The Art of Soft Glam in Editorial

There is a particular kind of pressure that comes with an editorial shoot. The photographer wants something that reads on camera. The creative director has a vision. The client has expectations. And somewhere in all of that, I have to make sure the person in the chair still looks like themselves.

That tension is where soft glam lives.

What Soft Glam Actually Means

The term is overused — I understand that. But when I talk about soft glam in an editorial context, I mean something very specific: a finish that photographs as luminous, not flat, while remaining completely believable on a human face.

It is not about shimmer. It is not about contouring. It is about understanding how light behaves on skin, and then working with that — not against it.

The base is everything. I start with a Korean-inspired skincare ritual: hydrating toner, a serum with niacinamide, a light moisturiser, and SPF. The skin has to be ready to receive makeup, not fight it.

The Products That Make It Possible

I work exclusively with Chanel, Dior, and Giorgio Armani Beauty — not for the branding, but because the formulas behave differently. Armani Luminous Silk, for example, has a specific kind of slip that allows for seamless blending with almost no effort.

On set, that matters. Time is limited. There is no room for products that need coaxing.

The Philosophy Behind Every Look

My training in psychology taught me something that has never left me: people do not see their own faces the way the camera does. They see the face they have been looking at in the mirror for years — every perceived flaw amplified.

My job is to interrupt that. To show them something different. Not a mask, not a transformation — an illumination.

All looks in this editorial were created using products from Chanel, Dior Beauty, and Giorgio Armani Beauty.