Makeup, hair, and fashion, are powerful tools when it comes to self expression. They are safety nets holding up just about anyone who wishes to swim, find themselves, and what they believe in. The one thing we’ve learned from the beauty industry is that makeup, beauty, fashion are boundless. They are for everyone, by everyone, and nothing can stop that. That’s why, here’s a list of LGBTQIA+ beauty influencers you need to follow and support.
11 Queer Beauty Creators You Need To Follow For Inspo, Tips & Tricks RN!
Deep Pathare
All about beauty, skincare, and sass, Deep Pathare is an Indian influencer who won Cosmopolitan India’s Upcoming Male Beauty Influencer 2020, and rightly so. His makeup is dreamy, glowly, and flawless as he aims to shatter stereotypes one stroke at a time. We loved this pink neon look he posted on his IG! And as you know, neon eye-shadow looks are popping off on the internet right now, so why not try to recreate it too?!
Products Used:
Born This Way Concealer ‘Warm Beige’ by Too Faced, Maybelline’s Fit Me Foundation ‘128 Warm Nude,’ Beauty Bay’s Pastels palette, Shahur’s Art Mona Palette, Anastasia Beverly Hills’, Vol 1 palette, Beauty Bay’s Pressed pigment palette, Suva Beauty’s Hydra FX Space Panda, Colorbar x Jacqueline Wink With Love Eyeliner, Krio’s Non-stop airy matte liquid lip 19 Peachy Nude.
Rahil Sayed
A self taught makeup artist, based in Mumbai, Rahil Sayed’s makeup highlights their eye for detail when it comes to looks. They combine the Indian experience (accepting their own complexion) with modern makeup, sculpting stunning dewy looks with pops of color here and there. We love this look of his which is a gorgeous chocolate-y look with a mix of both soft and dark browns. There’s a cut-crease+fox eye look going on there, which we (for the lack of a better word) LOVE.
Products Used:
MAC Cosmetics’ Strobe Cream (Pinklite), Lakme India’s Gel Primer, Bobbi Brown India’s Skin Foundation Stick (Natural Tan), Estée Lauder India’s Double Wear Stay In Place Foundation (4W2 Toasty Toffee), Colorbar’s Flawless Fullcover Concealer (002 Chiffon) MAC Cosmetics’ Studio fix powder plus foundation (C8) MAC Cosmetics’ Bronzing Powder (Matte Bronze) MAC Cosmetics’ Powder Blush (Gingerly) Colorbar’s Flawless Touch Contour And Highlighter Kit (001 Neutral) Arch Arrival Brow Definer (04 Felix Onyx) By Sugar, FAE Beauty’s BRASH (Jet Black) MAC Cosmetics’ In Extreme Dimension 24HR Kajal Eye Liner (Extreme Black) MAC Cosmetics’ Flame Boyant Eyeshadow Palette , Damn Girl Mascara by Too Faced, Colorbar’s All Matte Eyeliner, Glamnetic’s Love Lash (A16), BossLady Cosmetics’ Pop Lighter (Lit From Within), MAC Cosmetics’ Lip Pencil (Chestnut) Lakme India’s Spotlight Lipgloss (Mocha Brown), MAC Cosmetics’ Fix +
Jason Arnold
An actor, model, TEDX Speaker, Jason Arnold is an all rounder who also loves everything beauty and makeup related. While he not may not be a full blown makeup artist, we sure adore his style which is ever so edgy, bold, and refreshing! And boy, does he do a fine job with it. Scrolling, we found this super chic look, from the power suit, to the dramatic Amy Whinehouse bold eyeliner, to the neutral base - we love it all!
Rohit Singh
An IG account that is a haven for makeup lovers. From bridal looks to super glam runway looks, Rohit Singh is all about shattering all gender stereotypes with makeup. They identify as gender non-binary while aiming to make a prominent and much-needed space for gender-neutral makeup in the industry. Our hearts are set on this super subtle and super summery neutral makeup look with a bright coral lip. It’s easy to recreate, and perfect for a day look. Though they’ve not listed out the products, the look is pretty self-explanatory!
Zain
A south Asian beauty of a beauty blogger, Zain is gender non-binary and believes in “Beauty with a cause” Their IG page is a treat for anyone scrolling through it with gorgeous photoshoots, and inspirational makeup looks that can be easily re-created (plus they also share the products used which is a bonus!) We particularly love this look which is super enchanting, and minimal but packed with glam.
