Looking at the shabbily dressed, minimally made-up Bella Swan, you may never have envisaged the future face of an internationally recognised make-up brand such as Chanel. Yet eight years after the release of the first Twilight film Kristen Stewart officially joins the likes of supermodel Gisele Bündchen and Keira Knightly at the front of Chanel’s make-up brand in a campaign photographed by Mario Testino.
Stewart has previously modelled for Chanel as the face of both the 2016 Métiers d’art collection in Rome and the Paris-Dallas 2013 Métiers d’art collection. In addition to this, she starred in the SS15 eyewear advertising campaign as well as playing the coveted role of Coco Chanel in the short film ‘Once and Forever’ produced by Karl Lagerfeld during the Chanel fashion show in Rome. However it is still a big step for the actress. She was once accused of having a bored and lifeless acting style, but despite these allocations in the first photo of what the fashion house claims are ‘a series of portraits embodying various facets of the contemporary Chanel woman, it seems clear that Kristen’s make-up does not play by the same rules.
The photo may be black and white but there is nothing amateur about the smoky eye she’s sporting. On the contrary it has a mature and seductive quality, added to by the arm covering her face which creates a sense of mystery. Although the change from plain to elegant is evident, Stewart still seems to be keeping her edgy vampire image. This is reflected in the eyes, which form the focus of the face and are darkly outlined to highlight their size. Meanwhile the skin is kept pale and flawless. This ‘facet’ of a ‘Chanel woman’ seems to reflect Kristen’s image but it remains to be seen who else she will become.