Makeup artist
London

Now booking SS27

Kiko Lin

Makeup artist
London

Fashion week
Backstage, campaigns

Studio
Clerkenwell, EC1

A model with soft bronze eyes and bare skin on grey seamless
Fig. 1 · Skin, grey seamless
No.WorkCityYear
01SS27 showsParis2026
02Fragrance campaignLondon2026
03AW26 showsLondon2026
04Skincare filmNew York2025
05Menswear lookbookMilan2025
06Beauty cover storyLondon2025
Kiko’s kit laid out in rows on white: brushes, palettes and lipsticks
Fig. 4 · The kit
A close-up of glowing freckled skin
Fig. 2 · Glow
Backstage at a show: artists working at a wall of mirrors
Fig. 3 · Backstage

Now booking SS27 showsShows from £1,200 · Campaign days £1,600Inquire →

02Work

Faces made of one decision.

Skin first, so it looks like skin under show lights and at 100% on a retoucher’s screen. Then one thing, placed exactly: a line, a gloss, a dot.

  • One red dot, London, September
    Fig. 5One red dotLondon · September
  • A single line, Paris, March
    Fig. 6A single lineParis · March
  • Clear lid, groomed brow, Milan, January
    Fig. 7Clear lid, groomed browMilan · January
  • Skin, nothing else, London, February
    Fig. 8Skin, nothing elseLondon · February
  • Matte red, last thing on, Paris, September
    Fig. 9Matte red, last thing onParis · September
  • Tint, pressed in by hand, New York, February
    Fig. 10Tint, pressed in by handNew York · February
Index, 2014–2026
No.WorkCityYearRole
01SS27 showsParis2026Key artist, four shows
02Fragrance campaignLondon2026Key artist
03AW26 showsLondon2026Key artist, team of nine
04Skincare filmNew York2025Key artist
05Menswear lookbookMilan2025Key artist
06Beauty cover storyLondon2025Makeup
07SS26 showsMilan2025Key artist, team of six
08Eyewear campaignLondon2024Key artist
09AW25 showsNew York2024First assistant
10Graduate collection showLondon2014The first one
03Practice
Kiko Lin, makeup artist, in a black sweater on grey seamless, holding a brush
Fig. 11 · Kiko Lin, Clerkenwell

I trained as a typographer. Skin is my grid now.

I studied graphic design in London and spent three years setting type on a grid. In my final year a friend needed makeup for her graduate collection show, and nobody else would do it: twelve models, one mirror and a head torch, in a car park in Hackney. I never went back to type.

I assisted a key artist for six seasons, carrying her kit between London, Paris, Milan and New York and learning that most of a backstage face is subtraction. My first show as key artist was in 2019. I have done every season since.

The grid taught me what I still believe about faces. Get the skin even and quiet, so it holds a structure. Then make one decision and place it exactly. If a face needs two, the first one was wrong.

Between seasons I work from a whitewashed studio in Clerkenwell, testing looks for designers and mixing the tints for the next show.

  • 24seasons backstage
  • 4cities every season
  • 12artists on the team, at most
  • 1decision per face
04Backstage

A show day, counted down.

Kiko, seen from behind, working at a long row of mirrors backstage
Fig. 12 · Backstage, AW26, London
  1. Call

    The team in at the mirrors. One sheet for the face: the steps in order, the products, a photo.

  2. The test face

    Kiko does the first model herself. The designer approves it, or we change one thing.

  3. The line

    Every artist takes a chair. The same face, in the same order, on every model.

  4. The wall

    A photo of every finished face goes up in a grid, so nothing drifts by the fortieth.

  5. Checks

    Shine, edges, brows. If there is a red, it is the last thing on.

  6. Show

    Kiko at the exit with a sponge and a brush until the last look walks.

A wall of instant photos of every finished face, pinned in a grid
Fig. 13 · The wall, T−1:30
A model in an ivory coat walking a white runway
Fig. 14 · T−0:00
05Kit

What is in the case.

Two brushes, a sponge, two foundations and a steel palette in a straight row on white
Fig. 15 · A face, in order

Skin

  • Fourteen tints, mixed per face
  • Two balms, no primer
  • Blotting papers, a lot of them

Eyes

  • One black pencil
  • Clear brow gel
  • A lash curler, cleaned between models

Lips

  • Three reds: blue, orange, brown
  • A plain balm
  • Lip brushes, one per model

Tools

  • Thirty-one brushes, washed every night
  • A steel palette
  • The head torch, still
06Rates

Rates, 2027.

BookingCoversRate
Show, key artistPer show, with the test£1,200
Show teamKey artist and up to eight artistsFrom £3,400
Campaign or filmPer day, 10 hours£1,600
EditorialPer day£750
Look test3 hours at the studio£350

Plus VAT. Kit included, no usage fees. Paris, Milan and New York: the rate plus a travel day at half, flights and hotel at cost. About a third holds the date.

07Words

What clients say

  1. 01

    She changed one thing on the test face, and the whole collection made sense.

    Mira H. · Designer, AW26 show, London
  2. 02

    Forty faces, nine artists, and every one identical at the exit. That almost never happens.

    Tomas V. · Show producer, Paris
  3. 03

    The quietest corner backstage. The models ask for her chair.

    Ada O. · Casting director, London
08Studio

Clerkenwell, EC1.

Kiko’s studio: whitewashed brick, steel windows, one chair and a long table of kit
Fig. 16 · The studio

A whitewashed room on the second floor of an old print works, five minutes’ walk from Farringdon. Look tests, fittings and the tints for every season are made here.

Tests
Tuesday to Friday, by appointment
Shows
At the venue, wherever it is
Address
Sent with your booking
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Kiko Lin · Clerkenwell, London EC1 Five minutes from Farringdon. Address sent with your booking. Open the map
09Questions

Before you book.

01When should we book for fashion week?

Eight to ten weeks before the season. SS27 is booking now, and the London dates go first.

02Do you travel for Paris, Milan and New York?

Every season. Abroad it is the rate plus a travel day at half rate, with flights and the hotel at cost.

03How big a team can you bring?

Up to twelve artists, most of them the same people every season. One key face, one sheet, every chair the same.

04Does the team work on every skin tone?

Yes. The kit carries fourteen tints and every face is mixed in the chair. Every artist on the team is tested on deep and fair skin before a season starts.

05Do you do hair?

No, makeup only. Kiko works alongside the hair team and can recommend one.

06Do you take private clients?

Rarely. For an event, book a look test at the studio and we will see if it fits.

07How do I hold a date?

Pick it below and pay the deposit. The date is yours, and the deposit comes off the invoice. Prices are plus VAT.

10Book

Hold a date.

Now booking SS27 shows: London, Paris, Milan and New York.

Pick the date and pay the deposit. Kiko replies the same day, usually with one question about the collection.

  1. 1Service
  2. 2Date
  3. 3Details
Inquire
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