Artist In Residency: Anete Salinieka Modernizes Mod Makeup

Welcome to Artist in Residency, our series that brings the industry's most innovative makeup artists to Rose Inc. for a month of creativity and inspiration. Each week, you'll discover an original look—and the story behind it—created by an artist we love.

For some artists, makeup is more than a calling — it’s a gravitational pull. Such is the case for Anete Salinieka. Born and raised in Latvia, she started art school at 16 with a focus on styling, but the endless creative power of makeup was a constant curiosity. It was only after graduating from the London College of Fashion did she finally decide to indulge in her growing passion. "I found makeup so exciting,” she says. “I started reconsidering why I wanted to be a stylist." She shifted gears and began assisting established artists like Isamaya Ffrench and Peter Phillips before going out on her own.

“Recently, I have been very inspired by the makeup of the late ‘60s to mid ‘80s, but I also think that it’s important to always aim to create something new that reflects our time today,” she says. “I often take elements from the makeup from those decades but I’ll always try to make it relevant for our time by using a fresh color or texture — some kind of modern twist.”

Today, the London-based artist works with brands like Byredo, Vivienne Westwood, and Dior, plus international publications like Glamour and Interview. Less than a decade into her career, her creative prowess continues to expand outward. To wit: Beyond just makeup, Salinieka also independently photographed, styled, and modeled through the forthcoming editorials. It’s for these reasons and more we are delighted to feature Salinieka as our July artist in residency.

Residency Inspiration:

“Originally, I was looking at makeup from the ‘60s for inspiration for this week,” Salinieka explains about how she prepared for her Rose Inc residency. With a daisy in mind — the simple flower that became a cultural touchpoint for the late ‘60s — she called upon gold faux lashes to frame her modernized take on mod eye makeup. “The gold adds a little softness to a very dark and dramatic eye look,” she says. “This is a very abstract idea of what a modern ‘60s eye can look like.”

Then, using the dark purple paint from the MAC Pro Palette Paintstick x12, she created her first layer. “It’s a great eyeshadow base,” she says, noting that she set the slick paint with Make Up For Ever Blush Powder in 92 once it was the density and shape she wanted. To craft a light contour around the eye — almost a halo — she applied white pigment from her MAC palette then set it with the brand’s Eyeshadow in Gesso. She used two purple mascaras next: Diorshow Pump’N’Volume Mascara in 160 Purple Pump on her lashes and Marc Jacobs O!Mega Lash Mascara in 70 Violet Incredible to groom her brows.

Using the MAC Pro Palette Paintstick x12, Salinieka mixed orange, pink, and white to create a bespoke blush shade and applied it on her temples — lightly framing her eyeshadow and providing contrast to the white halo. She subtly lightened the remainder of her blush color with more white and applied to her lips for a monochromatic effect.

Lashes came last. Using Duo lash glue, she aligned the Make Up For Ever Lashes to follow her bottom lashline and glued them in place. “I think I bought these lashes when I was going to makeup school in Latvia in 2007,” she says. “They must be the oldest thing in my makeup case!”

Makeup, hair, photography, and modeling by Anete Salinieka. Written by Lexy Lebsack.