Dig in to this article to find out how a mom slash makeup artist, @mar.see.ah.mua , spends her time during the lockdown in Portugal. As I’m sure many of you are in a similar situation now and it’s interesting to see how fellow makeup lovers from different cultures cope with changes caused by the pandemic. We need the reassurance from time to time that we are not alone in this, it’s OK to not feel OK every day, and how creating helps to take your mind off of things and stay sane. Get your favorite hot drink ready and come with us to Portugal.☕️

How did you get into makeup?

We have to go way back. I believe, my passion for makeup started at the age of 13 or 14, right after my trip to the United States. I wasn’t really interested in beauty products at the time, but after seeing and knowing other cultures, something had changed in me. 19 years ago, in Portugal, there were only a few make-up stores. I didn’t live in a big city, I didn’t have access to make-up and I was basically ordering from catalogs or used cheap drugstore makeup.

I kept on trying, creating and improving my skills to become a makeup artist with whatever products I could get my hands on.

I used to be a social worker and one of my favorite jobs was to face-paint children. I loved it and had worked in this sector while I was in high school. Then at the age of 18, I graduated in theatre set and costumes design. Ever since then, I was working as a makeup artist both in theatre and for outside clients.

Do you consider yourself a social media influencer?

I honestly don’t. The only thing that motivates me in this platform is content creation. I like to show products that I was gifted to and give my sincere opinion on application, texture and pigmentation. It allows me to be creative and I’d like to believe, I contribute to helping companies and customers make educated choices. On a more personal level…

…content creation keeps pushing my creative boundaries. You know they always say creativity is boundless, but if I didn’t put on makeup daily, I wouldn’t improve much.

I want to create something better than I did before – this is really the reflection of my work ethics. Of course, it would be nice to be recognized more on social media, but there are so many great talents out there and IG’s algorithm is not helping either.

I think people nowadays don’t automatically show appreciation, but they’re fast to point out the negative things. It’s a cultural change I can’t relate to.

That’s why I’m so genuinely moved, when I receive comments and thumbs ups for the work I’ve done.

What do you do besides content creation?

I’m a full-time mom and a makeup artist. It’s not an easy feat to juggle both but with a little time management skill, everything is possible. I mostly do bridal makeup and casual, everyday looks for my clients which, let’s admit, doesn’t really let me be creative. That is way social media plays such a huge role in my life.

It’s the platform where I can truly express myself.

Where do you get your daily #inspo from?

I am drawn to shapes and color palettes. I love abstract things, but they need to be well thought out. I don’t have a role model but I am inspired by so many talented people such as @Ditteschaal, @Robertavixen and @Jessicagantzler to name a few. They are very different from each other, but they are all spectacular in their own style. You guys should check them out!

How would you describe your signature look?

I don’t feel that I have a signature look. My looks are very varied and they really depend on my mood. One day I decide to make a soft glam look, but the next day I draw a full cut crease, or even covering my eyebrows and drawing a snake, for example. But perhaps people will identify me by the glossy ombré and glitter-drenched lip arts.

Lip art is a my newly discovered obsession, FYI, so you’ll see a lot more lip focused posts coming up on my feed in the future.

What does beauty mean to you?

This is a very difficult question and I’m not sure how to approach it or if I can do justice to this question but here we go. Beauty, like art, should evoke emotions, good or bad. It needs to communicate on so many levels that you just simply get attracted to it.

As a makeup artist it’s my job to help you witness the beauty within yourself. The best reward is to see my clients smile with happiness.

How does your day-to-day routine look during the COVID-19 crisis?

It is going to be very boring for your readers! *giggles* I’ve been doing the lockdown for about 2 months. Basically, I do some house chores, take care of the kid, put the kid to sleep and then praying for a 3-hour nap to be able to create or edit some content. Hopefully, after dinner and bath-time, I can watch a movie or series and wind down. It is important that people respect the lockdown or at least be careful not to endanger others.

So, wear a mask and wash your hands regularly. Things will get back to normal soon.

What are the makeup products you’d never leave your home without?

As a mother, I don’t have much time to put on makeup, so it has to be very simple and quick. The most important for me is sunscreen, BB cream, mascara, and a more pink-ish or peachy blush/illuminator. I need a soft glam by day because my skin tone is very pale.

If you could do anything in the world, what would that be?

I would definitely change the ending of the Game of Thrones. *laughs*

Honestly, I think the older we get, the more our needs change. About 3 years ago I dreamed of having my own makeup studio and working full time in my own company.

I still haven’t given up on this dream, but it is no longer a priority. Seeing the family grow and traveling a lot with them is what I want to do.

I think, this lockdown has an effect on me; it makes me question what really matters.

Share 3 random things about you that very few people know.

Here’s one. I hate taking full face pictures. Close-ups are my best friends and it’s much quicker to do. Very few people realize that the names of my animals are all characters from the Dragon Ball series. And, if I could turn a fictional story into a real-life event, it’d be the Phantom of the Opera, but don’t ask me why!

Next stop is Canada. We’ve the pleasure to introduce Gabrielle or as you might know her online @gabiliciousxsx . We met Gabrielle while scouting for talent to test and showcase our goodies on IG. It was actually love at first sight: her style, vibe and skills radiate professionalism and she is so on point on makeup trends, we couldn’t have asked for a better match. But as you probably suspect, this level of commitment requires hours and hours of work and major dedication toward makeup and social media. So we sat down with Gabrielle in our virtual tea room (meaning we sent her an email 😅#socialdistancing ) to discuss makeup, life and inspiration for creating content in the shadow of this pandemic.

What inspired you to become a makeup artist?

I’ve always LOVED makeup! I remember as a little girl, I was always trying to do the hairstyle and do the makeup of everyone, even my uncles *chuckles* And when I was a teenager, I was wearing a bit of makeup at school, but not much ’cause I was pretty shy and I didn’t want to attract too much attention. But when I was coming back home after school, I was looking at actresses’ makeup on Google and I was trying to recreate their makeups.

I am my own canvas!

I was more extroverted at night and introverted during the day! I’ve never taken makeup classes and I’ve learned the old fashioned way how to contour and cut crease. Now, I’ve been doing makeup more seriously for about 3 years.

Would you call yourself an Influencer?

There’s a lot of MUAs that are influencers for sure, but there’s also a lot of fabulous MUAs that are not looking for an influencer type of fame.

Some MUAs are only using IG to have visibility to show their art…

or to be able to do more makeup contracts. Some are on IG just for fun and are not referring to themselves as influencers. I’m pretty much that kind. I don’t consider myself an influencer. I mean, not like the image that we have in mind when we think about an influencer: extra white teeth, extra tanned, perfect life, perfect IG feed, perfect body / face. I’m a normal person, with flaws, I have issues and bad days like everyone! I’m trying to be as real as possible. I try to keep in touch with my followers and to engage conversations with them, giving them my genuine opinion on what products I like or not. I wouldn’t promote products I don’t like just for visibility.

Have you ever worked in the beauty industry?

I would love to! I was previously a hair dresser, but I quit to go back to school and now I’m finishing my university degree in social work. More precisely, I want to work with the elderly people. I felt it was a good match for me ’cause I adore them and I also love helping people in general. But of course, my dream job would be to become a makeup blogger/YouTuber ! I’m planning to launch my YouTube channel soon. Wish me luck!

What does makeup mean to you in terms of self-expression?

It means everything ! When I do makeup on myself, time literally stops. Makeup is so good for my mind and for my anxiety cause when I do makeup, I forget all my problems, all the stress and there’s just me, my canvas, my brushes and my makeup. I can explore so many styles and techniques and play with many colors. It’s also helping me to gain confidence. I mean who doesn’t feel confident with a bold red lipstick, brows on fleek and highlighter?!?

For me, makeup isn’t only aesthetics, it’s art, it’s a statement, it’s a lifestyle, it’s empowering!

Are there any role models you look up to?

Both my parents are my #1 role models for real!

They’re like the cutest persons alive and I love them so much ️ they’ve built their own company together and they’ve worked so hard to be where they are right now. They’re the definition of passion, creativity, inspiration and love! Without them, I wouldn’t even be where I am in life but also as an MUA cause they bought my professional ring light and my macro lens and those two things literally helped me to increased the quality of my work. They’re the best and they taught me their love of art and photography!

Okay let’s dive a bit deeper. What are the fears and obstacles you have had to overcome to create your first artistic post online?

To be honest, I wasn’t even thinking about fears, I was just thinking “Why not ?!”. It was for Halloween and I was pretty good at makeup so people were responding positively to it and after I posted my first lip art and at that time when I had 50 likes it felt good so I was pretty happy! And step by step, I posted another makeup post and now we’re here!

I would say now that the biggest obstacle for me is to be shadow banned by IG itself.

What are the most common misconceptions people have about you?

I think that the people who don’t know me think that I’m more important cause I have a couple of followers on IG. Some people are writing to me sometimes to talk about my art and I always engage with all the conversations or the comments that I have and when I’m answering to them, they’re often like “OMG you’re answering to me, I would never thought you would”. And I’m thinking…

OMG why, I’m a very normal person…

and I’m always saying to them that I’m a normal human being and that I’m not cooler than them and of course I’m answering and I’m there to respond to their questions!

What has been the most surreal moment of your life in & outside of social media? We’ve heard some crazy stuff so far so don’t hold back 😎

I would say that the most surreal moment of my life in & outside the social media was meeting my boyfriend ’cause we met on a social media app! I’ve never clicked that much with an other human being and it’s been almost 2 years now that we’re together and he’s my life! He makes me laugh everyday and he’s always supporting me, and for real, he IS my rock!

So when I’m thinking of my best social media moment, I’m thinking about him right away…

’cause without social media app, I wouldn’t have met him!

Awww that’s cute AF! And we are back to makeup. What are the makeup products you’d never leave your home without?

I can easily go to the grocery without makeup, but when I go to work, my daily makeup routine takes me like 40 minutes and I would say that I’m never leaving the house without a light covering foundation, setting powder, bronzer, brow pen, mascara and chapstick.

What’s your best beauty advice for those struggling with body issues?

I’m struggling myself and I’m working hard to be less rude to myself trying to accept my curves instead of criticizing them. It’s not easy, but I’m focusing on the fact that I’m feeling good with myself and if it wasn’t about the social pressure and rules, I wouldn’t have any problem! So, the problem is not our curves, our big noses, our cellulite, our tiny breasts, the problem is the social standards! So, embrace your body and be proud of who you are ’cause those standards have to change and they’ll change the day everyone will stop following those unattainable rules!

Be thick, be proud and be fierce!

When we started this whole thing in #Romania, we didn’t know what to expect in terms of social media #influencers. How many are there? What styles do they have? Would they be interested in an edgy, no bullshit makeup or for them, we’re just gonna be yet another #indiebeautybrand.

I gotta tell you, whatever worries we had at the start were dispelled by the amazing reception of everyone we got in touch with. This was the time we reached out to @evasplace30 via Instagram and asked if she wanted to try our goodies. Needless to say, we’ve been collab-ing ever since. Her style, dedication and delivery are beyond a certain quality of threshold and we quickly fell in love. So yeah, long story short, from that moment we wanted to know more about her and finally we had time to chit-chat a bit.

Ever wondered how beautifully glammed influencers cope with daily life and what makeup really means to them? Perhaps you’ll find your answers below…

What made you start your own beauty channel?

I wanted to create content using makeup as the tool to communicate with likeminded people. I don’t really remember how I ended up posting my looks on @Instagram, but I certainly don’t regret it. YouTube is very different. You don’t just serve a look there you also have to engaging both visually and content-wise to make people watch your clips to the end. I’m still working on being consistent on YouTube, but I really want to make it work!

How would you describe your style?

Honestly, I don’t like to be put into “boxes”.

I do feel creativity has no bounds, but the style I’m currently attracted to is probably best described as being edgy and eclectic with a touch of creepiness. I love this direction, ‘cuz it’s so weird!

What do you do when you are not creating content for social media?

I never stop creating even if I’m doing something “offline”. I’m a graphic designer by day and a social(media)butterfly after hours. I spend most of my days editing in Illustrator or Photoshop and when I’m not working, I’m either cooking -love cooking! – or, spending time with my family.

Are there any makeup trends that inspire you?

I absolutely love the tends in the early 2000s and the 90’s.

They are both a bit messy and dark. Much like the stuff I love to create.

How long have you been into makeup and why is it important for you?

I have been fascinated with makeup my whole life, because I grew up seeing my mom putting on all sorts of makeup every day, and I loved it! But I actually started wearing them in my early twenties in a more consistent way, when I discovered that it can be another way to explore my creativity and self. Now, besides the fact that I love…

putting on makeup, it became a kind of therapy to me.

It really helps when I’m stressed and overwhelmed to whip out my makeup collection, look into the mirror and as I begin my transformation, I start to get rid of the negativity too – It’s like a therapeutic transformation.

Do you have a role model related or unrelated to the world of #beauty?

I don’t really have role models. I admire and appreciate things about other people and around me, but I’m trying to be my own person as much as I can.

I don’t think it’s healthy to constantly compare ourselves with others.

With that approach, I’d only focus on the negative things and makeup would not be the tool of openly expressing my creativity, but to hide myself behind it. That’s not me.

What #makeup essentials you must carry with you 24/7?

I only have lipstick in my bag but like 5 of them! I never touch up my facial makeup throughout the day, the messiness doesn’t bother me. In fact, I think it looks cool.

I’m guessing your daily makeup looks very different from your social media looks.

I skip a lot of steps in my everyday looks, most of the time I’m not wearing foundation or do my eyebrows. I only need black lipstick, mascara and highlighter. With my IG looks I like to go all in most of the time and use a variety of products. But it’s time-consuming you know, and ain’t nobody got time for that!

Do you think that girls should look a certain way like wear makeup to be well-received?

Absolutely not. Wearing makeup or pretty clothes doesn’t make a girl more of a girl. But, at the
same time..

if you want to go buy some cheese from the corner store wearing a full-on glam, no one should stop you!