This just in—Filipino creatives are behind Ariana Grande’s latest makeup launch for r.e.m. beauty. In an exclusive interview with the team, they tell us how the process of shooting the campaign was a labor of love
In this era of inclusivity in the beauty industry, more homegrown Filipino talent is getting recognized by global makeup brands. The latest to develop is the launch of “Yours Truly,” a limited edition makeup set by Ariana Grande’s brand, r.e.m. beauty. This is a noteworthy launch because homegrown creatives are at the forefront of its campaign, from the women modeling the products to the producer behind the camera. Here’s everything you need to know about the Filipino-led campaign.
A turn in the spotlight
The all-pink collection is inspired by Ariana Grande’s debut album of the same name. This three-item set includes “1954,” a lustrous liquid eyeshadow coming in a glittering shade of gold and pink. The second item in the set is “Honeymoon High,” a highlighter coming in a soft iridescent pink shade. Finally, the set is completed by “Pink Razor,” a baby pink plumping lip gloss.
The global online launch for the “Yours Truly” makeup set is on January 18, and with it, you can create soft pink monochromatic makeup looks.
Upon visiting the official website, you’ll find that the models for the campaign are Pat Cortez and Chucel. Meanwhile, the photographer behind the campaign materials is beauty digital creator Cine Escalona, and the creatives responsible for the dreamy beauty looks are makeup artist Janica Cleto and hairstylist Carlo Roblico. Completing the team are Kirsten Ariana, who’s in charge of socials, and Hannah Marable, who assisted.
To give us more info on what happened behind the scenes of the campaign are photographer Cine Escalona and makeup artist Janica Cleto.
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A labor of love
yours truly ♡ see you on january 16 pic.twitter.com/2wPenCiDGK
— r.e.m. beauty (@rembeauty) January 10, 2024
In an exclusive interview with MEGA, Cine delves a little into how the concept behind the campaign came to fruition, saying, “It’s really amazing how much talent is really needed to make one image come to life. The r.e.m. beauty team really wanted to pay homage to Yours Truly, and the sweet, soft pink feeling we get listening back to that album a whole decade ago. Coquette fashion, ballerinas, [and] ribbons, were just some of the things you could find in the mood board.”
Likewise, Janica tells MEGA, “The creative brief was to match the global campaigns for r.e.m. beauty with soft ethereal looks. I incorporated the colors of their products and matched the color palette of the background and that’s how we created a more soft and ballet core vibe that highlights [r.e.m. beauty’s] products for the makeup looks.”
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Continuing on, Cine tells us that creating these pieces was a huge labor of love and determination on her and the team’s part. Remarking on her past experiences, she says, “I’ve done countless product campaigns before, but this project is my very first where I’ve been asked to shoot model images. It’s crazy to think the team at r.e.m. beauty believed in my existing work hard enough to take that chance.”
To that end, Janica relates, saying that the feeling of witnessing her work finally go live on the website is indescribable since this is such a big campaign for her. “It’s an honor to be able to work with such a renowned brand by Ariana Grande, nonetheless, I thank Cine and the team for trusting me with this campaign.”
All the mutual trust definitely paid off in the end based on the final outcome, which Cine acknowledges. “The process definitely felt like a baptism of fire, but the images came out hot! It’s a real testament to how unwaveringly talented Filipino creatives are,” she ends.
Photos: R.E.M. BEAUTY and CINE ESCALONA (via Instagram)
