Ever struggled with finding the right shade of foundation? Or figuring out the perfect lipstick technique that doesn’t make you look like MirandaSings? If you said no to any of the above questions, then I applaud you for your talent and skill. If you said yes, then you are probably like me and spent countless of hours on Instagram and YouTube searching for makeup tips and tricks.
On Thursday night at Hub 302, ASPB hosted, “Uncovered: Finding Your Foundation,” which brought famous makeup gurus from Instagram and YouTube from our cell phone screens to the stage. Exclusive to UCR students, some of social media’s most influential makeup artists Ourfa Zinali, Kevin Wade and Tyme the Infamous came to share the behind-the-scenes secrets of makeup and beauty.
With doors opening at 6:30 p.m., a line of students filled up the seats and finally after a 20 minute delay, the event started with a short introduction and Q-and-A from Marissa Alfe, a Los Angeles-based beauty agent.
The stars of the show then came up on stage with friendly smiles and flawless makeup (of course) and were greeted with small cheers from the crowd. Ourfa Zinali looked like a dark, beautiful nightmare, dressed in all black, except for her nude lipcolor and lip piercing that caught in the light whenever she spoke. Tyme the Infamous was a vision in red and black, with her iconic silver hair and classic Louis Vuitton red bottomed heels, she was the definition of fabulous and fashionable. Kevin Wade sat between Zinali and Tyme, a bundle of humorous wit and infectious laughter. Dressed casually and comfortably, Wade made the audience laugh every time he spoke. Starting off with questions about careers in social media, Alfe asked the three makeup artists, “When could you quit your job and become a full time social media presence?”
“This is my first year doing makeup and honestly, it just kind of happened.” Wade said. “The first person I ever did makeup on was Tinashe and from there, luck was just on my side.”
Zinali and Tyme, on the other hand, didn’t have the same luxury as Wade in the industry. Both starting out as makeup artists for MAC; the two struggled with finances until they gained enough social media presence to get to where they are today. In spite of their current success, the trio agreed that a career in social media is not all fun and games and emphasized that it’s not as glamorous as people make it seem.
“It’s just grind, grind, grind, and edit, edit, edit, all day long.” Tyme explained. Ourfa nodded and added, “It takes around 6 hours just to finish one look for the day.”
The interview went on to cover various topics such as their authority in the social media space and their thoughts of outrageous Instagram beauty trends. When Zinali talked about tagging brands in her photos, Wade brought up the issue of underrepresented women of color in the makeup industry.
“I stopped tagging brands, because they didn’t post a lot of people of color on their account. I’m not going to support a brand if they aren’t going to support my people.” Wade expressed. “Like if you haven’t posted a woman of color in 22 weeks, then I’m out.”
As the interview portion of the event came to an end, the makeup tutorials and presentations from the trio finally began. Tyme the Infamous began her “College Everyday Makeup Look” tutorial that included simple steps for contouring a warm tone of brown eyeshadow, eyeliner, fake eyelashes (optional, if you have time) and a neutral lipstick. Tyme then applied a darker brown shadow on the outer corners of the ears and a shimmery eyeshadow to finish, showing the audience how to quickly turn an everyday look into a party look.
Zinali came on stage next and focused primarily on how to do apply liquid lipstick neatly and efficiently. Using Jeffree Star’s Unicorn Blood liquid lipstick, she outlined the steps for applying long-lasting and smooth lipcolor with these simple steps: moisturize your lips, use lip liner, fill in with preferred color and clean up any messes along the way. For a cleaner look, Zinali recommends looking at your lips from all angles, including the underside of your lips to get better coverage.
When Wade walked onto the stage, he gave helpful tips on how to find the right shade of foundation and said, “If you’re taking six months to blend it into your skin, it’s not your right shade.”
He went on to point out that skin doesn’t stay consistent and often times, foundation needs to be blended with other lighter or darker shades depending on weather and skin type. Wade was sure to include products for different skin tones when recommending products and suggested that people “go to the deepest, darkest corner of your house and take a picture with the flash on” to see if the foundation matches your skin tone and is blended well.
After the presentations were over, an open Q-and-A segment was offered to anyone who had any more questions. A line quickly formed behind the mic placed on the floor, ranging from questions about products to tips on dealing with haters.
For an event about makeup and beauty, the conversations and insights I heard from professional makeup gurus were surprisingly all about self-love, confidence and authenticity to your artistry. I left the event feeling inspired, liberated and ready to take on the world of makeup, with all of its trials and tribulations, uneven eyeliner and lipstick-stained teeth.
Oh, and by the way, if you’re wondering what are the best products they would recommend to help students with the Riverside heat, those products would be Nyx Cosmetics Angel Veil Primer and MAC Pro Set Power. You’re welcome.
