In partnership with YSL Beauty
I’ve been watching Sam Visser’s career as a makeup artist evolve on Instagram for years. His backstory is pretty unbelievable: obsessed with beauty from a young age, at 12 he spotted David Hernandez in a makeup store. Visser introduced himself and, impressed by his confidence, Hernandez invited Visser to come on set with him the following day – it was a shoot with David LaChapelle.
At 16, Visser quit school to focus on artistry (with the support of his first full time client, Kris Jenner). Now, he’s one of the most well known creatives in the industry, instantly recognised for his hyper-glamorous, bold, exaggerated aesthetic. It’s a big part of the reason why YSL Beauty tapped him as their global makeup artist back in 2025, an appointment Visser describes as “the highest honour”.
At 26, he’s incredibly inspiring and a force within makeup, so I was ecstatic to hear he was coming to Melbourne to mark the launch of YSL Beauty’s Lovenude Lip Blush Lipstick and Kiss Shaper. The format was perfect: an intimate masterclass with Visser, followed by dinner at the YSL ‘Love Club’ – does it get any better than that?
The masterclass started with a quick introduction from Visser before he moved into the makeup look (ethereal skin, graphite smoky eyes and a matte nude lip). The model was already half made up (I learned this is because Visser likes to spend upwards of two hours on any given look – well beyond the 30 minute masterclass). Instead he focused on the lip, using the new Lovenude Kiss Shaper with expert precision (40 minutes on lip liner is Visser’s working pace), finishing with the Lip Blusher Lipstick. He then touched up the model’s skin with a YSL Beauty product I can’t disclose, because it hasn’t launched yet. But watch this space…
I did my best to follow along (in a room full of artists – interesting) but despite his unbelievable skills, Visser offered up a lot of practical makeup application advice. There’s also something incredibly inspiring about watching someone at the top of their game do what they were born to do in real life. Visser is an artist in the truest sense of the word; the masterclass experience over all was a dream.
My face was done, making the getting ready for dinner process easy. A quick change at the hotel and it was back to the YSL Beauty Lovenude Hotel for Champagne, photos (plenty), lip touch-ups and a turn in the photo booth. Draped in pink velvet, the ‘Lovenud Hotel’ was a YSL Beauty fever dream and maybe one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve been in. The energy was also electric thanks to guests and friends of RUSSH including Sean Brady, Soraya Boularas and Riley Hemson.
Dinner was served, the conversation flowed across various courses and everyone was still seated well past dessert (always the sign of a good night). Visser finally made a move to head back to his hotel (fair after a 12 hour day and jet lag). Slowly, guests made their way out of YSL’s club and into the cool Melbourne night. It was a perfect celebration of Visser, YSL Beauty, Love Nude and the entire Australian artist community.
Shop YSL Beauty, including the Lovenude range, via Sephora.
Images: Courtesy of YSL Beauty.
