By Ella Scott-Wallace, Staff Writer
Casey Kashiwai
From applying a sparkly blue eyeshadow all over her lid when she was young to creating her own makeup account on Instagram, sophomore Casey Kashiwai has come a long way on her journey through makeup, transforming her interest into a passion and sharing her artistry with the world.
Kashiwai discovered her interest in makeup when she began watching beauty accounts on YouTube, immersing herself in the makeup world. However, she still felt lost after watching hours of videos. Most of them were geared towards entertaining viewers (one video title that comes to mind is “Valentine’s Day: Then vs. Now”), which didn’t teach her what she wanted to know about makeup. It wasn’t until she discovered inspirational YouTubers like Nicole Guerriero and Jaclyn Hill that she became more connected to makeup.
“I remember wanting to buy everything they had, [and] I started doing more creative looks,” said Kashiwai.
Using her creativity to her advantage, she began experimenting with different styles. From bold liner to dramatic cut creases to vibrant colors, Kashiwai uses makeup as a creative outlet to discover new techniques and gain ideas for the next Instagram look.
“I follow some fashion and clothing store accounts which I pull color combinations from,” said Kashiwai. “Other times I just pick a palette and figure out which shadows I don’t use. I start using those colors and just create something.”
Though her creativity shines through her Instagram posts, her goal for the past year has shifted from exploring creative looks. Kashiwai now focuses on the techniques she uses to achieve her best results, like blending and getting an overall clean finish.
“I love that there’s not only one, set way to do things, which means I can experiment with different techniques,” said Kashiwai.
Kashiwai hopes to continue the art of makeup; her goal is to pursue a career in the beauty industry and work with film, red carpet and bridal makeup.
Though Kashiwai certainly has a talent when it comes to makeup, it definitely didn’t happen overnight. Kashiwai advises that anyone who wants to experiment with makeup themselves should accept criticism as a sign to practice more—talent doesn’t come naturally.
“If you start an account for your makeup, don’t get caught up in numbers,” said Kashiwai. “Focus on using it to show your progress and connect with others. There’s a huge beauty community and with that comes a ton of support.”
Ava Lyman
When sophomore Ava Lyman was 14, she developed a passion for makeup. A self-taught artist, she used years of practice, research and watching YouTube videos to get herself to where she is today.
One of the things Lyman loves most about makeup is the transformation and creativity that comes with the art.
“Whether you put on some lipgloss and mascara or you’re going full drag, the process is just so cool—the ability to keep it simple and enhance what you have, the ability to make your eyebrows disappear and manipulate your bone structure,” said Lyman. “It’s all simply mesmerizing.”
The types of looks she creates varies with each Instagram post, as she pulls inspiration from a number of different places. When ideas don’t come directly to her, she finds inspirations based off of what other beauty influencers have created or develops one big idea to form a series—she started her series of shapes on her Instagram page in September 2017.
Though she finds satisfaction in creating unique looks and transforming herself, she wasn’t able to do so without practice, which is what she preaches to anyone who also might have an interest in makeup. Though it takes time, discovering the best products and techniques as well as sticking to it and practicing often leads to a load of improvement. Even today, she admits her looks don’t always turn out the way she wants.
Though Lyman was initially scared to create her Instagram page, she’s happy she did. Being able to get creative with her looks and witnessing the progress she’s made since her first post is something she takes pride in. Within the past year, makeup has also become an outlet for her.
“No matter what mood I was in, doing my makeup would always make me feel better,” said Lyman. “Especially when people online began to support what I was doing, it just felt all the more better.”
