On Sunday night, Swarm actress Dominique Fishback and her glam team turned her into an ethereal beauty for the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards. Nominated for Best Lead Performance In A New Scripted Series, “I feel honored,” Fishback says, appearing on the red carpet in a teal textured dress with black underlay. And although the actress played the murderous super fan “Dre” in the Amazon Prime series, her look for the night was quite angelic.
“The inspiration for makeup was a play on the texture of the dress. I chose a shimmering blue pink shadow,” says makeup artist Brandy Allen. Using Exa Beauty’s Light Show Color Melt, she drew flashiness to the eyes through metallic rose gold and chrome indigo pigments, before topping it off with the pink opal MAC Pigment. “Teal pairs beautifully with amber and pink tones, I wanted her face to be a soft glowy moment,” she says, before adding that she tapped Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil and the Lip Bar’s Matte Liquid Lipstick onto her lips.
On the hair, Sharif Poston complemented the makeup with a “soft, whimsical, ethereal” updo. “I carved out front pieces to frame Dominique’s face, creating soft shaping, while sweeping the remaining hair up and back, and finishing with a fishtail braid for edginess,” Poston says. He reached for Kenra’s Platinum Texturizing Taffy 13 to tame flyaways and add texture, while Oribe’s Strong Hold Hair Spray was used to ensure the look lasted all night. As for the color? “Color Wow Root Touchup in Medium/Dark Brown,” discloses Poston, which highlighted the front of the actress’ hair.
“I love seeing the whole look come together,” Fishback tells ESSENCE. “There’s a lot of care and strategic planning by the whole team and I get to reap the benefits of their talents and hard work.” In the room with other actresses that night– like her tablemates Billie Eilish, Kara Young, Olivia Washington, and James Marsden not too far away–Fishback thinks about her character “Dre” in her nominated series. “I went above and beyond to bring Dre to life in a dynamic, honest and intentional way,” she says. “I’m glad it was recognized by Film Independent.”
