at all times are multi-purpose products; things that you can use on your cheeks, lips, and eyes, which cover all bases and are super lightweight.

Why did you feel the need to create a core collection?

I've always felt like there was a massive gap between skincare and make-up. We do all these amazing things for our skin and spend so much time perfecting it, only to undo the good work with make-up. So I wanted to take that philosophy and move it, so that when you take your make-up off at the end of the day, you look even better. I want to wear skincare in my make-up and feel incredible for it.

Who is the Isamaya Ffrench woman to you?

I created the brand for anyone who wants to elevate their look and amplify their natural beauty. You can start with using our metallic balm, which adds something extra to your normal, everyday lip balm. Or if you're a skin person who wants that really perfect but effortless looking base, wear our colour-correcting serum, which does all the hard work for you.

Sadly, make-up has long been associated with superficiality—when did your perception of it start evolving?

It does have this air of being sort of superficial, but it's not. Earlier this year, I worked with athletes as part of a Nike collaboration, and those girls completely re-inspired my love for make-up. It was such an important tool in making them feel empowered when they're out there trying to get that Olympic gold medal. When they're on the track, they do their eyeliner or nails in a certain way, because it feels like good luck. Make-up is such a powerful tool, it can transform you from feeling rough in the morning to feeling a million pounds. Plus, beauty is such a subjective thing, and what I've learnt in my career is that everyone has a different approach, and that can come through upbringing, cultural differences and social influences... At the end of the day, beauty is what you make of it. It's boundless and limitless.

What was your earliest make-up memory?

My earliest makeup memory is reading Kevin Aucoin's Making Faces in a bookshop when I was about seven years old. I think I read it about 10,000 times after that.

On personal doubts

In the past, I always felt like 'just' being a make-up artist didn't feel like enough to deliver my creative expression in its entirety. But, particularly after creating the brand, I've realised that being a make-up artist is so much more than applying colour to faces; you have to be there for people as their therapists... You need to be brilliant at understanding different complexions, skin tones, and making people feel the best they can about themselves. It's such an incredible job, and I feel so lucky to do what I do.

What are your desert island beauty products?

I'd have to take my Braun shaver for my eyebrows, because I shaved them off before Christmas, and I can't bear to let them grow back because the stubble is too terrifying. I would also take one of the sculpting sticks from my range because they cover all bases: eyes, lips, contour, everything. And I would take my wipes that I created in collaboration with Conserving Beauty. They dissolve in water, leaving zero trace, so they're incredible for the environment. And if I were on a desert island, I wouldn't want to be polluting the water.

Who are your beauty icons?

I love people who are true to themselves and whose creative expression is part of their make-up routine. Michèle Lamy is incredible, Cindy Sherman is amazing, I love the artist Anne Imhof because she is so raw, and I feel like there's a real element of truth in her face and in her work. Gwendoline Christie is the most incredible actress, and I'm so lucky that I get to do her make-up all the time; she embodies every character that she plays. There are too many to name, really.

What trends are you looking forward to this summer?

I'm very excited to get back into the lip game. We've had a nudie moment, but I think bright colours, textures and interesting formulas will be back in.

What isn't beautiful?

I feel like anti-beauty isn't something aesthetic; it's about people who don't have compassion. There's nothing beautiful about someone who doesn't have empathy or is very judgmental. Beauty goes beyond the superficial—to me, it's about what's inside.

What does expression mean to you?

It's about being true to yourself, and expressing yourself in your most honest and truthful way.

You can shop Isamaya Beauty's Core Collection online or in store at Selfridges