Hands down, David Lynch is one of my favourite directors of all time. His creativity and originality in concept and execution is second to none. Though at times his work is puzzling, unsettling and downright impossible to decipher, the genius of Lynch has resonated with me for a long time. With an impressive body of work that includes “Blue Velvet”, “Mulholland Drive”, “Wild at Heart” and the incredibly addictive TV series “Twin Peaks”, Lynch’s films become more than a back catalogue of favourites – they’re an immersive world of faux-reality, dreamscapes, murder mysteries and femme fatales.

My own Lynch journey began with a personal favourite, “Wild At Heart”. The passionate metal-infused love story of Sailor and Lula had me transfixed. Let’s say I was 18 and highly impressionable. I devoured his remaining work quickly, up until my most recent viewing of “Lost Highway” (sincerely and vehemently recommended to me by Garrath Holt of Red Bennies fame – who’s obsession with Lynch far exceeds my own). I still don’t know how I feel about it.
What really strikes me in Lynchian pieces, is his own infatuated play with the concept of the femme fatale, the doe-eyed victim trapped in a series of unfortunate events, and of other women with seemingly multiple sides to their personalities.

These strong, sassy and complex women are often the driving force behind each story, and their trademark looks haunt you for years beyond a film viewing. While hair and costume play an essential role, I’ve become fascinated how each character is expressed with a signature make-up look. You can see traces of the pin-up style in the inquisitive face of Audrey Horne, while a definite 80′s streak is worked into the pleading face of Dorothy Vallens.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging about various characters from Lynch’s vast body of work, and publishing a make-up tutorial on each to fully explore every look.

First installment to be published next week! Stay tuned for Norma Jennings from “Twin Peaks”…

Vesper xox