Maquillage with a Mission: Make in NYC

Make is not your average beauty brand. First off, the architect-designed packaging was inspired by the work of Donald Judd. And the color spectrum comes from creatives like London interior designer Faye Toogood, NYC fashion designer Maryam Nassirzadeh, and photographer/filmmaker Erik Madigan Heck, who create not-for-the-faint-of-heart palettes (think: Poison Oak eyeshadow).

Creative director Ariana Mouyiaris took a roundabout route, studying international relations at Brown and modern architecture and color theory at RISD. After graduating, she moved to London to study at the Design Museum and work at Studio Toogood. Not long ago, she shifted her focus and signed on as the creative director of Make, a new line of cosmetics launched in collaboration with her father, Cyprus-born, NY-based Nikos Mouyiaris, an industry veteran (he worked closely with Franí§ois Nars to develop the Nars line, among other ventures).

There’s a higher purpose as well: the line funnels a percentage of its sales into the company’s We See Beauty foundation, a nonprofit effort “dedicated to accelerating women-led, worker-owned cooperatives to drive large scale change.” Last summer, the foundation launched its inaugural effort, the Do Good Be Beautiful cooperative in Brooklyn, NY. Working with a local social service organization, the cooperative recruited women to sell and distribute healthy cleaning and personal-care products. Next up: a collaboration with Opportunity Threads, a women-led cooperative in Morganton, NC, with a cut-and-sew factory and e-commerce site.

Bonus points: Make’s products are not tested on animals and are paraben-free, fragrance-free, and hypoallergenic. They’re available at Barney’s (at select stores and online) and directly from We See Beauty.

Above: Toogood collaborated with makeup artist Ayami Nishimura on three collections: New Medieval, Alchemy, and Aether.

Above: From Toogood’s Aether collection, eyeshadow colors in Salt Flat, a bright white from the Tonal White look, and Sulfur, a primary yellow with warm undertones; $25 each. 

Maryam Nassirzadeh for Make

Above: Fashion designer Maryam Nassirzadeh created a makeup collection with artist Ozzy Salvatiera called Celeste e Verde, inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni’s first technicolor film from 1964, Red Desert.

Above: The Celeste e Verde collection includes a Super Matte Cake Liner Duo and a smudge of the Super Matte Pencil.

Erik Maidan Heck for Make

Above: Photographer Erik Madigan Heck collaborated with makeup artist Sam Addington on the Post-Impression Makeup Collection, inspired by the abstract landscapes of the Hudson River Valley.

Above L: Matte Finish Eye Shadow in Poison Oak; $25. Above R: Custom Finish Matte Dew Skin Perfector; $27.

We’ve been following Faye and Maryam for a while now; catch a glimpse of Toogood’s own home in London in 5 Favorites: Muuto Dot Hangers Used in Unexpected Ways and see our Shopper’s Diary post on Maryam Nassirzadeh in NYC.