Ever since I was young, I have always had an appreciation for art. By that I mean all forms of art: Music, paintings, dancing, and much more. My favorite form of art, by far, is makeup. I have always loved the aspect of self-expression. I love how much of it there is to consume. But my most favorite thing is when those two come together in a brand’s philosophy. 

This brings me to my first point of my passion which is a brand by Selena Gomez called Rare Beauty. This brand launched in September of 2020, so it is fairly new. The brand’s philosophy is something that immediately drew me in. They strive to break down unrealistic standards of perfection and their makeup is designed to feel good in. The main idea is to accent and highlight the features you already have, not to hide or alter anything.

The “About” page on their website reads that, “beauty is not about being someone else, but being who you are.” This is something that is really important to me, as it highlights one of the best parts about makeup.

Over the years, I personally feel that brands have gotten lost in the need that people have to hide insecurities. For brands like MAC and NARS, a lot of their products are super heavy and full coverage. These factors change appearances entirely. Of course this is okay sometimes. However, I really gravitate towards more self-accepting brands, like Rare Beauty. 

As a young kid in high school, I didn’t exactly fit in with the girls who were considered “pretty.” I was an athlete, I was always tired and I didn’t put much effort into my appearance. I had practices until 11:30 at night most nights, and I wouldn’t get to bed until 1:00 in the morning. So again, I was tired and needed the extra time to sleep in the morning. As I began to notice this, I quickly fell into the horrible mindset of thinking I needed makeup to look pretty for school. And I went with it. When I didn’t have late practices, I would set my alarm for 6:30 am and I would wake up to put makeup on so that I felt pretty throughout the day. 

This obsession became just that: an obsession. My poor parents spent hundreds of dollars on eye shadow and super intense glitters. I still have all of these palettes today, but I barely reach for them anymore. The trends in 2016 were surrounding the idea of full coverage and colored eyeshadows. So, I bought it all. Anastasia Beverly Hills’ “Modern Renaissance” and “Sultry” eyeshadow palettes, their “Dip Brow,” and everything else I saw other people using. It wasn’t a complete waste because I loved it then, but what a waste of money.

A good thing that came from this phase are my skills. I would go as far as to say that I “do makeup” now. I have done makeup for proms and weddings, and I succeeded in both of those experiences. This comes in handy when I want to do my own makeup for an event or even just a night out. 

However, on a daily, more consistent, basis, I use the simplest amount of products that I can. I use all of my favorites and I think that they come together very well. I use a little bit of concealer. I have three that I rotate through and they are ColourPop, Hourglass and of course, Rare Beauty. Then, I use the Charlotte Tilbury contour wand. Next, I use the Rare Beauty liquid blush and illuminators in shades “Happy” and “Enchant.” I try to keep everything light and natural now, as opposed to my heavy handed routine when I was in high school. 

I have come really far in this passion since it began. I distinctly remember my first interaction with makeup when I was young. I was sitting in my bathroom with my aunt and I was mesmerized by her blush. She didn’t actually put it on me because I was four or five, but she pretended to. After that, I always remember wondering when I would be old enough to wear blush. Now, makeup has become one of my main passions in life.