Cinemaphiles have the movie theater and musicheads have concerts, but makeup lovers? We have Instagram.
I’ve loved expressive, maximal makeup from a young age; my eyes being dressed in sparkles and black smudges since I was old enough to twirl onstage in a tutu. After painting my face for innumerable dance performances in my childhood, I began lulling myself to sleep to the sound of YouTube makeup tutorials on late school nights, the sound of shade names, application techniques, and beauty inspirations swirling around in my dreams.
Several years later, my appreciation for “pretty” makeup evolved into an infatuation with the lurid world of fashion—swapping content about smoky eyes for the incomparable handiwork of Dame Pat McGrath on Christian Dior’s early-aughts runways and how the “ugly” makeup looks at Alexander McQueen shows pulled every collection together.
Naturally, I began doing my own editorial makeup—finding endless inspiration in the magazines I read, the YouTubers I subscribed to, and the music I overplayed. In exploring my craft, I found others who inspired me to think bigger, sketch to make a statement, and throw open the door to creativity. Below, 3 of the greatest maximalist makeup artists and sources of creative inspiration that I’ve discovered on social media (aka, content creators and artists you should have been following, like, yesterday).
Kauv Onazh
Kauv Onazh, or Top Kuhnt on Instagram, is not the one to miss. The celebrity makeup artist hails from Detroit, Michigan but now lives in New York City, expressing her art in the form of breathtakingly precise makeup looks that vary from insect-inspired eyes to headline-making celebrity beats on Julia Fox and Doechii. Her work ebbs between edgy and soft, spirited and subdued—proving that both can exist at the same time, even within the same makeup look.
How did you get your start with editorial makeup?
Onazh: As a child and into adulthood, I really loved science fiction and the anatomy of all the different characters. I thought it would be so cool to be them. I also always loved watching my mom and older sister do their makeup and those signature Y2K beauty trends. Long story short, it was during the beginning of my transition in which I realized I can literally do anything, create anything, and look any type of way.
Where do you find inspiration for your looks? Likewise, what recharges your creativity when it’s drained?
Onazh: Nature will always be it for me. The amount of inspiration one could consume from it is limitless. But truthfully, anything and everything. My most recent inspo was from a new pair of earrings. Since living in New York, recharging my creativity is going somewhere where nature is purest and least touched.
What’s a makeup tip you wish that you learned earlier?
Onazh: Oh, there’s so many—but that’s the fun part about makeup. There’s never a point in which you’ve learned everything. There’s always a new tip, trick, or trend. I would have to say using the Makeup Forever Aqua Seal as a lip liner primer though, or knowing the differences between setting and finishing powders.
Do you have a favorite look you’ve done?
Honestly no, I love them all for what they are. If I were forced to choose though, it would be this one. The feeling of wearing this look was so beyond. Very reptilian goddess Kuhnt.
