If you walk into any junior-high girls’ bathroom or blow-dry bar, you’re likely to hear something along the lines of “I wish I had her hair.” When it comes to our standards of beauty, the grass is always greener. Curly haired gals envy straight locks and strong-cheekboned chicks envy strong-browed maidens. It’s OK to admit that you really wish you were a few inches taller, or whatever your insecurity might be. But don’t let it consume you. Today, work on acknowledging what other women have to offer without giving in to that tinge of jealousy while also admitting your own envious features. If you can nail it, then you’re definitely a beauty in my book!
WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 17 Percent
There’s an amazing scene in the TV show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in which the lead character, a 1950s housewife, gets into bed with her husband, full makeup and all. Once she hears him drift off, she jumps up to clean her face, setting an alarm to reapply before he wakes up. It’s silly to watch, but I think many of us can relate. Our obsession with keeping a picture-perfect face at all times starts young. In fact, according to a recent U.K. study, more than half of girls age 12 to 14 wear makeup almost every day, and 17 percent of them refuse to go out in public without it.
WOMAN TO WATCH: Aysha Harun, Beauty Vlogger
The great thing about makeup is that when you start considering it as an art form, it transforms from a necessary cover-up motivated by insecurities to a fun way to express yourself. That’s why YouTube is my go-to source for spot-on makeup tutorials, and Aysha Harun is the super-skilled beauty vlogger I’m loving right now.
Born in Toronto, Canada, in 1995, Aysha, who’s of Ethiopian descent and goes by Aysha Abdul on YouTube, a nod to her heritage, created her KeepItBeautifulXO makeup-tutorials YouTube channel after many years of dabbling with an array of beauty products and looks. For Aysha, makeup was always a hobby, and by the time she was just 12 years old, she had perfected plenty of makeup skills. She’d create inspired and unique looks at night by herself before wiping it all away. Her self-taught expertise eventually led this beauty maven to create an online presence to share her cosmetics creativity.
Now Aysha instructs viewers on her many tricks of the makeup trade, all with an infectious personality and down-to-earth sassiness. The particularly marvelous thing about Aysha is that she was inspired to launch her own beauty channel (while she was still in high school, by the way) and redefine what it means to be beautiful after she noticed there simply weren’t any other beauty influencers on YouTube who looked like her. So, like any ambitious woman, she decided to fill the void, representing as one of the very first hijab-wearing, dark-skinned Muslim gals to take the online video world by storm.
From fashion to cosmetics, Aysha covers it all, including hijab tutorials, how to identify the best foundation for your skin tone and, of course, fast and flawless minimal-makeup how-tos.
Much of Aysha’s career growth at such a young age stems from persistence. She was nothing less than completely dedicated to mastering various beauty regimes. She says if her experiment to create a stunning smoky eye flopped one day, she’d keep practicing until she nailed the look. That persistence has more than paid off, with Aysha now claiming nearly 150,000 dedicated YouTube followers and proving that women can simultaneously be relatable and empowered, all while rockin’ a glamorous style.
QUITE THE QUOTE
With Aysha Harun in mind, today’s quote comes from renowned British makeup artist Pat McGrath, who said:
“Creativity is your best makeup skill. Don’t be afraid to experiment.”
This is Melinda Garvey signing off until next time. Remember, ladies, empowered women empower other women. Share On the Dot so more women can have a voice. Thanks for getting ready with us.
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