If one could crown a queen of cinema, then there is one cadidate that is surely on the short list and the A-list, of anyone who watches movies. The Queen Catherine Deneuve. All hail the Queen in Belle de Jour, where is she is at her most aristocratic. Perharps youth’s arrogance quickens in front of the lens. Image is a self portrait

It’s not Deneuve’s favorite. She talks about Tristana, another movie made with Buñuel. But If the public’s collective imagination was struck by Belle; it’s fair game to keep on looking into women’s desires, nearly 55 years later. Revisiting a monumental character of Western Cinema.   

Although the last time I had seen it, was a decade or so, I could still recall the pastel colour palette, in cool tones. Ditto for Deneuve’s brilliant wardrobe, makeup and hair, that capture the essence of the 60s, in the most perfect way. Catherine’s perfectly constructed facade as an actress playing a double life, and her breathtaking beauty.

NOTES ON MY MAKEUP RECREATION
While watching attentively this trailer I marveled at how the makeup is quite simple, all in tones of pink. They even changed the highlights to a pink tinge with makeup, which makes her look like a painted porcelain doll. No doubt, the reason why she was cast. I tried to recreate this pink/teal balance as all the whites shift in the movie. The wardrobe is white, baby blue, beige or black so you won’t notice this teal tinge. I shifted the digital image with a pale teal filter same as the film stock was treated, and the result is still magnificent 55 years later, on digital.

This is also the first makeup where I’ve used my airbrush not only to apply foundation, but also Skin Illustrator colours to modulate the pink tones. I’m not regretting the splurge as it’s taken my work to a new colour level!