Meet the Swedish makeup artist behind the most glamorous A-lister looks

One of the most in-demand celebrity makeup artists in the world is flying the flag for Sweden. Indeed, on Ash K Holm’s Instagram profile, she makes her Scandinavian heritage clear to her 1.1 million followers via a proud flag emoji. Through her work with her covetable client list, which includes Megan Fox, Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani, Kaia Gerber, Ashley Graham, Jessica Alba, Camila Cabello, and the Kardashians, the Texas-born talent has become known for her experimental take on classic bombshell styles. With a Lebanese mother and Swedish father whose family immigrated from Stockholm, 32-year-old Holm says her multicultural background helped to mould her signature style.

“I honestly love that fresh Scandinavian makeup look. It’s always resonated with me. I’ve tried to incorporate different versions of that style for my celebrity clientele,” said Holm, who began using beauty as a way to gain confidence and escape childhood bullies.

"Scoliosis runs in my family. I was super insecure and often made fun of for not having a straight back. Makeup made me feel powerful. I realised early on I want to use it to empower others,” she says. After studying cosmetology, Holm honed her technique behind the MAC counter while building her reputation locally, all the while dreaming of trading Houston for Hollywood.

After being mentored by Lilly Lashes founder (and fellow Texan) Lilly Ghalichi, her big break came in 2016 when Khloe Kardashian came to town and booked her. They’ve been loyal to each other ever since. “She gets me out of my comfort zone, which makes me a better makeup artist. She likes to push it and try something different. We love to create a look together,” Holm says. Soon, her sister Kim and mother Kris Jenner added the artist to their roster of go-to glam experts. In fact, the day of our Vogue Scandinavia interview began like many do for Holm: at the crack of dawn at the home of the world’s most famous momager, readying her for another day running her empire on-camera.

“I have the utmost respect for her, “ Holm says of Jenner, who needs to be ready in under an hour. “She’s such a boss. Being in her energy is a gift because you always learn something new. We don’t have a lot of time to chit chat because it’s 6AM and she’s doing a million things at once which I completely admire.” However, Holm still remembers one of her standout statements: “If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no,” Holm recalls Jenner said. “Her words really resonated with me and I implemented them into my life in every aspect. The worst thing someone can say is no. You’ll be so surprised with how far asking can get you.”

Clearly, it’s a strategy the ambitious Holm has taken to heart. Between increasingly busy client work, she also is the co-founder of Dripology with her husband, a Santa Monica med-spa offering hydrating vitamin IVs and laser skincare treatments, which she swears by for her high-pressured lifestyle. “The drips give me energy, make my skin look smooth and clear, and keep me sharp. I need to be on top of it because I’m multitasking and I’m also trying to do precision eyeliner in high-stress situations.” Holm also has her sights on a product line in the future. And this September, she’s releasing a 30-piece high-end makeup brush collection with Spectrum. “You’re able to create works of art with these brushes,” she says. “It exudes everything that my career has been about. It’s all smoke and mirrors. That’s what makeup is at the end of the day, but it’s so much fun and the best part is you can always wash it off.”

Thus, we took it upon ourselves to ask Holm to share the secrets behind the most memorable looks she’s created for her bevy of famous faces. “I keep a database of every look I’ve ever done with photos and a complete product list. I don’t know anyone else that does this. You get to look back on it and it helps you grow as an artist,” she says. And for those seeking some practical makeup magic, Holm teaches us the principles of her full-proof “supermodel snatch” routine, which she says is the ultimate “when in doubt” look.

“Megan Fox for the MTV VMAS in 2021. That went wild and is probably my most popular look that I’ve ever done. It was such a moment and what the VMAS were missing. In the 2000s and ‘90s, that award show was so much more fun. We wanted to bring that essence back and do something where heads would turn. If anyone can wear a sheer wet looking dress, it would be Megan Fox. We knew she’d smash it. To complement the dress, I wanted to do a liquid gold effect on the eyes, dewy skin, and a satin glossy rose-toned lips, which went well with her wet hair look. We knew she was going to cause a sensation and she did.”

“The look that I did on Ariana Grande in 2018 was her first Met Gala. She had an extremely long ponytail. To complement her hair, we did fresh glowing skin with a very dramatic cat eye. We both love that style. A pop of baby blue on the inner corner kept it still classically her but a bit more edgy for the occassion. It’s a look that I’m still seeing circulating the internet. It’s one of my favorites.”

