How does it feel to be you?

PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIRECTING THE MASONS

STYLING REBECCA PURSHOUSE

How does it feel to be you?

In their latest beauty film, directors and photographers The Masons prove that beauty is about authenticity, not perfection.

London-based director and photography duo The Masons’ passion for beauty was ignited by a lack of diversity in the field – and a desire to change that. “Growing up, beauty felt limited and prescribed. Capturing it became a way to hold space for real skin, real emotion, and the quiet moments where presence replaces performance,” Maruska and Donna-Marie Mason share.

Since beginning their professional partnership in 2018, the London-based duo have turned their lens on the diverse faces and brands shaping the beauty industry. “We are interested in beauty as something felt, not perfected,” they explain.

For the winter issue of EE72, the pair worked with stylist Rebecca Purshouse and makeup artist Miranda Joyce on a series of fresh, modern beauty looks, asking the models one simple question: how does it feel to be you? “That question turns the gaze inward,” they say. “It moves beauty away from observation and toward experience.”

We caught up with Marushka and Donna-Marie to talk their definition of beauty and the inspiration behind their latest project…

Beauty is authenticity in motion. It lives in how someone occupies themselves — in ease, vulnerability, confidence, and contradiction.

THE MASONS

What first inspired you to start capturing beauty moments?
Growing up, beauty felt limited and prescribed. Capturing it became a way to hold space for real skin, real emotion, and the quiet moments where presence replaces performance. We are interested in beauty as something felt, not perfected.

What’s your definition of beauty?
Beauty is authenticity in motion. It lives in how someone occupies themselves — in ease, vulnerability, confidence, and contradiction. It isn’t applied or constructed; it reveals itself when someone is allowed to simply be.

What was the inspiration behind this shoot?
This film grew from our ongoing exploration of skin, identity, and connection. We were inspired by the idea of stripping beauty back while simultaneously turning it all the way up — allowing color, texture, and personality to coexist with softness and honesty. The inspiration wasn’t a single reference, but the energy that forms when women are together: when confidence becomes shared, and beauty becomes something communal rather than performative.

CELINA WEARS NYLON COAT, SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO. RHODIUM-PLATED SILVER EARRINGS, TOM WOOD. EAR STUD, MODEL’S OWN

Why was the question ‘how does it feel to be you?’ important for you to explore in this film?
That question turns the gaze inward. It moves beauty away from observation and toward experience. In asking it, we wanted to create space for self-definition, emotional honesty, and agency — allowing beauty to be felt from within rather than projected from outside.

We hope beauty continues to move toward honesty and inclusivity. A world where diversity isn’t a statement, but a given

THE MASONS

PENG WEARS LACE TOP, DI PETSA

Dig Deeper

Directed by The Masons at Artworld
Assisted by Ariel Mihály, Valdrin Rexhepi, Anna-Sophia John
Styling by Rebecca Purshouse
Assisted by Agnes Solhall
Cinematographer Victor de Halleux
Casting by Piergiorgio at DM Casting
Assisted by Juliun at DM Casting
Talent : Celina Ralph at Elite, Ajok Daing at IMG,
Yar Aguer at Next, Peng Chang at PREMIER
Movement Director Rafaelle Cox
Makeup by Miranda Joyce at The Wall Group
Assisted by Margherita Fabbro
Hair by Kei Terada at Julian Watson Agency
Assisted by Takumi Horiwaki
Nails by Simone Cummings at Arch Agency
Executive Producer by Kit Pak-Poy
Production by Birdhouse
Assisted by Kate Maidment and Amelia Heffernan
Editor Aoife Magennis at The Hand of God
Colourist Dan Beddoe at The Hand of God
Music by Ben Brunnemer