Anya Tisdale: Finding Inspiration and The Art of self-Expression
Interviewed by Mahina Adams
The team and I at Glaze Zine had the honor to interview Anya Tisdale, a 21-year-old Boston-based makeup artist known for her great looks and even greater personality! Starting her makeup career at the beginning of the pandemic, Anya has gained 51k followers over the course of one year, all while pursuing a degree in film and media at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Here is her story:
How did you become interested in makeup? Were you artistic growing up?
I definitely was really artistic growing up and was very artistically inclined as a kid. It started off with painting and drawing and then I did a lot of performing arts. It was pretty much everything I was centered around. I actually didn’t get into makeup until a year ago after we all got forced into quarantine. When I moved home, I decided to try to do makeup more because I thought it was fun and I already liked it and wanted to experiment more. Now it’s become my full-time thing. I still paint and draw but this has definitely become my main artistic outlet. It was all due basically to too much free time on my hands.
How did you first become a beauty influencer? Was it something you’ve always wanted to do?
I think it happened accidentally because I was doing makeup for fun and just posting stuff I was proud of doing. From there I guess other people liked it and it spiraled into this following that I never expected to get. I’ve only been doing this a year so there isn’t a lot I’ve done yet and there is still a lot I need to learn, but I didn’t ever expect it to be this. It is nice, but definitely not planned on, which is fun in its own way.
How do you find the time to do your makeup looks throughout your week?
Honestly, whenever I find downtime. Since I am still in college and I have class, I’ll usually wake up in the morning and do it which is always prime time for me. But, if I have breaks between classes I find time between them to do my makeup looks. They don’t always get posted the same day, so I like to have them backloaded in case I have a week that’s full of exams or papers.
Where do you find the inspiration for your makeup looks?
I tend to find inspiration from pretty much anything. Someone will post a picture with three colors I like and I’ll base a whole look off of that. A lot of times I’m inspired by nature, especially animals, like birds and bugs with pretty colors. I also get a lot of inspiration from other makeup artists, especially ones I’m proud and privileged to call my friends. I love seeing what other people are doing and see if I can twist it in my own way. I honestly find myself getting inspired by any visual thing. It’s a lot of options and it can be kind of overwhelming because there is so much I want to do and I see so much stuff but it’s also nice because it makes it easy to be inspired to create something.
*Glaze Fun Fact: We fell in love with Anya’s cake-inspired series, and she made the fake icing used on her looks! Make sure to check it out on her Instagram!*
What is one makeup trend that you hate right now and what is one that you love?
I really don’t like body shimmer oil. I know tons of people that love it and it looks bomb on them, but the thought of rubbing glitter on me is just stress-inducing. [laughs] I’m okay with highlight, I love it, but rubbing it on my body? It’s not really my thing, but to everyone that likes it, go off! One thing I really, really love right now is colored blush. I love the blush on the cupid’s bow. It literally looks like you ate something and it got on your face and it’s so endearing. Full blush on the cheeks, full blush on the nose, even on your cupid’s bow and chin, that’s my favorite right now. It makes you look mad warm!
What other creative outlets do you utilize apart from makeup?
I do paint and I’m used to painting in watercolor. I have been trying to get into gouache because it’s a lot more pigmented than watercolor and I like how it looks. I also do a lot of drawing and I really want to get back into clay because I used to do that as a kid. I’m slowly bringing back the old art things I used to do because it’s so fun.
Do you think being a woman of color has affected you differently in the makeup industry?
I would say it definitely does. With black women specifically, you have to work twice as hard to get half as much as a white creator. I think it also speaks to the determination you need in a field like this. It does suck seeing white creators getting paid more or claiming to have created a look you’ve done. I think it’s been a major learning experience but it’s important not to view it as a deterrent which is hard sometimes. The reason I started is because it’s fun for me so I need to stick to it. I can recognize my privilege as a light skin black woman so I have it easier than dark skin MUAs around me. It sucks to see these crazy talented MUAs get snubbed by lighter skin creators and I think it’s important recognizing that we need to stick together and advocate for each other when need be. I definitely need to do my part to advocate for those people as well.
As a beauty influencer, do you feel you always have to keep up appearances? Do you have a hard time getting “natural”?
At first, I felt I needed to be super nice and always put together and have my face done, but then I realized it’s just so disingenuous. It’s a disservice to myself to one, let people violate my boundaries, and two, it’s not the right example I would want to set for people that look up to me. My audience is primarily younger girls and I don’t want to set the example I am always made up and super nice to people even though people are not nice to me. That’s wrong of me to do. At first, I was going to put on a front but now people respect me for setting my own boundaries. If people behave a certain way, I let them know they can leave or I’ll block them. I won’t let people bully me on my account. I’m always honest about what I do and what I experience. Sometimes people forget that influencers go through the same things “regular” people go through, but we are also regular people that just happen to do makeup. It’s one thing to say you’re real and it’s another thing to be real so showing that is really important.
Do you have any advice for aspiring influencers and fellow creatives who want to follow their passions and expand their online presence/audience?
The first thing is to be kind to yourself because it’s so easy to start comparing yourself to others. If you’re proud of your work, then that is why you should be doing it. There are no rules, no matter what any makeup artist says. Part of doing makeup is breaking rules and experimenting with new styles, products, anything. Just go for it. There really are no boundaries. So be kind and experiment because that is the best way to learn. Likes, comments, and follows are just bonuses for you but it’s not the end goal.
Anya Tisdale can be followed on Instagram @anya.tisdale