“This was for Ariana’s r.e.m. beauty. Blush can completely change the look of your face. We really exaggerated the placement here. This technique is called blush draping and it’s very editorial. To make it more modern and everyday, I would go with a lighter blush, something soft and peachy, to blend into your skin tone, but still give you that wash of color. When you apply it with an angled brush, you can focus on the outer corner of the eye and cheekbone.”

“Back in 2019, there’s a look I did on Kim that went viral. She was wearing a tight green dress. I did this really warm brown sultry eye on her, with a winged liner and wispy lashes. Glowy skin and her signature contoured ‘90s nude lip finished it off. This was recreated by so many people on Instagram and YouTube, which I love to see.”

“In 2020, I also did Kim for the Vanity Fair Oscars party. She looked like an art piece that night. We went for a dramatic dark brown smokey kohl eye. We did spiky lashes and her signature nude lip. It was something different, more runway. Those kinds of looks are always my favorite, when you really get to step outside the box and do something different.”

“I was inspired by Khloe being the Barbie that she is on her birthday this year. It’s an inner cut crease, which means it starts from the inner corner of her eye. We did a champagne shadow on the lid and bronze on the crease and topped it off with a winged liner, wispy lash, pink lip, and glowy cheeks. It’s both a bold look, yet somehow still feels so pretty and soft.”

“Camila Cabello was recently performing at Wango Tango. I got really inspired by her outfit, with these silvery embellishments on black. I knew it needed a graphic eye. We kept the liner pretty straight and focused on the outer corner to make her eyes look more lifted. I added jewels in the outer corner to complement what she was wearing. I did a floating liner in the crease with a foiled shadow in the inner corner. When you’re doing someone’s makeup for the stage or a show, you can push it further, which I love.”

“I adore Gwen Stefani. She recently found me through social media. She’s someone I’ve always wanted to work with and is such an iconic performer of my generation. To be able to touch these women like her that I idolized is a ‘pinch me’ moment. She was actually like “I want you to just do your thing.’” That’s the biggest compliment that she trusted me to do whatever I felt. It was our first time working together, and for a performance at the Hollywood Bowl. She definitely has such an interesting look. Everything pops on her, so we embraced that with a bright red lip, pinkish cheeks, and a classic cat eye. It was a dream and so different from what I normally do.”

“My Model Off Duty Makeup is one of my favorite looks to create on my clients. This look is also on my YouTube Channel. The bronzing and contouring application is definitely the main event of this tutorial”

Base:
“When I look at someone, I observe their bone structure and features to decide where I want to elevate and lift. What’s really on-trend these days is applying your contour a little higher than you normally would, applying your concealer on the outer corners of your eyes for a lifting effect, and adding a little bit of concealer under your contour to brighten and lift the face. It’s all about your placement and technique. It’s sometimes not even about the product, it’s about where you apply it. For foundation, I love Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk. It never fails, especially on a red carpet. They have something for everyone and it’s perfect for the Scandinavian glowy look.”

Cheeks:
“I’ve been into a rosy bronzy blush flushed look sitting on top of the cheeks blending into the eyeshadow almost. It’s flattering and new. Buxom Divine Goddess highlighter palette is a beautiful finishing touch. It’s a cream highlighter that melts into skin. Makeup by Mario’s SoftSculpt cream contour and SkinPerfector setting powder is sheer and luminous. Those two products together are great without feeling like you have a ton of makeup on.”

Eyes:
“Incorporate whatever you used on your skin on your eyes: basing your eyelids with your foundation, going in with the same warmth on your skin from bronzer and blush on your eyes and sweeping it through the crease. I love doing a bit of eyeliner on the outer corner. When you apply it all the way across end-to-end, it can close the eye off. To open up, I focus on the outer corner and angle upward. For eyeliner, the Kylie Cosmetics Kyliner makes it so easy. It glides on and allows you to do a natural look that still snatches the outer corner of your eye with the way the brush is designed. I finish with Buxom mascara in black, which lengthens and volumizes, doesn't flake, and is a staple in my kit. Some outer corner individual lashes can be beautiful too.”

Lips:
“Tie it in with a darker lip liner that’s on the nude side, but then a rosy nude lipstick with a gloss in the center. I love Gloss-c in Bronzite by Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty. It’s not sticky and looks really pretty over lip color. For lipliner, I’m obsessed with the shade Hush Hush Henna by Buxom. Everyone needs it, it’s your lip shade but better. I also love their Smooth Spice and High Def Honey shades.”