I’m excited to introduce to you, Audrey Hubert - the Montreal based Art Director with a love for beauty and texture whose work I’ve followed for months and months. It’s an honour to be speaking with Audrey today and uncovering what success, art, work and beauty mean to her. At just 24, Audrey is already making the world of beauty her own, leading her to work with incredible clients and co-found the creative duo; Up Close with her friend and photographer, Gabrielle Robert. Here, Audrey effortlessly combines her two passions of beauty and art, turning them into her full time job.

With clients amongst the likes of Dae Hair, Audrey’s work is a mixture of portraiture and beautiful, strong product photography that stands out and provides a fresh perspective on the way we look at the leading beauty brands today. She’s beautiful, talented, the ultimate ‘cool girl’ and is providing me with the lowdown today on what it’s really like to be an Art Director, where she finds her inspiration for shoots and her glowing skin routine…

This is Audrey.

AO: “Thank you for speaking with me today Audrey. How are your spirits in this strange time?” 

AH: I feel incredibly privileged to be where I am. I lost contracts and had to stop working for a few months, but I was lucky enough to live this time with my partner and to be surrounded by amazing friends. Working as a freelancer, I had also saved money for those kinds of situations. Like I like to joke, I never thought my savings would go to living through a global pandemic, but here we are!

AO: “For those who aren’t familiar, please can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?”

AH: I am a Montreal based art director specialised in beauty. I’ve been working solo for a few years and I recently started a creative duo with photographer Gabrielle Robert called Up Close. 

AO: “I adore yours and Gabrielles Up Close work, it’s all so beautiful. Were you influenced in any way growing up to have a career as an art director or was it something that happened naturally?” 

AH: I’d say it really came naturally. I had never really been into arts (or any other side passion except school) before leaving high school. We struggled with money a lot and my focus was solely to get into a good program. At that time, Instagram was still in its early phase, and I really got into it. Sharing glimpses of my day to day. Nothing too elaborate yet, but still I would say that’s where my passion for beauty and arts started.

AO: “Speaking of career, where did it all begin for you and what does your career to date look like?”

AH: For many years, it wasn’t even a career. I was working on personnel projects - doing everything from styling to photography - out of my passion for beauty. I was also studying business and communication in school while working full-time. Then, as I finished university and more people got to know my work, I was able to freelance in communication and work towards my goal of living only with my art direction work. I got to that point around a year ago when I was 23. Around 6 months ago, my work partner Gabrielle Robert and I decided to form a creative duo, Up Close. It comes with its share of hardship, but I couldn’t be prouder of where I am today, especially with my newest project just blooming. 

AO: “What does your stay at home life look like right now - have you introduced any new rituals or routines?”

AH: It looks pretty messy since we’re moving soon, but I would say the past few months brought some really nice elements into my daily life. I always thought I wasn’t able to work from home for a long period of time. I always needed to move, work for a few hours at a coffee shop, go for a walk, etc. Then I got forced to stay home and realized I just needed some discipline. Now I truly love it and got my new routine set up. 

AO: “How has your work routine or project work changed over the past few months?”

AH: I would say the logistic part of it is the most difficult at the moment. As a team, we want to be as respectful of the health norms in place as possible.  Since we’re working with models and makeup artists so much, dealing with the day to day process has been quite a challenge.

AO: “How did you turn your passion for art and beauty into a career? Had you always known this was the industry you wanted to end up in?” 

AH: For the longest time, I really thought this would only be a passion, a side thing to my “real” career. Then I realised some people actually paid their bills with their work and something kind of switch. 

AO: “I’d love to know what kind of work being an art director entails? What does a typical day or shoot look like?”

AH: Since I now work with a partner for most of my projects, my creative process goes through lots of discussion and exchange of ideas and I couldn’t love it more! Depending on the project I’m working on, my tasks vary from concept elaboration and shoot direction to casting or montage on set. 

AO: “What has been the biggest challenge of your career so far?”

AH: So far my biggest challenge was for sure how to learn to say no. Ask myself if this project will bring me more good than bad. Define when I’m not the best person to take in on. I made lots of mistakes by saying yes to things that just didn’t feel right, but it served me right in the long run. 

AO: “And what would be the one piece of advice you’d give to someone wanting to start a career like yours?”

AH: I would say just do it. Try things. Email that brand. Fail, then try again. Work, work and work. It won’t come to you without effort. 

AO: “With social media being at the height of the creative industry today, how would you say you utilise this and has your relationship with Instagram changed much over the years?”

