The Mirror | Issue 1 | October 2021

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the MIRROR OCTOBER 2021 | 9
LIFESTYLE
All glammed up
A passion for makeup
By ANGELINA KANNO
THE MIRROR STAFF
Makeup isn’t just
for covering up
blemishes on a
rough day.
For a lot of people, it’s an
outlet for creativity and a way
of boosting confidence.
Most teenagers today are
self-taught makeup artists and
create their own techniques
along the way to form their
distinct styles.
Some, like junior Michael
Zamarippa, take inspiration
from celebrities and pop culture
trends.
Zamarippa found his
passion for makeup through
American singer-songwriter
Lady Gaga.
He learned that makeup
shouldn’t be seen as a way to
hide imperfections but rather
a mode of expression and
pride.
“Lady Gaga was my first
inspiration to start doing
makeup,” he said. “She’s very
talented and unique. I have
always wanted to recreate her
creative and unusual makeup
looks. During her ‘Born This
Way’ era, she had incredible
visuals and spread a powerful
message, which gave me the
confidence to start getting into
makeup and not care about
what others say.”
Zamarippa’s current influence
is American singer Ashnikko
with her vibrant graphic
eyeliner looks and punk-esque
wardrobe.
He disagrees with the
notion that makeup is only
meant for women.
“Makeup is not limited to a
specific gender,” he said. “It is a
form of artistic expression.”
There are different kinds of
looks people usually go for. A
few popular examples would
be smokey, natural, shimmery
and cat eye styles. Zamarippa
would describe his base
makeup as soft and natural
looking, whereas his eye
makeup is a mix of alternative
and editorial styles.
“A great artist named Bob
Ross once said, ‘We don’t
make mistakes, just happy
little accidents,’” Zamarippa
said. “The best part about
makeup is that there are no
mistakes, and you can always
fix something that you are
not satisfied with. There are
no right or wrong techniques
when it comes to makeup.
Each person has their own
preferences and shouldn’t be
limited to any one technique.”
Zamarippa’s everyday
makeup is very different from
his “no makeup” look. In his
“no makeup” look, he applies
Fenty Beauty tinted moisturizer,
light-to-medium foundation
and tops it off with a
Fenty Beauty matte powder
to ensure his look lasts all
day. He finishes off his look
with cream blush and tinted
eyebrow gel.
For more vibrant looks, he
likes to incorporate accessories
such as self-adhesive
rhinestones and pearls.
A goal he hopes to accomplish
this year is to show
up at school with a different
makeup look everyday.
“From my own personal
experience, I started out practicing
makeup by following
what was popular at the time,
such as basic smokey eye and
hollywood glamour-esque
makeup,” he said. “There were
certain makeup techniques
that I felt were very useful and
that I still incorporate into my
everyday routine.”
Junior Merari Hernandes
started out using makeup to
cover up blemishes and correct
the redness of her skin.
She believes creating symmetric
makeup looks is essential
when first learning how to do
makeup. Knowing what facial
structure type she had helped
Hernandes improve in that
area.
“To me, the most important
thing in makeup is symmetry,”
she said. “For example,
although it may be easy to do
a design on one eye, trying to
recreate the same thing on
the other side of your face is
difficult.”
As Hernandes continued
to experiment over time, she
pushed herself to work with
different colors and shapes to
come up with different looks.
Before Hernandes found what
her style was, she tried every
single one to determine what
suited her best.
“I would describe my makeup
as creative,” Hernandes
said. “I love to experiment with
styles out of my comfort zone.
Your face is like a canvas, so be
creative when creating a look.
Even if it means you need
to get out of your comfort
zone, play with new colors or
shapes.”
Junior Sage Carpenter Rihs
is also a self-taught artist.
Despite not having an exact
style, her go-to look is black
mascara paired with liquid
eyeliner. Rihs believes simplicity
is a great form of expression.
Like Hernandes, Rihs also
found that understanding
one’s facial structure is the
most crucial part to makeup.
“I kind of started out with
just eyeliner, and went with it,”
Rihs said. “Figure out the proportion
of your face and eye
shape, especially when doing
eyeliner.”
Junior Ashley Sarai Valle’s
favorite product is eyeliner as
well, and her usual look ordinarily
includes e-girl aesthetics.
Rather than being swayed by
internet trends or superstars,
Valle’s biggest influence in
makeup was her sister.
“Before you’re going to
learn makeup, just know
you’re beautiful with or without
it,” Valle said.
THE MIRROR | BEVERLY REGINO
BEJEWELED Michael Zamarippa flaunts his intricate
eyeshadow look complete with rhinestones and pearls.