TRANSLATING MUSIC INTO MAKEUP

From Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun Tour to viral beauty moments, Sophia Sinot creates looks that feel instinctive, expressive, and sharply constructed.

INTERVIEW NOSA IMAFIDON

Sophia Sinot approaches makeup as more than a finishing touch; for her, it is a way of extending music, mood, and identity into something visual. The Netherlands-born, London-based artist has become known for a beauty language that merges hyper-feminine glamour with a subcultural edge. Her client list includes Zara Larsson, Doja Cat, Camila Cabello, Emma Chamberlain, Dove Cameron, and Becky G.

Most recently, Sinot’s stage looks for Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun tour have brought her work to an even wider audience online, with rhinestones, colour, shimmer, and Y2K references becoming part of a visual world that feels both playful and sharply constructed. But what makes her work resonate goes beyond virality: there is instinct in it, but also intention, a sense that every look is building character, atmosphere, and emotional tone.

In conversation with TUSH Beauty Editor Nosa Imafidon, Sophia Sinot speaks about translating music into makeup, embracing contrast, and creating beauty looks that feel spontaneous, distinctive, and deeply connected to the artist in front of her.

TUSH: When you create looks for a tour/era, how do you translate music into make-up?

Sophia Sinot: I love getting inspired by the music because it is really the language the artist uses to express themselves. Makeup is a way for me to extend that narrative visually. My role is to help shape a visual identity that feels cohesive with the world the music is creating and the energy of that era.

What beautiful moment in your career made you feel seen beyond the work?

Seeing people recreate my looks, both online and in real life. I am currently on tour with Zara Larsson, and at different shows I keep meeting fans before or after who are wearing makeup inspired by the looks Zara and I have done together. Seeing their excitement and hearing what they say to me honestly makes me feel so shy and kinda emotional. It’s just overwhelming in the best way and a really special feeling because it shows that the work connected with people beyond just the moment it was created.

People describe your work as hyper-feminine glamour with a subcultural edge. What does that contrast mean to you?

Contrast has always played a big role in my work. Being versatile is super important to me but I think, at my core, I am just drawn to glamour. I love being a woman and I love being feminine while also expressing myself through all the influences that have shaped me throughout my life. And a lot of those influences also come from punk culture, science, music, nature, SFX makeup etc. So really all together it is just what has shaped ‘me’ and my personal taste.

You’re known for improvising and still delivering something cohesive. What’s your structure inside spontaneity?

I would say the way I work is the opposite of structural, I actually work pretty chaotically haha. Sometimes I’d finish one eye, then move on to a lipliner, and go back to the base without finishing that lipliner. But working this way really helps me get inspired along the way, especially when it comes down to finding the color palette. Sometimes I have to tell clients, especially clients I haven’t worked with before, to trust the process because I am not done with something even though it looks like I have moved on from that part of the face.

Your work travels instantly online. Does virality influence your choices, or is the internet just a byproduct?

Sometimes, just for fun. After doing this for a while you start to have a sense of what people online will react to. But honestly, a lot of the looks that end up going viral are the ones I least expected. So it is never really the goal for me. The internet is more of a byproduct, but sometimes it is fun to lean into something you know people will respond to.

How has your relationship with beauty changed over the course of your career from self-expression to craft, from play to responsibility?

I honestly don’t think it has changed that much except that my style has become much more refined. Ever since I was young I have expressed myself in many different ways through hair colors, makeup, tattoos, piercings, and clothing styles. Because I have always been eccentric, and sometimes made questionable style choices, I ended up learning a lot and gaining a deep understanding of many different looks. That experience shows in the versatility of my work and in my ability to work with many different clients. One of my favorite things about my job is stepping into my clients’ worlds and approaching my work more like a creative beauty director rather than just a makeup artist.

EDITOR: NOSA IMAFIDON
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SOPHIA SINOT
MARCH 19, 2026