The Random Craft Store Find That Made Katseye's

25.06.2026, 17:09 allure.com

“Okay, no one can talk. I'm so sorry.” This was makeup artist Alexandra French’s plea as she watched the five polka-dot pout masterpieces she had just spent hours creating head to lunch. The lip makeup for Katseye's Allure cover was made to literally match the '60s-inspired outfits that Sophia Laforteza, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, and Yoonchae Jeung wore for the shoot. “It's five girls, and I had to do all the lips myself because I had it in my head exactly how I wanted it,” French says. “It's tough to pass that on to someone else.”

So how, exactly, did these polka-dot pouts make their way onto the mood board? French says she and photographer Charlotte Rutherford collaborated on the concept. “Vintage makeup is really having such a comeback in the fashion world and in the editorial world. I think it's just like the complete opposite of what's happening in the makeup space right now,” says French, referring to the minimal makeup looks that are all over social media and red carpets.

The return of the retro look isn’t just about nostalgia. French says it’s rooted in a collective desire for more—more drama, more color, and more energy in makeup. As an example, she points to the fantasy lip trend, where makeup artists use color and sparkle to create eye-catching looks on a part of the face that often doesn't get to be the center of attention. “When I started makeup school in 2012, that's when lip art was popular,” says French. “I was such a hater of it at the time; it was really cheesy back then. But people like Sophia Sinot really brought back this movement of fun lips; not lip combos, but lip art.”

The process of creating this look began long before the photo shoot. As soon as the concept was solidified, French began thinking of different ways to translate the polka-dot print on the cover stars’ outfits into a makeup look. “I had polka-dot lip tattoos made by a friend of mine, Michelle Sparzo. I tried painting on individual dots,” French says. “For timing reasons, we ended up using confetti pieces that I found deep in my makeup kit."

French says she found the party decor staple at Michaels many years ago and immediately added it to her collection of adornments. “I have hundreds of little vials of different confetti and different rhinestones, pigments, and glitter pieces that I collect for my kit as I travel,” she says.

Like many makeup artists working on an editorial set, French leans toward mixing and cocktailing products to create unique shades. Each member of Katseye has a different iteration of the polka-dot lip look: Lara wore white polka dots over hot pink lipstick, Megan and Sophia wore white polka dots over a bubblegum pink base, Daniela wore black lipstick with white polka dots, and Yoonchae wore black polka dots over a light pink base.

“For Lara, we used a hot pink Stila Cosmetics lipstick,” says French, who adds that she mixed the matte formula with highlighter pigments to create an even brighter color. “It kind of has this crazy ethereal glow.”

After laying down the base colors, French applied translucent setting powder on top for a matte canvas, then used House of Lashes eyelash glue and a wax stick to apply the confetti dots over the lipstick. “I had my assistant hold a little heart-shaped mirror that had all the confetti pieces on it, and I would just dip and place,” French says.

French says the exact products she chose are a blur, but she did use MAC Lip Pencils in Nightmoth (a dark mauve), Cyber World (a black with purple undertones), and Caviar (a basic black liner). “I also used a Made by Mitchell eye shadow palette,” says French. “I just kept mixing colors together.” To get the shades of light pink worn by three of the Katseye members, “I mixed a yellow with a pink, a blue, and a white, and I just kept going until we got that almost ugly, early 2000s powdery, almost white-pink lipstick,” French says. “I knew they could pull it off.”

Blink, and you'll miss that there are also polka dots placed delicately at the tips of the singers’ eyelashes. The look might feel familiar to Lady Gaga fans: The confetti that French used on Katseye first appeared in the “Die With a Smile” music video. In both instances, “I made these lashes using those confetti dots and a black gel nail polish to make the lashes a little more spiky,” says French. “Then I cured them under like a nail light while gluing on the polka dots to the tips of the lashes.” The result was a retro, doll-like glam with a playful feel.

Once French perfected all five polka-dot looks, the crew broke for lunch, meaning the five girls with meticulously crafted lip makeup were about to use those gorgeous mouths to eat—every makeup artist's worst nightmare. “I just thought, Please, please, if there's a God out there, please don't mess this up,” says French.

And when they returned to set, all five Katseye members had managed to keep their polka-dotted lips intact, a true testament to French’s artistry and Katseye's nimble ability to eat very neatly—plus, the power of One/Size Powder Melt Glass Setting Spray.

To see the full looks, check out Allure’s June cover story, where the members of Katseye bond over accepting their sexuality, their hypothetical future weddings, and the friendships they’ve built that go far beyond the band.

Photographer: Charlotte RutherfordStylist: Lisa JarvisHair: Evanie FraustoMakeup: Alexandra FrenchManicure: Juan AlvearMovement Director: CrystallineProduction: Someday Studio

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