When Yulia Plakhotnikova was conceiving her latest shoot she had two very distinct, yet equally intriguing, sources of inspiration: the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch and the homespun make-up forms of 90s rave girls. “The fundamental idea was to explore how the standard could mix with the futuristic,” says the Barcelona-based photographer. “We hope these photos will make people imagine things behind the luminous images, something mysterious and enigmatic.”

To create the sweetness looks, Plakhotnikova teamed up with hair and make-up artist Anastasiia Babii who used felt to embellish the body. The aim, she says, was to bring an ancient and natural feel to the look while the synthetic colors of the fabric were chosen to create a contrast. “Within the make-up, we used materials each for his or her intended purpose and completely unexpected ones – searching for latest uses and latest ways to specific the mood,” says Plakhotnikova.

“For instance, within the look with the long eyelashes, we were searching for a color that might be unconventional and even strange to the standard face color scheme, and with it the make-up artist emphasised the bruises under the eyes. But at the identical time, she used eyelashes to compensate for something ugly with something beautiful, again, in the standard sense.”

In one other look, metallic silver was used together with a heavy black on the lips to offer the model an otherworldly, alien appearance. “The fundamental idea was to be easy but brave within the makeup and hairstyling process.”