I was first introduced to makeup as a 9-year-old ballet dancer. Theater makeup is worlds apart from everyday makeup. For one, you have to accentuate your features – like putting eyeliner in your under eye skin, instead of your waterline – to make sure the lights don’t blur your face. This resulted in bold makeup looks I tried for years on stage. But those looks never made it out on the streets.

After leaving ballet at 17, I stopped playing with makeup. Don’t get me wrong – I rarely leave the apartment without it. But it’s mostly resulted in a no-makeup makeup look that I’ve perfected over the years.

Although I’m rooted in this subtle look, my makeup Pinterest board is full of glitter eyeshadows, graphic eyeliner and bright lip colors that don’t resemble my everyday minimal vibe. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to experiment with the theater makeup I used to rock as a 10-year-old and incorporate modern trends onto my look.

Being forced to stay inside by a global pandemic seemed like the time to get over my fears and put my bold muscle to work. Here are the results.

The Superhero Eyeliner

This look was inspired by Jules Vaughn in Euphoria. Her makeup is always incredibly bold and feminine with an intergalactic touch. For this one, I used the Pixi “Eye Heart” palette to create the “liner” and the Giorgio Armani “Eccentrico” mascara.

Blue Is the Warmest Color

Blue is a color I love to wear, but have always felt too afraid to rock on my face. Until now. For this look, I decided to contrast pink and blue. I used the Urban Decay “Beached” palette, the Makeup Forever “Artist Rouge” lipstick in N9, and the Pixi “Endless” eyeliner in Black Noir.

A Touch of Pink

This look was inspired by Emperifollá’s social media editor Andrea Devoto. Her bold eyeshadow looks are always on point, so I wanted to try it for myself. For this look, I used the Pixi “Eye Heart” palette, the Urban Decay “Born To Run” palette, and the Giorgio Armani “Eccentrico” mascara.