AH: In the beginning of my career, Instagram allowed me to be discovered and to meet amazing people. I used to be way more affected by numbers and the way I was perceived. Now, with a lot of work on myself, I got to the point where I am so proud of the work I produce, I just want to share it. The numbers don’t really matter anymore. I use the platform to share my world, my work, but also to get inspired. 

AO: “I’d love to know how your creative duo ‘Up Close’ came about? Had you been working as an art director for long before you collaborated with your business partner, Gabrielle?”

AH: As I mentioned, I was working freelance in that field for about a year when I met Gab. I loved her work so much and asked her to do my professional headshot with a “beauty” twist. We instantly clicked. A few months later I had this idea in my head where we could collaborate to create a duo. First thing I know, she’s writing to me to propose the exact same thing I was too shy to ask. 

AO: “You both have such a niche style which I guess has helped pave your visual identity, what would you say is key to ensuring you stand out in the industry?”

AH: That’s what really brought us together. We love the same thing, we fall for the same elements. When we started planning what Up Close was going to be, we knew we had to focus on our shared aesthetic, which we felt was missing in what we were seeing in the industry. 

AO: “Who would be your dream brand to collaborate with? 

AH: I would love to work with Glossier and Chanel. They both have a unique aesthetic I always wished to dive in. 

AO: “Where do you find inspiration for the direction of shoots that you do? Do you have a pretty good idea before going on the shoot or do things on the day impact your vision and aesthetic? 

AH: When I meet with brands and we come up with a first draft of what we’re looking for, I always have a flash of what I’d like to create in my head. Light, colours, elements, name it! Then I spend hours on Instagram and Pinterest to find more inspiration. I also have lots of books of photographers I love and magazines at home to look at when I feel the need. 

AO: “Let’s switch from career to beauty… What does your current beauty routine look like?”

AH: I used to be someone with 18 steps in my beauty routine haha! But 6 months ago, I developed a skin condition called Perioral dermatitis and couldn’t use anything on my face except the medicine my doctor prescribed. It’s almost gone now and I can’t wait to start wearing my “no-makeup makeup” look more often. 

AO: “What does your wind down routine look like? Any favourite products to make it extra special?”

AH: My wind down routine always goes back to two words. Wine and masks. I love a good shower followed by a glass of wine and 1 or 2 masks to end the day. I feel like my favourite mask would be the Youth To The People Yerba Mate Resurfacing + Exfoliating Energy Facial with Enzymes and the Tata Harper Hydrating Floral mask (I’m on my 3rd jar).

AO: “Glowy skin seems to be your look, what are your favourite products for achieving this?”

AH: I love a good base, but I’m not a fan of a heavy foundation. Lately, I started with a good amount of the Supergoop Unseen sunscreen SPF 40, then I go for a pump of the Vesca Soft Sun Radiant skin illuminator in Sunrise, mixed with a pump of the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi  Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops. 

I color correct my dark circles and the side of my nose with the Glossier Strech Concealer in the shade 11 and I contour and bronze with the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate in intensity 0.5 (best high hand product I bought in years). I finish the face with my all-time favorite Chanel Baume Essentiel in Sculpting and my new find, the Tower 28 BeachPlease Tinted Lip + Cheek Balm in Magic Hour. 

For the brows, I recently started using the soap brow method after the amazing makeup artist Cynthia-Christina gave me a small jar on set. After letting it set in for a bit, I had some Glossier Boy Brow in Brown.

For the lips, I’m obsessed with the Shiseido Color Gel Lip Balm in Bamboo or Ginkgo

I almost never wear mascara, but if I do, I wear a teeny-tiny little coat of the Dior Diorshow Iconic Mascara in brown or the Glossier Lashslick. 

AO: “What does your wind down routine look like? Any favourite products to make it extra special?”

AH: My wind down routine always goes back to two words. Wine and masks. I love a good shower followed by a glass of wine and 1 or 2 masks to end the day. I feel like my favourite mask would be the Youth To The People Yerba Mate Resurfacing + Exfoliating Energy Facial with Enzymes and the Tata Harper Hydrating Floral mask (I’m on my 3rd jar).

AO: “Top 3 accounts to follow on Instagram?

AH: Sorry 3 isn’t enough haha!

@shotfromthestreet and @lindseyholland for style.

@palomija and @lucyknell my forever muses.

@thatschic because everything she comes out with just calms my mind.

AO: “If you could be known for anything you wanted, what would it be?”

AH: To make my people feel safe and happy, always.

AO: “Favourite beauty/style icons?” 

AH: 90s Amber Valletta and Princess Diana 

AO: “What are you reading right now?”

AH: I just finished Christodora by Tim Murphy and it was amazing.