Oval-faced, with clear blue eyes and deep brunette fringe, Meghan Collison recalls a goth version of a perfect porcelain doll. Those otherworldly good looks have made the Canadian model a favorite with photographers from Steven Meisel to Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott in recent years, not to mention with her rapidly growing Instagram fan base. But while her loyal followers on the social media platform are familiar with her low-key off-duty beauty look—which consists mainly of “Vichy sunscreen, MAC powder, lots of black mascara,” says Collison—they may also have noticed a few dramatic departures in the makeup department of late.
Since last Halloween, face painting has become more than a hobby for the model, who first began experimenting with the medium when “a friend asked to paint my face so he could take a picture of me.” Before long, she was taking matters into her own hands. “I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how quickly my mind flooded with all these different ideas I wanted to try out.” Dedicated followers of @omgitsmeg have been treated to the spectacular results, created using pigments and paintbrushes picked up at art stores, but most have been taken down recently, as Collison, in collaboration with her photographer boyfriend, is planning to publish them in a book of photographs and poetic writing, using Kickstarter as a platform.
While ’60s babes like Jane Birkin and Shelley Duvall have influenced Collison’s day-to-day style of “simple above-the-knee dresses and jeans-shirt combos,” she looked elsewhere for inspiration for her face-painting project, citing “corpse paint [a style that originated with black metal bands]” and ’60s horror films. Her favorite? Black Sunday, featuring actress Barbara Steele, whom Collison admires for her “amazing unique beauty.” We feel the same about this creative Canadian, who, getting a head start on Halloween, created an exclusive and hauntingly beautiful look (top of page) for Vogue.com. What a treat.
