Thank you for participating in my blog! You are so much fun to follow on Instagram, and I always learn from your tutorials! I originally found you when Viseart Paris shared your looks on their Instagram page. I followed one of your tutorials which showcased the stunning Viseart palette, Violette Etendu. One of my favorite beauty influencers, Lisa J Makeup, included the most beautiful shade of purple (Kate) in her newly released palette which in turn led me to the Viseart palette. While you and I share a love of eyeshadow, you are a true artist when it comes to both creativity and application! I not only love the many amazing looks you create and share, but also, the tutorials you provide. I check in at least once a week to see what new magic your design skills have brought to bear!
Upon posting my attempt at recreating your stunning look using the Violette palette, we began to chat from time to time. You so graciously offered your help if I needed it. (Kindness personified!) As we chatted more you shared your education and current job with me. (more on this below) Needless to say, I was so excited to hear you are currently working in and pursuing a career in a STEM focused area of business AND, you share my belief that beauty is not exclusive of intellect. Nothing like beautiful, smart, strong women to forge the path for those coming behind us! I am sure others will be as delighted and blessed to get to know you as I have been!
You started your Instagram site about 1 ½ years ago and now have close to 8K followers. Why did you decide to create your account? What are your goals?
I created my account on New Year’s Day in 2019. The night before, I had done a fun, silver eyeshadow look paired with a red lip for New Year’s Eve. I posted a photo of this look on Reddit, and it received a lot of attention. The comments were full of people telling me that my makeup was beautiful, and many were asking me for a tutorial so they could achieve the same thing. In that moment, I realized that I didn’t have to be a professional makeup artist to teach people what I knew, and that there is fun in the beauty community online. I decided that my resolution for 2019 would be to build makeup as a hobby for myself and see what I could make of it. At the time, I imagined my page would focus on my favorite products, reviews, and casual conversations about makeup. Although it sounds simple, this was a big turning point in my life that forced me to be confident and put myself out there.
My current page does not focus on reviews, but rather on tutorials and showcasing macro shots of eyeshadow looks. My goals are to not only grow my skills in both makeup and photography, but also to be someone that others can go to for makeup advice. I love talking about makeup, and I love having a community of people who come to me for tutorials and inspiration. I am so grateful for the people who comment on my posts and find joy out of my makeup, and I’d love to connect to even more people. Women are looked down upon for pursuing anything beauty related, and I want to be an example of the fact that women are multidimensional – we are smart and talented, and loving beauty (or not) doesn’t take away from that fact.
Please share a little bit about how you decided to produce the amazing looks you create.
Thank you for thinking that my looks are amazing! If you look through my page, I have kept many of my old photos up, and you’re able to scroll through and see how my photography has evolved. When I first started, I had no lighting besides my window, and I was using my cellphone to take my pictures. This was particularly challenging because I was a full-time student and employee (I still am!). By the time I sat down to do my makeup, the sun had gone down, and I would use a desk lamp to light up my face. On my page, you can pinpoint the moment that my boyfriend had bought me a ring light, because my photos suddenly became much brighter. Eventually, I purchased a digital camera for myself, and pushed myself with each look to learn about photography and photo editing on my own. I knew that if I ever wanted to be shared by big makeup brands, I had to produce quality work, and I’m still working on improving every day. I have a small desk in my room, a ring light, two LED lights, and an Olympus camera with a macro lens. That desk is usually clean, but by the time I finish, I have all sorts of things spread out.
I am currently in the middle of pursuing a master’s degree in business administration and data analytics, and I work as a full-time internal auditor – which is completely unrelated to makeup! The closest experience I’ve had to a formal makeup class was a recent ColourPop Cosmetics master class that one of my friends invited me to. In this virtual class, we learned some makeup tips and tricks, which was a lot of fun.
What is the most enjoyable element in the creation of your looks?
There are two things that come to mind. First, I’d say the one of the most enjoyable elements is seeing my vision come to life. My absolute favorite step in makeup is eyeshadow application, and I love seeing a look transform from beginning to end. I’ve always loved painting, and eyeshadow feels like painting to me. I love to mix colors, play with contrast and texture, and get creative! Second, I love photographing and retouching my makeup to fully capture what I was hoping to convey. I only do light retouching and color grading, but simple edits can transform an image in a beautiful way.
Another enjoyable element is sharing my looks with my followers on Instagram. Everyone leaves such nice comments, and it always makes my day to read what everyone has to say. I love when people follow my tutorials and tag me in their looks.
If you could create one beauty product, what would it be and why?
I would love to create an eyeshadow palette of swampy, earthy tones. My favorite eyeshadow colors are olive greens, ochres, green-browns, and similar shades. Often, brands forget about these colors, and I believe that they are incredibly flattering on a wide variety of skin tones and eye colors. I think these tones would represent my personal style of makeup, but also be the perfect palette for lovers of grungy greens. Green is so versatile, and the shade does not get enough love. If not an eyeshadow palette, I’d likely want to create a line of makeup that looks like skin. My ideal base makeup is thin, smooth, non-drying, and dewy. I struggle to find foundations and concealers that can achieve that without being obviously makeup. If not a foundation and concealer set, I’d go with cream blush… Honestly, I could probably come up with a whole line!
