At Vivienne Westwood’s Fall/Winter 2024 show in Paris on March 2, the late designer’s widower, Andreas Kronthaler, showcased a modern Renaissance collection that pulled from Westwood’s early-’90s collections. But the beauty looks drew on different, older inspiration: 17th-century Buddhism.

Lead makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench sent models with bright, nearly white under-eyes down the runway. While it may look like an inadvertently heavy-handed application of concealer, Ffrench intentionally created the eye-catching look to evoke the “punk Buddhist imagery” vibe she was going for.

“The sculpted brightness at the center of the face brings intensity to the look,” Ffrench tells Bazaar. “We referenced 17th-century Europe, the punk movement, and lots of Buddhist imagery.” The stark, matte under-eye is a drastic departure from the prevailing buzzy launches and makeup trends (think makeup and bronzed, glowing skin), so Ffrench turned to the original backstage beauty brand to help bring it to life: MAC Cosmetics.

Ffrench’s face chart from the Vivienne Westwood Fall/Winter 2024 RTW show

MAC has partnered with Vivienne Westwood’s team since 2017, and Ffrench is upholding that element of Westwood’s legacy. The cosmetics brand continues to enjoy a significant presence backstage at Fashion Week—even 40 years after its inception.

“We’ve come a long way—backstage is now a very different environment,” says Terry Barber, MAC global creative director of makeup artistry. “It used to be purely about the craft of applying beauty to models’ faces for the show, but social media has transformed it, making the backstage experience accessible to all—not just fashion insiders.” The legacy brand works on nearly 60 shows yearly, in New York, London, Paris, and Milan.

Vivienne Westwood, who died in 2022, at her Spring/Summer 2012 runway show—which featured a similar white look from MAC Cosmetics, created by Val Garland

The brand came out of the fashion space, which Barber says is why it makes durable, highly pigmented formulas that pop on a runway. “MAC backstage feels like a natural habitat,” he says. “What designers love about working with MAC is that the partnership doesn’t come with a set of rules. They don’t have to feature the latest collection or new launch; it can be a statement look or subtly nuanced, glamorous or anti-beauty, classic or avant-garde. It is always the story told through beauty that interests MAC, rather than simply promoting a product.”

In the case of the Vivienne Westwood show, Ffrench created the statement look using the brand’s Studio Fix 24-hour concealer in a shade four times lighter than the models’ skin tones, so it appeared white rather than fleshlike. She used the Studio Fix Powder in Shivering White to keep the pigmented color in place. Both hero products for the look are among MAC Cosmetics’ most popular selections, and have been on shelves for decades.

Shop the Runway Look

MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer

MAC Cosmetics Full Coverage Foundation in White

MAC Cosmetics Studio Chromagraphic Pencil

MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape Contour Palette

“The shape is quite snatched at the outer corners of the eyes and upwards towards the temples,” Ffrench notes. To further enforce the sculpted effect, she carved out the cheekbones and eye sockets and skipped heavy eye makeup, adding just the Chromagraphic Nude Pencil in the waterline to add brightness. She finished the look with a bit of lip balm.