Photographer Greg Kessler zooms in on the flirtatious mouth of Estonian model Merilin Perli in the first installment of his new beauty series, Macro-Morphosis. A regular contributor to The New York Times' T Magazine, Dossier Journal and 10 Magazine, Kessler is known for his backstage photography, revealing the meticulous transformation from barefaced to runway-ready through interactive headshots of models; with Macro-Morphosis he applies this attention to detail to each individual facial feature. “We started with a focus on the lips because they are so playful, expressive and, of course, nice to look at,” Kessler says. Makeup artist Lottie Stannard prepared Perli’s skin with a dewy mask before enlivening her pout with juicy summer colors including YSL’s Le Orange and Gardenia by Chanel. Once each part of the face is accounted for, Kessler’s goal is to stitch it all together to create a giant interactive, touch-screen video. “I see it as a tactile digital art piece,” he says. “You can put your hands over the face and each feature will be animated: blinking, winking, kissing, licking, smiling…”



Photographer Greg Kessler

Makeup Lottie Stannard at Atelier Management using Chanel

Model Merilin at Marilyn Models



Makeup:

Shiseido mask with Bite vitamin gel

Chanel Rouge Coco #13 Gardenia

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage
YSL Rouge Pur Couture #13 Le Orange

MAC Bust Out! Surf, Baby! Lipstick

High Pigment Matte Pencil in Pomegranate by Bite