Makeup Artist Mary Greenwell Has a New Virtual Beauty Gig With Drest App

Dianna Mazzone
·5 min read

With a client list that's included Princess Diana, Cate Blanchett, and Jessica Chastain, it's fair to say makeup artist Mary Greenwell has a knack for working with beautiful, multi-dimensional women. But you can't say the latter about her latest clients — only because they're literally just two-dimensional.

As of today, Greenwell is working in partnership with fashion gaming app Drest — in which users participate in styling challenges using real-life looks from brands such as Valentino and Gucci — to curate a selection of makeup looks for its avatars.

Users will have the option to virtually apply products like blush, liner, and eye shadow (choosing from subtle, cut-crease, or blended) and can follow along with in-feed tutorials by Greenwell when doing so. The makeup pro will also be launching limited-edition ready-made looks that users can apply to their avatars with a single tap.

Allure asked the makeup artist about the challenges (and surprising perks) of working with 2D clientele, and how she hopes the app will inspire users when applying makeup IRL.

If someone told you a decade ago you'd be designing makeup for avatars, how would you have reacted?

"I would have thought, 'What a fantastic thing to do!' Games were big 10 years ago, but I certainly didn't expect to see fashion and beauty in this space. Drest has made its avatars look so wonderful and lifelike — curating makeup options to enhance their beauty has been so much fun, and a real privilege."

What was it about Drest that inspired you to sign on as a partner?

"I have known Lucy [Yeomans, a longtime editor and the founder of Drest] for a long time, and [think] the notion of opening up our industry to everyone is simply wonderful. Drest provides the world with a truly creative outlet. I also love correcting other people's work [laughs], which I was invited to do — I worked closely with the talented team at Drest to develop what they had designed for the game and introduce them to new ideas and concepts.

I helped them understand makeup and what it can do, if applied cleverly. Sometimes there can be too much choice, as a professional I know that less is required, and so I reduced the offering, enhanced and changed colors and directed positioning so that every makeup technique is represented in the way it should look in my mind."

You'll also be designing ready-made looks. What inspired this first one?

"I've named it Fashion Fantasy — it's the ultimate red-carpet look, and a celebration of all of the different events that were supposed to be happening but are sadly postponed or canceled. When creating a red-carpet look, I don't tend to push it too far; it has to be very workable yet extremely beautiful. With Fashion Fantasy, I extended the eye on both sides and applied a vivid green shade along with a strong mouth. The result is very simple yet impactful."

What was the most unexpected part of creating makeup looks for avatars?

"Surprisingly, I approached the task in the same way that I would with a person. Even though the avatars are 2D, they look very real and, in my mind, appear as though they are 3D. I looked at each avatar like I would at anybody and asked myself 'What do I want to achieve? Bushy brows, a completely natural look?' The avatars' faces are completely dimensional so applying makeup was much easier than it can be in real life."

What were some of the challenges? The advantages?

"Drest players can choose from 12 avatars — each virtual model looks different from the other with unique facial features, hair, skin tone, body shape, and age. As in real life, getting colors right is always a challenge — different makeup shades look best on certain skin tones. I faced the same issues as I would with real skin.

Working with something that doesn't move is hugely advantageous. With a static face I could focus and get stuck into the detail — changing colors quickly and easily, without any staining or smudging, made things very simple. Having said that, my job is to please people and make them feel as beautiful as possible, so I did miss having human interaction and seeing emotions as a result of what I have spent time perfecting."

Are there any real-life beauty lessons you hope users will take away from the in-app experience?

"I imagine there are lots of people who have never dared to put green eye shadow on, but I hope, through Drest, people will realize how much fun they can have with makeup!"

Drest is available for free on the App Store and Google Play.

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Originally Appeared on Allure