The third of the Greek Goddess challenge. All Greek Goddess Posts: Pheme, Aphrodite, Iris, Peitho, Nike, Terpsichore, & Gaia.
Iris: Goddess of Rainbows
Makeup Inspiration:
The goddess of Rainbows allowed me to become really creative. It is not often that a task requires you to use all of the colors you could imagine in one look. On Pinterest, there were several concepts I could have followed. I chose an abstract look that had loose pigment everywhere, so I did not have to create super clean lines.
Even though an abstract makeup look is easier than a clean-lined look, there is still immense difficulty involved. I have no idea how this makeup artist was able to achieve the loose pigment to be so precise and show up in pictures. As you can see in my final look, the loose pigment is omitted.
Makeup Process:
At first, I started with an eyeshadow primer only, but the yellow was not showing up clearly. I decided to go back and add white face paint to make each pigment pop. I am sure there is a trick for makeup artists that does not involve face paint. For future projects, I am going to look into the proper way to execute these looks.
This makeup look was created using Mikayla Nogueira‘s Mikayla x Glamlite eyeshadow palette. Back when I was using Tik Tok, she was one of my favorites. Her makeup looks are so crisp and beautiful. Fun Fact: She is the first celebrity who’s makeup collaboration I felt compelled to buy. All of the colors are so vibrant and unique.
With every new makeup style I try, I am learning and growing in my skillset. Today, I used a technique involving makeup remover to achieve a straight edge to each of my rainbows. I took a Q-Tip dipped in micellar water and very carefully pulled against my skin to create the straight line. After allowing some time for the micellar water to dry, I went back in with a purple liner to add some drama.
Lastly, I figured rainbow was an opportunity to be a little “extra”. This lip was pure trial and error. I started with a striped lipstick look, using a bright red and coral pink color. To me, it looked cool, yet a little too bland for a rainbow photoshoot. I started dabbing a few of the eyeshadow colors onto my lips and it turned into this vibrant final look.
Hair Inspiration:
Sometimes when creating content, little gifts are presented to us. In my case, it is a gift that I was working on my Greek Goddess challenge during June aka Pride month. I could pretend that I am a content genius and that this was planned, but since authenticity is a huge part of my brand, I wouldn’t dare.
Once this photoshoot became a combination of Iris and Pride, I wanted to make sure it was joyful. If you have ever attended a pride parade, it is filled with energy, laughter, and fun. I feel like space buns reflect the happiness I was trying to capture. The queen of space buns, Ariana Grande, was inspiration for this hairstyle. It is definitely hard to tell, but I attempted to add purple gel into my hair for an added layer of color.
Pose Inspiration:
There was no pose inspiration for this post. I wanted to have a close enough image that you could see the details of the picture. I took so many pictures for this photoshoot in effort to get it right. There were a bunch where I wanted to emulate joy and laughter and others where I wanted to be more serious and editorial.
I was the most excited to write about Pride so I could share resources on my platform. Being an ally is full-time. It is not enough to only help out during Pride month, it is called ‘Rainbow Washing’. There are several ways to help out the LGBTQ+ community; donate, educate, advocate.
For allies that cannot afford to give money, you can give time. Take time to learn. I am not writing any of this as an expert, but I am sharing information that I have found helpful and that I believe will be helpful to others. For a lot of these resources, I have looked to other experts and media outlets for books, podcasts, documentaries, etc.
The Human Rights Campaign has a lot of great reading material that is separated out by topic. Some topic are resources for allies, elections, parenting, and workplace.
These days, a big part of being an educated ally is being educated about the harmful policies being proposed across the country. If any of these are impacting your local communities, use your voice and stand up for the LGBTQ+ community. Advocate for equal rights for all through conversations educating others, local marches, calling your congress people, and on your platforms.
Whether we like it or not, social media has created a brand for all of us. What do you want yours to say about you?
Outfit Inspiration:
My outfit for this photoshoot was simple: a black or white camisole. The real focus of this piece was the makeup.
Challenge:
Donate, Educate, & Advocate for the LGBTQ+ Community, not only during June, but all-year round.