Sam Visser Refuses To Lean Into Beauty Standards

In the realm of beauty, makeup artist Sam Visser’s artistic vision and mastery of technique has won him call sheet real estate with reputable luxury brands and a roster of high-profile clients. At 12 years old, the Californian native would pour over Kevyn Aucoin’s books and then practice makeup on himself, family, and friends. Not many teenagers have the discipline and drive to pursue a career at such a young age, yet when he was 16, word got around Hollywood from the grand matriarch, Kris Jenner, that the teen wunderkind was a beauty prodigy, and he soon started glamming up celebrity clientele on a regular basis. Fast forward to a cross-country move to New York, Visser, now 23 years old, has composed an impressive body of work focused on uplifting beauty on any gender with i-D, Vogue, V Magazine, The Perfect Magazine, and countless other publications. With a fearless, playful approach to crafting makeup looks, Visser pushes beauty boundaries with nostalgia for yesteryear, emphasizing strong features like bold browns, vivid eyes, and darkly line lips. Shot by Bryce Anderson, Visser connects with Models.com to talk about his start, pushing his artistry to never be safe, and refusing to lean into beauty standards. Editor in Chief: Stephan Moskovic Managing Editor and Interviewer: Irene Ojo-Felix Makeup Artist: Sam Visser Model: Barbara Valente Director and Editor: Bryce Anderson Producer: Sasha Grinblat Special thanks to Alexis Costa at Art Partner, Liza Barlow at The Society