“The PF profile is a curated edit where we interview your favourite beauty enthusiasts along with key industry professionals that are seasoned on all things health, beauty and wellness related. Paradise Files speaks to key women who we believe have valuable knowledge to offer to a wider audience, whilst shedding light on their beauty journey.”
We introduce Netherlands based multi-hyphenate beauty creative Celine Bernaerts. With a modern day approach to beauty, Celine explores her strong line of inspiration from the 60’s bringing it to life to her huge social following. Celine has worked with multiple beauty brands internationally, more noticeably YSL Beauty, Dermalogica, Too Faced and more. Celine speaks to PF on her love for beauty whilst shedding insight on how to navigate within the industry and the freedom she finds within beauty.
What is your earliest beauty memory?
I remember asking my mother if I could wear eyeliner because we were performing a “circus” performance at my friends house. I was probably around 6 and we loved to perform anything on a weekly basis!
Where did your love for make-up begin?
At first obviously because I wanted to beautify myself. Unfortunately I’ve been plagued with dark undereye circles all my life and it used to be my worst insecurity. The moment I discovered what concealer was, I was sold!
Later, around 16 or 17 I realized make-up could also be used as a creative expression. Growing up without social media as we now know it, a very visual platform, it was mainly experimenting on my own face. Then I got interested in photography and realized the relationship between the two when attending Art School in Rotterdam. My parents insisted on a more conventional education when I expressed my interest in make-up as a career so I had to wait a while before being able to persue it. In the end I fully agree with them since I had a bit of growing up to do.
Where do you search for inspiration when creating beauty looks?
I try to stay away from looking at other artists too much but get inspired by the products on my table or the clothes I choose for a certain post. Sometimes the brush just guides me to something I didn’t imagine before hand, which is fun!
What’s been one of your favourite references?
I do love a 60’s inspired eye, and it makes a frequent appearance on my feed.
What do you love the most about using your own face as a medium for your creativity?
Not having any boundaries set upon me. With editorial there’s always a theme or you have to keep the styling in mind. In my own bubble there’s no one guiding or directing my creative instincts. It’s utter freedom!
What has been one of your favourite beauty purchases recently?
My skincare routine! Unfortunately at 31 I still have blemishes, little pimples and sometimes it looks like I started puberty at 27 haha! I cannot live without my vitamin C serum (biolumin-C serum by dermalogica).
How do you prep your skin?
I try to keep my skincare routine simple and effective: daily exfoliation with a very gentle rice powder exfoliator, hydrating toner, vitamin C serum, a rich moisturiser and of course SPF 50.
Which beauty products would you say would be in Celine Bernaerts’s starter pack?
COLOUR! Specifically colorful eyeliner like depixym cosmetic emulsion or Danessa Myricks color fix. Then Concealer, eyeliner, mascara and lip balm!
When it comes to being a beauty creative, how would you advise somebody to break into the beauty industry?
The way people used to learn a skill in the olden days: become an apprentice of sorts. You can only learn this vocation by actually performing the act of doing make-up. Practice on everyone you can and assist to learn from those who’ve been doing it far longer than you.
Of course social media can be a help, but there were so many things to unlearn when I first started doing make-up professionally, that I would advice to pick your “teachers” very carefully.
The beauty industry is ever evolving, what do expect to change in the next few years?
One thing we’ve learned is that we can’t predict the future, especially in 2020. One thing I do see is that more and more actual make-up artists are making an appearance on social media, which is very exciting! The gap between the make-up enthusiasts and the professionals in closing bit by bit, whereas social media used to be viewed as not done.
As a make-up artist, what do you want your legacy to be?
Joy! There are many things we can hope for in our professional lives, but most of all I hope to bring people joy.
