I always request “drag queen eyes” when I am afforded the opportunity to sit in a Pro’s makeup artist’s chair. Drag queen eyes - at least, in my book - means a few extra...rows...of lashes, a wing big enough to land a trans-continental aircraft at LAX and blended for the Gods.
Makeup is meant to make you feel your best, right?
For the last 17+ years I have worked in media relations, and the last 5-ish of those 17+ have been spent behind the scenes of global beauty brands, creators and festivals. I guess like any coin, it’s 2-sided. I see the beauty industry as a powerful catalyst for overdue conversations about social justice. Inclusive skin tones and visibility, beauty boys, gender fluidity, body positivity, etc - they have all made their rightful ways to the forefront of mainstream consciousness by way of the beauty industry. That part is dope.
The other side of the coin - the one that was so alarming to me that I decided to sell my house to start Y Cosmetics to challenge it - is this vortex of stunting messages that are physically on the products themselves. The idea of “sex sells” continues to plague the beauty industry. And look, by no means am I prude. Just ask my NYC doorman from 2007 to 2009...but the beauty industry has found its core audience to be younger than ever before, a fact that we can likely credit to the rise of social media. There are so many outlets for young girls to consume beauty related content, and even more influencers in this space to follow.