Products Used:
Fenty Beauty’s Eaze drop in 10, Flawless brightening concealer in 32N by Elf Cosmetics, Glossier’s Solar paint in heat, Stick blush in peach caramel by Anastasia Beverly Hills, REFY’s Gloss highlighter, Super liners by Glisten Cosmetics, The edge precision brow pencil in brown-black by Haus Labs by Lady Gaga, Master brow gel by Makeup By Mario, Sensorium’s Brow engineer in bleached, Huda Beauty’s Legit lashes mascara, lip colour in deuces by Milk Makeup.
Shantanu Dhope
Based in Mumbai, at first glance itself you’ll notice, be intrigued, and fall in love with Shantanu Dhope’s graphic eye makeup looks that have become his signature. He’s effortless with drawing intricate designs and patterns that really allude to his very artistic hand. While scrolling through, we came across this very subtle nude look and absolutely love it. It's got drama and glitter, but just the right amount while the rest of it is almost a no-makeup-makeup look.
Products Used:
Dramatically different gel by Clinique, MAC Cosmetics’ studiofixfluid, Fenty Beauty’s concealer, Hypercurl mascara By Maybelline, Laura Mercier’s Translucent loose powder, Beam time dazzleshadow liquid, Gold glitter, and Lip pencil - Hover by by MAC Cosmetics.
Coco Ballucci
Hailing from Kolkata, Coco is a professor, beauty creator, and a celebrity make-up artist that breaks gender stereotypes with the power of make-up. A big name in Pollywood, and with a background of textile designing with the likes of Sabyasachi, her journey to become a make-up artist kick-started after an eye-opening photo shoot! Post that there was no looking back. Scrolling through her feed will leave you captivated. Her looks are bold, with a lot of emphasis on the eyes, you'll also notice pops of colour here and there with bright pink eyes to coral lips! We especially love this look she donned for the Cosmopolitan Indian Blogger Awards, 2022, where the face is neutral while the lip carries the whole look! It can be easily re-created and corals are in for the summer!
David Peterson
Based in Chennai, David is a makeup influencer with a love for perfumes. He recommends some of the best products out there with accurate descriptions of how they would feel, smell and look on you. Associated with global brands such as Lint Cosmetics and Estee Lauder, he is a must-follow for effortless glam makeup looks. We love this simple party look by him, which looks chic, effortless and fun!
Products Used: Estee Lauder Doublewear Foundation, BarbieXNYC Palette Nyx Cosmetics Blush, Sunlitgold Highlighter from Kay Beauty, JamesCharles X MorpheBrushesIndia Palette for eyeshadow, Lashes From Typsy Beauty, Delanci Beauty Lipstick palette, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow (medium brown)
Durga Gawde
Durga Gawde is an artist, activist, and educator, as well as India’s first performing drag king. With over 20k followers on Instagram, Durga uses their platform to promote queer advocacy and bring attention to social issues. They are also a TEDx speaker. Durga identifies as non-binary and uses social media to raise awareness about gender fluidity, one of the ways they do that is by popularising gender-neutral fashion in India and experimenting with makeup styles. You will find simple yet extravagant looks on their page, with bold colour palettes, face-painted looks, prosthetics (for characters they perform) and more!
Anurag Arya
If you love everything avant-garde then Anurag Arya aka 'the blank canvas' on Instagram will be just right for you. His fabulous looks and transitions are not only mesmerising but also expressions of art. He is a makeup artist, influencer, professor at the Make Me Up School of Makeup, and Bobbi Brown's social media ambassador. You must also look out for his workshops on topics such as prosthetic makeup, body painting and more. But what we also love is that he is not just limited to that, you will find tutorials and inspiration for many makeup looks from festive to wedding, and all of them are just giving. Checkout this Ganesh Chaturthi look for example, he makes use of Lotus Herbal products to achieve this sophisticated and simple glam look.
Aditya Madiraju
Aditya is an Indian makeup artist based in New Jersey, USA. He is a personal favourite as he shares tips and hacks that you will use almost every day with your makeup looks. His makeup aesthetic is also mostly between soft glam, full glam and no-makeup makeup looks that he uploads tutorials of which look great and are easy to follow.
Products used: Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow Stick shade Panther, Rare beauty Soft Pinch Blush shade Lucky, Fenty Beauty Soft Lit Foundation shade 370, Lys Beauty Bronzer Stick, Dior Forever Glow Maximizer, Onesize On Till Dawn Setting Spray, Clarins Lip Comfort Hydrating Oil + CLARINS Red Water Lip Stain, Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb, Narsissist Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder
