FALL 2023 | PAGE 9
MAKEUP AND MEDS: FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN TWO PASSIONS By: Gabrielle J. Williams Creativity has been in my veins from a young age. I had quite the imagination. But what I did not know was where that imagination would lead me. The beginning of my makeup artistry journey started in the summer of 2009. I had just finished my junior year of college at Alabama State University. Instead of attending summer school, I was home recovering from foot surgery. With limited mobility, I only had a few options for entertainment: television or the internet. I found myself becoming heavily interested in makeup tutorials on YouTube. Unlike today, there were only a handful of makeup artists and influencers doing makeup tutorials online. One makeup artist caught my attention, Jackie Aina. I loved that she was a woman of color. I credit Jackie for the makeup techniques I learned, including filling and shaping eyebrows. I was able to thank her on Instagram years later. I didn’t own any makeup or brushes at the time, so I used my mother’s Fashion Fair cosmetics for practice. She was the first person who let me practice on her and later assisted me on wedding appointments. Once I returned to school,
I devoted my free time to learning more about makeup applications. I went to Barnes & Nobles and bought “The Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual.” At the time, Jackie Aina was working as a MAC makeup artist, so she frequently used their products in her tutorials. That’s how I transitioned from Fashion Fair to MAC Cosmetics. I began building a makeup kit. Being a college student, I had to be resourceful about building and growing a kit on a budget. Makeup is expensive. I would buy eyeshadow palettes that came in multiple colors. I recycled my empty MAC containers to get a free lipstick. I bought drugstore foundations in many shades and purchased brush rolls with various types of brushes. I practiced my skills on my roommate, friends, and other girls in the dorm. I also helped a high school senior with her prom makeover. By the time I graduated and moved back to Georgia in 2010, I was eager to pursue my makeup artistry more seriously. I dedicated time to perfecting my craft, continuing to learn from YouTube and trying to replicate makeup looks I saw on celebrities and other makeup artists. I even won a contest for a makeup artist who wanted to see who could
