How Makeup Artist Dick Page Stays Sane During New York Fashion Week

Behind the scenes at New York Fashion Week, makeup artists are working overtime to deliver all of the looks we see on the runway. Beyond just executing the makeup itself, there is a lengthy process of collaborating directly with designers to conceptualize the details, trial runs and of course all of the backstage madness in preparation for the show. For makeup artist Dick Page, the chaos is an essential part of the fashion week experience. While he was responsible for the pastel pink eye looks at Area's SS26 show and the subdued glam at Michael Kors SS26, this season is far from his first rodeo.

For the Area makeup looks in particular, Page emphasized the importance of playing with products to get his desired outcome. For the look, he relied on Milk Makeup products to deliver the baby pink hue the brand's new creative director Nicholas Aburn had envisioned. While other makeup artists rely on mood boards and other points of reference to gain inspiration, Page maintains that makeup is about experimenting — rather than strict guidelines and overbearing requests.

Beyond that, Page is a NYFW veteran. Season after season, he's worked with different fashion powerhouses like Jacquemus and Hermès to bring their vision to life. Amid the mayhem both backstage and on the runway, Page remains cool, calm and collected, with a few grounding rituals to keep him sane. Thankfully, the makeup artist knows exactly what to expect when fashion month rolls around, although he admits he's doing less shows than he used to.

Ahead, we speak to Dick Page about his perfected process of developing makeup looks with designers and how he deals with all of the New York Fashion Week chaos.

 

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On Conceptualizing the Area SS26 Makeup Look

We went back and forth about the look with Nicholas, the designer, and Emma Wyman, who styled the show. We had a meeting a few weeks ago over zoom and then met in person to play with some ideas and try them out on models. The initial inspiration came from one picture we had of a powdered face, which was quite simple and pure-looking, and another few pictures of various pink makeup looks. Think pink. Pink was the starting point, and Milk Makeup has some great pink shades of their Lip + Cheek Sticks to play with.

On His Creative Process

The makeup look is just a nebulous idea until you start painting the face. I really don’t like a mood board myself, but I’m happy to look at visual references and then go off and play.

On His Fashion Week Rituals

I’ve been doing fashion shows since God was a girl, so I know what to expect, although I don't do as many shows as I used to. The shows themselves are much bigger affairs with way more moving parts and more models. My ritual includes getting enough sleep, eating real food when possible and taking some kind of exercise. This is also the recipe for staying sane.

On the Role Beauty Plays in Fashion Week

Beauty is massive in fashion week. The faces you see are a critical element of telling the designer’s story. Makeup and hair are the touches that complete the narrative. A look can tell a completely different story with different hair and makeup looks.

While you're here, read about the best beauty moments from fashion month SS26.

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