What is your favorite high-end eyeshadow? Drug store eyeshadow?
It’s difficult to pick just one favorite high-end eyeshadow. For shimmers, I absolutely love Pat McGrath’s special shades. I have her Divine Rose II and Bronze Seduction palettes, and my favorite shade is VR Fire Opal. It’s a beautiful, green-toned shimmer that makes me feel like an alien in the best way. For mattes, I adore Viseart and Natasha Denona. Viseart has my favorite powder formula, while Natasha Denona has beautiful cream-to-powder shades. If you browse my page, you’ll likely find that I’m mentioning at least one of these brands in the looks that I’ve created. Viseart mattes practically blend themselves, and Natasha Denona’s Metropolis palette excites me with its unique, grungy tones.
My favorite drug store eyeshadow would have to be the ELF Hot Jalapeño palette, because it’s a beautiful formula of greens. ELF’s quads are as good as some high-end shadows I have, and the price point of them is very accessible.
What is one piece of advice you would give anyone hoping to follow in your footsteps?
My biggest advice is to stay true to yourself. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. When I first started my page, and even now, I’d find myself comparing my work to others and thinking that I had to be like them to be successful, or that my work was not good enough. The reality is that each of us has something unique to bring to the table, and that is where success is found. Find your niche and stick to it. When you work on cultivating your individual craft, you’ll find happiness in your personal growth. I love to look back on my first looks and compare them to where I am at now, and that will always bring more peace and joy than comparing my makeup to someone else’s.
What is the biggest misconception about hosting an Instagram site? What is the best part of running it?
I’d say there are several misconceptions that people have about hosting an Instagram site. The first would be that it’s easy to do. While anyone can open an Instagram account, it takes a lot of time and effort to create content and curate a feed. My looks take me about 4-5 hours to complete including makeup application and photography, and I try to do several per week. To create these looks, I’ve had to purchase all the supplies, too, which can be quite costly. All of this is worth it to me, and I love the work that I do, but I would not describe it as easy. The best part about running a page is something I have mentioned many times because it really does stand out as the most important thing. That is, connecting with others. Instagram is social media, after all, and I love seeing what my makeup friends are up to every day. I love replying to comments and messages, and I enjoy having a community of people that can find joy in makeup with me.
Who inspires you?
I find inspiration from a lot of artists, both professional and amateur. Every day, I find new artists on Instagram to admire, and I don’t think I’ll ever find the one person who inspires me the most. At the risk of omitting creators I love, I want to highlight Anastasia Voevodina (avoevodina) and Diana Belova (gaotha_saoirse). Anastasia creates the most beautiful macro images of eyeshadow I’ve ever seen, and her creativity in color and shape blows me away every time. Diana uses unique, intense color combinations that inspire me to think outside of the box. She creates depth and texture in non-traditional ways, and I would love to get a peek at how her mind works. Both artists are incredibly talented, and I would love to reach even half of their level one day.
Outside of makeup, I find inspiration in art. I love Henri Matisse, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and many others. There are many lovely things in life to draw inspiration from, and I’m working on appreciating the beauty in the world around me.
Where do you envision yourself in five years?
In five years, I hope to be fully confident in who I am, which is something that I currently struggle with. Even though I love the looks that I create, I still find myself criticizing them often. So, in five years (or sooner), I want to be someone who looks in the mirror and loves what she sees every day. I’d love to continue creating, but to an even bigger audience, and I’d love to teach what I know in makeup application. One of my dreams is to create content for brands to use in marketing materials, and I hope I can achieve that in five years’ time.
What are some personal strengths that help you thrive in your Instagram business?
I have always been an artistic person, and my love of painting translated very well into eyeshadow looks. Knowing how to blend paint and draw portraits really does help me work with pigments on my face! I am also very detail-oriented, which means that I love taking the time to create and edit my photographs. Because the work is time consuming, it’s beneficial to be someone who genuinely enjoys makeup and editing. Lastly, I’m someone who loves to learn, and running an Instagram page means you learn something new every day!
What famous person would you most like to makeup or over and why?
Although I don’t currently have the talent, if I had the opportunity and skills, I’d love to do makeup on Taylor Swift. I absolutely love her music (Evermore is my current favorite album of hers), and I’d love to spend some time learning the details behind the experiences she writes about while doing her makeup. She’s had a few distinct eras of fashion, so I’m sure she’d be open to trying something new. I’d love to give her a very dewy, no-makeup makeup look.
What are the top 1-5 things that we can look forward to from you in 2021?
Expect to see more full faces of makeup, videos, and more instances of me stepping outside of my comfort zone. My goal is to really put myself out there this year by challenging myself to create video content, to come up with artistic and editorial looks, and to further connect with those that enjoy my work. In 2020, I learned how to create consistent, high-quality photos, and I’d love to push myself further in that aspect in 2021. I am always open to feedback, so I welcome any requests for content, too!
Please include any sources that people can use to purchase from you or connect with you.
The best place to reach and support me is on my Instagram page (deardomika). My direct messages are open, and anyone is welcome to say hi. As for purchasing from me, I am currently an affiliate with Good Molecules, a skincare brand you’ll hear me speak about frequently on my page. When my link is followed, I earn a small commission. Thank you for all the support!