behind the scenes of our february ’15 issue alien-inspired beauty opener!

True story: I have been obsessed with aliens my entire life. I mean, as a living, breathing, freethinking human being, how could I not be? It’s f*cking terrifying being so microscopically tiny in comparison to the vast amounts of space that surround us. And also having no idea what else is out there that’s also living, breathing, and freethinking?! Anyway. This wasn’t supposed to turn into an existential discussion, so let's get to the point:

My aforementioned obsession with aliens served as the inspiration for my latest beauty opener shoot. I mean, how are all the cool girls doing their hair, makeup, and nails billions and trillions of light-years away from us? What does the most popular girl in the solar system look like? To help bring this wackadoodle idea to life, I enlisted my all-star beauty team to bring their ideas, creativity, and unrivaled imagination to the table—and together we created something truly out of this world. So shuffle through the gallery below and check out all the Instax mini shots I captured on set that day—and make sure to pick up a copy of our Feb ’15 issue and see the final product for yourself now! We come in peace, I promise.

Senior Beauty Editor: Jade Taylor

Stylist: Michael Kozak

Makeup artist: Michael Anthony

Hair stylist: Mischa G.

Nail artist: Fleury Rose

Model: Paulina Panas at Wilhelmina

Photographer: Jamie Nelson