In 2010, make-up artist Yadim shot his first solo editorial: Dazed's October cover story, with Karen Langley and Sharif Hamza. Only four years later, he has been appointed Dazed's Beauty Editor and amassed a portfolio including cover stars from Kendall Jenner to FKA Twigs. For AnOther Magazine S/S15, he was responsible for the strong brows and glowing skin of iconic cover star Rihanna, and we asked him a few questions about the experience.
On the shoot...
"My highlight from the shoot was Rihanna doing a ten-minute striptease for Inez & Vinoodh while covered in oil and being filmed and watched by the entire crew. Twice. My jaw was dropped throughout the entire performance."
On working with Rihanna...
"It's always exciting to work with Rihanna because she challenges me. She's not one of these pop tarts with no voice and no opinion. She has a point of view and isn't afraid to speak her mind. I respect that."
On his references...
"Old pictures of Bianca Jagger by Avedon and Scavullo. The idea behind it was to make Rihanna look as beyond gorgeous as she possibly could. That isn't hard; she's a knockout when she walks into the studio in the morning without a stich of make-up, so let's just say we didn't use a lot."
On make-up techniques...
"I tend to use my hands a lot. I'm very tactile that way, so I apply lots with my hands and fingers. Ri loves an eyebrow and, for this shoot we really emphasised them. It gave her a strength and even a slightly perverse toughness that she wears so well in the pictures. A strong brow and fresh skin can do a lot when you're Rihanna."
