THE RIGHT MATCH - James Weber and Kim Baker create THE ONLY smoky eye — no guesswork necessary!
Beauty is most compelling when it begins with the person.
In this intimate vertical film directed and edited by James Weber, makeup artist and Glamazon Beauty founder Kim Baker creates a smoky eye for model Nidhi Rawal. The camera moves between process and portrait: Kim blending pigment, refining the lower lash line and building dimension before arriving at a look that feels polished, luminous and unmistakably Nidhi.
The smoky eye is soft rather than severe. Charcoal and muted metallic tones frame the eyes while fresh skin and a restrained nude lip keep the final look modern. Weber’s close, unhurried images preserve the texture of the work—the movement of the brush, the concentration behind the application and the ease that emerges when artist and subject trust one another.
That sense of attention sits at the center of Baker’s philosophy.
A former Wilhelmina model, Kim spent two decades in front of the camera. In the early 1990s, she became one of the pioneering figures in the emerging plus-size modeling industry. Her experience gave her an unusually personal understanding of makeup: not simply how it photographs, but how it can affect the person wearing it.
Kim encountered legendary artists early. Her first makeup artist, at thirteen, was Way Bandy. She later absorbed lessons from Fran Cooper, Reggie Wells, Quietfire, Kevyn Aucoin and Paul Starr. She also worked with Bobbi Brown during the formative years of Brown’s company, finding a shared belief that makeup should emphasize an individual’s strongest features instead of forcing them into a trend.
That philosophy eventually became the foundation of Glamazon Beauty.
Long before inclusivity became standard beauty-industry language, Baker understood that many complexions were still being treated as an afterthought. Too many customers were expected to approximate their shade, compromise on undertone or accept that the “universal” option was never designed with them in mind.
Glamazon Beauty approaches complexion differently: begin with the individual skin tone and find the right match. No assumption. No one-color-fits-all mythology. No guesswork.
Kim went on to work with figures including Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Danica Patrick, Toni Braxton, John Legend, Dakota Fanning and Angela Yee, as well as on productions such as America’s Next Top Model. Yet her work with everyday women remains central to her idea of beauty.
The point is not to manufacture a different face. It is to recognize what is already there and give it definition.
That is what Weber’s film captures so effectively. Behind the smoky eye is a larger exchange between artist, subject and camera—one grounded in precision, trust and the understanding that individuality is not an obstacle for beauty to correct.
It is the reason for the work.
Kim’s favorite feature has never been a cheekbone, an eye shape or a particular complexion. It is personality—the quality that no shade chart can reproduce and no trend can replace.
CREDITS
Director / Editor: James Weber — @james_weber
Makeup / Hair: Kim Baker — @makeupbykimbaker
Director Agency: Joe Lombardo / Curated Artists — @curatedartists
Model: Nidhi Rawal — @nidhirawal
Model Agency: Q Models — @qmodels
First Assistant: Andre Hemmitt Jr. — @andrethe.ii
Location: Hudson Yards Loft Film & Photo Studios — @hudsonyardsloft
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