Viola Davisand her glam team have a winning combination for getting in the mood for a shoot. Ahead of the making of her PEOPLE cover — on stands nationwide this Friday — there was music (Beyoncé!). There was food (keto snacks!). And there was plenty to catch up on while Davis got ready, most notablythe forthcoming release of her memoir,Finding Me.
“We are waiting with bated breath,” Davis’s makeup artistAutumn Moultrietold PEOPLE. But in the mean time, Moultrie, hairstylistJamika Wilsonand stylistElizabeth Stewartshare behind-the-scenes details of her shoot with Peggy Sirota below.
Peggy Sirota
The Outfits
“We wanted Viola to feel relaxed and happy and at home, and most of all, just to look like herself,” says Stewart.
Shooting at a spacious house on a warm L.A. day, the stylist explains the setting gave them “vacation” vibes.
They ultimately chose three looks, including a caftan (above). “Viola loves color and African-inspired prints,” shares Stewart, who sourced this$205 piecefrom Megan Smith brandMegan Renee. It “hit every base we wanted to hit: it is a sustainable[from a] Black-owned [brand] that is designed and made in Los Angeles.”
For more on PEOPLE’s cover story with Viola Davis, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Stewart accessorized Davis’s sunny yellow dress withearrings from Deepa Gurnani, “a husband- and wife-owned brand that showcases the craft of Indian hand embroidery and is very philanthropic to boot.”
The Hair
When Wilson was told the photoshoot direction was “airy and free,” the pro says, “I imagined soft, effortless waves — something that would blow in the wind with no fuss.”
Wilson, who started working with Davis in 2008, adds that when collaborating with the actress, “I believe a hairstyle is a mood, so I always ask how she’s feeling and how she would like to look we discuss it and then she leaves the rest of it to me.”
Wilson notes that a cover shoot has a different vibe than a red carpet. For the former, you have the opportunity to “show off the artist truly as themselves.”
The Makeup
“I wanted to reflect her as the goddess that she truly is and enhance her gorgeous dark brown radiance,” explains Moultrie. To do that, she usedL’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Radiant Concealer in Cappuccino. “It’s a blurring, light-reflecting formulation that is terrific for women over forty. It minimizes fines lines — of which she has very few!”
Finding Mewill be released on April 26.
source: people.com
