From concept to shoot, the Outback collection was meant to highlight the beauty of a model in an environment she’s at odds with, juxtaposing hard with soft, rough with smooth. But Kevin Murphy, brand founder, quickly discovered himself and his team at odds with the Australian Outback on shoot day. “I don’t think we really understood how challenging the environment was going to be,” says Murphy.
Kevin Murphy putting the finishing touches on set.
“It was super-hot and very dry. We were going for a ’90s look with the makeup, which was heavy black eyeliner on the inside rim of the eye. The makeup artist would draw black liner on the models’ eyes just before we shot, and when we looked at all the first shots, the girls looked like they were in tears. We probably should have given it some more thought and eased up on the eyeliner.”
Above and below: The hero products used to create the collection’s looks.
But Murphy and his team were able to practice grace under fire, producing beautiful imagery to convey the high performance of Kevin.Murphy products in any situation, like our cover model, who looks fashionably at ease in the most unforgiving of environments.
Photography: Luis Murphy