Cierra Skye in “Alien Nation” by Ekaterina Belinskaya for Paper Magazine, March 2017

Photographer: Ekaterina Belinskaya. Model(s): Cierra Skye. Source: Paper Magazine. Stylist: B. Akerlund. Makeup: Lottie. Hair: Danilo.

Posted Mar 13, 2017

Cierra Skye rides her name on high in the “Alien Nation” by Ekaterina Belinskaya for Paper Magazine, March 2017. Our eyes invite the soul to rise as the theatre of cosmetics commence, in the, Breaks the Rules Issue, Starring Rihanna. Art transforms the senses, transporting us to a different time and place. The curtain lifts… the stage comes alive… waiting for drama to arrive. Driving forward this scintillating story spans the airwaves of the avant-garde. B. Åkerlund puts her legendary skills to use by altering a collective of creative couture. The future of fashion has arrived with a metal corset and belt by Michael Schmidt, a fur cape with dramatic neckline by On Aura Tout Vu and latex thigh-highs by William Wilde. A plastic, purple bodysuit explodes into a blooming leather skirt highlighted by belt buckles riding in a diagonal design by Marina Hoermanseder. She shakes things up in crystal covered, tiger skin corset by Elliot Rentz. The bride cried orange tears wearing a claw ring by Lynn Ban, while a plastic see-thru day coat arrives with a diamond accented fur surround by Francesco Scognamiglio.

Skye mutates into multi-dimensional mannequin like beings, as her striking beauty becomes one with the universe. Lottie swipes what looks like pink paint on the side of her silky skin, then comes around her head to cover her left eye. Golden locks fall to the front of her face plastered in place, as a haute pink beanie screams through a netted overlay. Burnt orange languishes on her lips while caught in a cacophony of creativity. Forget what you thought you knew about color guards, as we venture into the space age. Not your average future editorial, this gives elements of another world while still adhering to the avant-garde format. Celebrating symmetry, her skin is of the ethereal kind, with a wash of white brushing over the features and a soft coral waking up her cheeks. Pink brows strike in a straight line across her head, while her perched lips are captured in a circular form.

Danilo creates a dew worth taking about, with a candy colored coiffure highlighted by a yellow gel that falls down the face. The hair’s the thing. Circular shapes work into a full blown head piece, with a bun sitting forward, bejeweled by pins. Red ribbons are drawn over her eyes in a horizontal haze, as long, blue locks are marked with linear black spots. Framed in poetic harmony, through a crystal encrusted overlay we see the markings of magic. The art of true hair sculpture is captured in phenomenal form, with a flash of black that cascades into a river of green. Looking into her ethereal veil we can see the outline of her exquisite, red lips. Changing views we move to green brows that take a more oval arch. Tears are accentuated, as Lottie draws dark lines striking down the eyes in vertical form. Each image injects a sense of spirited adventure, as we ride inside, where hope is a measure of mutated glory.