Sept. 12, 2025

The New Feline Eye: Ammy Drammeh’s Ultra-Violet Vision

Photography Phil Engelhardt
words sarah brown

EE72 Beauty Director-At-Large Sarah Brown asked today’s most exciting makeup artists to create the look of now. Ammy Drammeh brings the drama.

Makeup artist AMMY DRAMMEH

I can see this in a club, at night, here in East London maybe. And probably she’s wearing trainers — she’s not wearing heels.

— Ammy Drammeh

“I was quite inspired by Sunira’s face. Very strong. The most amazing eyes,” says London-based, Barcelona-born Ammy Drammeh. “I wanted to do something that has the essence of a glam look, but technical, with a bit of ingenuity.” For the precisely drawn ultra-violet eye that resulted, Drammeh, a member of Chanel’s artist collective, “stretched” the color, accented with graphic white pencil, along the upper and lower lash-lines in toward the corners and out toward the temples for “that feline, really big, theatrical feeling.”

Wispy, almost romantic, individually placed lashes add to the drama. To keep the focus squarely on the eyes, Drammeh bleached the model’s brows. “She has great eyebrows, but I thought, if I remove the brows, if I make them disappear, I have more space for makeup. So that’s the first thing I did.” Indeed, the impact of Drammeh’s look was achieved as much by what she did, as by what she didn’t do. “No highlighter, no blush, no lip color. Balance isn’t always what I’m looking for when I create a look. I chose to leave everything else quite raw and natural.”

THE PRODUCTS:
Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eye Shadow in Tissé Cambon
Chanel Le Liner de Chanel Liquid Eyeliner in Noir Profond
Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Waterproof Mascara in Noir
Chanel Hydra Beauty Nutrition Nourishing Lip Care

Photography PHIL ENGELHARDT. Makeup AMMY DRAMMEH at Bryant Artists. Hair PÅL BERDAHL at LGA Management. Model SUNIRA DA SILVA at IMG models. Production BELLHOUSE / PATRICK ARMSTRONG. Photo Assistants KLAUDIJA AVOTINA and MARIA GORODETSKAYA. Stylist ENIOLA DARE. Casting PIERGIORGIO DEL MORO for DM Casting. Production Bellhouse / PATRICK ARMSTRONG. Photo assistants KLAUDIJA AVOTINA and MARIA GORODETSKAYA