Eloise Michel

^{Makeup Artist}

Leopard print holds a special place in my heart, it brings me a sense of comfort that I can’t quite explain. To me, it embodies femininity, sex appeal, and power. A woman in leopard print isn’t hiding; she wants to be seen, and she enjoys the attention. Leopard print smells like cold tobacco, Chanel No. 5 and old red lipstick.
The things society deems negative about it : tacky, outdated, vulgar, loud, excessive, are exactly what I find inspiring. I love leopard print in its most maximalist form: clashing patterns, bold colors, and that glorious, overwhelming effect when it’s layered in abundance.

For this project, I created a polyptych composed of multiple images I took using leopard print as a central element. The focus is on makeup, inspired by early 2000s dancers, performers face and body paintings. There’s something charming and unapologetically bold in that tackiness.
To amplify the maximalist aesthetic, I treated the images like digital collages, layering leopard print upon leopard print, pushing the visual chaos until it felt just right.