Smoky, Sultry, Sexy and SKIN! Sophia Sinot Is Marking Her Signature All Over the Makeup Industry.

From Doja Cat to Emma Chamberlain, Zara Larsson, and Camila Cabello, makeup artist Sophia Sinot is clearly in the business of painting the most adorned faces—but more than that, it keeps these starlets trusting her hands with their faces. She has long earned her place as one to watch, but now she’s cementing herself as the artist to work with.

As a young girl, Sinot started watching Michelle Phan’s YouTube videos, a popular and successful makeup and beauty creator, and familiarised herself with her work and technique. Soon after, she began holding her own makeup trials herself. Though all of the credit is not due to Phan, the influence is evident: the daringness, the constant experimentation, the attention to detail. It’s a testament to her creative pursuit of going against the grain of what makeup artistry can constitute.

Although you may not be familiar with Sinot’s name, you can certainly identify her craftsmanship and style. Her skill has taken her all over the world, from London to New York, Amsterdam to Los Angeles, and at each stop, she graces the faces of an artist or talent there.

Her Instagram page is but a tease of all of the work she’s done over the years, with only 91 posts, but still, each is a snapshot into her mastermind: Bratz-style, elongated eyes drawn out with holographic chromes, and eyelashes spiked with icicle-reminiscent extensions, her works make sense to how all different kinds of surfaces can become canvases for artwork. To say she creates optical illusions is an understatement.

Sinot has frequently spoken about her fascination with the human mind and technology, which even spurred the need to create a Discord where AI-generated artwork can be made. The creative, safe space resembles a reference mood board for creatives, specifically focusing on makeup artists and hairstylists. It’s a flourishing network of people from all across the world, and as expected, the calibre of work is incredible—all inspired by Sinot’s own human mind.

There are many hidden gems and unsung heroes within the makeup industry, some of which are established, many of whom are upcoming, and in an era of Thomas de Kluyver, Anne Sophie Costa’s and (of course, the queen) Pat McGrath, Sinot is a refreshing reminder of the growing creativity emerging in cherished corner of the industry. It’s quite nostalgic. And it feels like many are hanging onto it, too. A recent photo series paying tribute to Jean Paul Gaultier and the way he honoured the 80s and 90s punk scene, including the fashion and grimy glitz of it all, shows that perhaps Sinot is just on the pulse with her facial paintings. Flawless skin bases decorated with sleek, glittering cut creases and four-dimensional glossed lips make for mesmerising makeup moments – a personal favourite being her opalescent bronzey look for internet personality-turned-entrepreneur Emma Chamberlain for Mugler. Paired with a pink-tinged terracotta lip, with inner corners to match, it was an enchanting spin on a staple glam look, and this is what Sinot does. She takes what could be mundane and paints it into something spellbinding.

This feels like it’s becoming a trend that will surpass the typical cycle time frame. With the skincare and wellness industry growing by the minute, scaling into a multi-billion dollar industry, and the hashtags taking over TikTok, the natural base with pops of colour - or rather shimmer – is definitely here to stay. Fellow London-based makeup artist Aoife Cullen is someone who is clearly on the same wavelength, marking her stamp on cutting-edge (literally) makeup lips, with smooth skin and bold lips. This is how the girls are decorating their faces, and I imagine we should follow suit.

That being said, though we’ve almost graduated from Brat summer, we’re heading into Hot Girl Fall, and it can feel like this is when things really begin in the year – more nights out, more gigs, more dinners, and all the more reason to glam up. And it’s clear the talented makeup artist is constantly on the go, her Instagram bio pinpointing ‘LA/NYC/LDN’ but she’s not done yet. She recently teased a project challenging the notion of what the future of beauty looks like to her, one of which involves an NFT project that’s been in the works for the last three years, and a beauty-focused photobook in collaboration with photographer, Svenja Ava.

So, if you need inspo, look no further than Miss Sophia Sinot.