Lucy Bridge Paints Outside the Lines in ‘Colour Mode’

For makeup artist Lucy Bridge, faces and bodies are canvases for experimentation. From bold pigments to unconventional textures, her work frequently ventures beyond traditional ideas of beauty. Her first book, Colour Mode, takes a closer look at her creative practice and the collaborations that have shaped it.

Published by Thames & Hudson on October 15, Colour Mode was created in collaboration with creative director Veronica Ditting. Featuring over 380 images, the book brings together ten specially commissioned photographic stories, editorial work from 2009 to 2026, and a collection of behind-the-scenes photographs titled Looks in Progress.

Each photographic story offers a different interpretation of Bridge’s work. Jack Davison experiments with double exposures, layering vivid colors and abstract shapes, while Carlijn Jacobs explores exaggerated makeup looks through saturated pigments and unusual textures.

Sam Rock’s photographs feature body painting that resembles clothing, while Tim Walker draws on his shared interest with Bridge in theatrical characters.

The book also documents the process behind the photographs. Each story opens with a list of the makeup colors used, identified by their original product names and arranged in the order they appear on the models. It’s an interesting detail that reveals the materials behind images that often look more like paintings than conventional beauty photography.

Based between London and Paris, Bridge has worked with photographers including Paolo Roversi, Tim Walker, and Carlijn Jacobs, and created runway looks for Tom Ford, Mugler, and Dries Van Noten. In October 2025, she was appointed the first Global Makeup Artist for Tom Ford Beauty.

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Now available for preorder, Colour Mode is published by Thames & Hudson and is available in paperback for £45.