“Our third birthday is coming up,” said my boss and the founder of Testament Beauty, Sophia Chabbott. “We need to do something fun!”
I had just started working at Testament Beauty the week before, but I had already become the company’s resident photographer at our Ouri’s event. This internship quickly became my go-to for honing my photography skills, and we were gearing up for a big photo shoot for the anniversary campaign.
All Sophia had to say was “Peter Lindbergh,” and the ideas started flowing. The conversation quickly turned to George Michael, '90s supermodels, and British Vogue’s epic 40-model March 2024 cover. We envisioned something fabulous, warm, beautiful — all centered around the idea of the family you create.
My contribution? *13 Going On 30*. Yep, the movie featuring the très iconique Jenna Rink, whose memorable speech echoed in my ears throughout the project. “Real women who are smart and pretty and happy to be who they are. These are the women to look up to,” Rink famously said. “All of us want to feel something that we’ve forgotten or turned our backs on. Because maybe we didn’t realize how much we were leaving behind. We need to remember what used to be good. If we don’t, we won't recognize it even if it hits us between the eyes.”
Since Testament Beauty is all about radiance at every age, Sophia brought in some of her closest friends and family, from their twenties to their fifties — a true representation of generational beauty. The setting? The coastline. The wardrobe? White button-down shirts inspired by Lindbergh’s iconic black-and-white portraits of Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell from the '90s.
And so, it all began to come together.
The final cast included photographer and interior designer Nicole Cohen; aesthetician Annette Cohen Friedman; mom of four and TikTok sensation Joyce Chabbott (you may know her as Upper East Side Mommy); renowned stylist Selena Gindi; and Lazy Susan tableware founder Caroline Rahmey. Five extraordinary women, each with diverse talents and passions, each representing the unique ways we see beauty.
Photographing this group was incredibly intimidating! The pressure was on. An aesthetician, an influencer, a stylist, a photographer, and a brand founder — they’re all just so cool. I practiced for weeks on the beach beforehand, using my personal Testament Beauty collection, my nine-year-old sister, and even Sophia joined me for a round of test shots.
Our shoot day, July 3rd, was filled with excitement. At the bright hour of 8:30 AM (because I don’t make the rules, the sun and her light do), five beautiful women in billowing white shirts arrived at Annette’s house. George Michael’s *Freedom ‘90* was playing, my camera was ready, and we began…
We tried all sorts of combinations — groups by the grass, solos in the master bathroom, duos on the balcony. Different poses, different products — the girls just went with it! The beach was the most Lindbergh-esque of all, with our models running along the shoreline, bringing the vision to life.
This shoot is a testament (see what I did there?) to these incredible women who have truly stood by Testament Beauty these last three years. Testament Beauty is about inner radiance leading to feeling your absolute best.
Cheers to three years of friends, family, fun, and beauty — and to many more. Thank you to everyone who has been there for every step of the way with Testament Beauty. We absolutely couldn’t do it without you. — Diane Azrak
