Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Music has influenced everything from my tattooing to how I talk to how I walk, I guess. I was classically trained in piano since I was 6. Then in my teens, my older sister introduced me to Metallica. It was all over. I had a mohawk soon after that.
I'm a stickler when it comes to every aspect of my line. My development team probably hates working with me sometimes... but in a good way. I think that I push them to a certain degree to create something that's going to withstand the test of time.
You can tell my mood by my makeup. When I'm depressed, it's really dark. Then I'll do super-dumb happy makeup. Like, I'll do one eye electric blue and one smoky brown, and you won't even figure it out until you're talking to me - then you're like, 'Whoa!'
I've always viewed makeup as the gateway drug to animal activism. It really doesn't require any sacrificing or changing anything other than just replacing products that were once used to torture animals with ones that perform just as well and are cruelty-free.
I shop everywhere from Maxfield to antique stores. I love Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, and I love vintage. Golyester has the best selection of mint things and dead stock. I collect 1940s to 1970s platform shoes, and that's where I got a few of my best ones.
I have my go-to products. It's hard not to come off very self-promoting, but the truth is, I don't make any product that I don't personally wear. In terms of things I can't live without, my Lock-It Foundation and my Featherweight Primer set the groundwork for my makeup.
I look up to people not necessarily based on what they look like. For example, Edith Piaf is somebody I think is a beauty hero even though she was definitely considered to not be beautiful. It was just her charisma and stage presence, and to me, that really defines beauty.
I think a lot of women want to be, like... 'I'm cool with stretch marks and my body changing.' To be honest, I thought I'd be a lot cooler with it, but I'm struggling with my weight gain. I know I'm healthy... but I was expecting to not be as affected by it... I'm self-conscious.
For 'Brow Struck', I really wanted it to be able to create natural-looking brows. So we found this really innovative formula that has a very specific type of shimmer that has a reflectiveness to it. Eyebrows are not naturally matte, so the point of this formula is to really mirror that.
I never let people see me without makeup. And it's not an insecurity thing. The perk of being a girl is being able to wear makeup and dress up. It's another artistic outlet. And the 45 minutes it takes me to get ready... is very therapeutic for me. It's hard to start my day without that.
Interaction with fans is super important to me. I have the best fans ever. They're always the most creatively charged people. I've saved every single piece of fan mail that I've ever gotten. We have an archive of it and stuff. I think if I can inspire that, then it's like my job is done.
As far as skincare goes, I'm from the school of 'you are what you eat.' I always promote a vegan lifestyle, not just because it's great for our environment and for humanity, but because if you cut out dairy, for example, there's scientific proof that it can actually help your complexion.
My nighttime look is exactly like my daytime look - like I'm going to a super fancy funeral. I guess it would be considered extreme to most people, but I like it that way. The idea of conventional beauty isn't attractive to me... that's why, when I was growing up, I felt kind of torn about makeup.
The idea of bringing color into the Super Brow collection was really inspired by seeing all our fans and followers posting colorful eyebrow pictures using our liquid lipsticks. I think that's really cool because you know, the formula, although it's not designed for the eye, it can work on an eyebrow.
There is no point in developing anything at the cost of exploiting and abusing animals. Not only is it important for me to create a 100% cruelty-free brand but also send out a very clear message to both consumers and companies out there: testing on animals in the name of beauty is cruel and unnecessary.
There's so much more work that goes into developing a makeup line than one would imagine. Personally, I like to be involved in the entire creative process - everything from art direction, collection concepts, formula testing, packaging artwork, to naming the shades and also the marketing side of things.
Years of cultural programming have taught us to love some animals while eating others, when in all reality, all animals are sentient beings with the capacity to feel, both physically and emotionally. Every day, I have the choice to live a life of compassion that not only saves animals but helps the environment.
I tend to be attracted to darker scents. I'm not a floral girl. But I do like this old fragrance I used to wear called Versace Red Jeans. I have an eBay alert that tells me when it comes back! I think it's more of a nostalgic association that I have with it because a boyfriend had bought it for me when I was, like, 16.
People can totally tell if you adjust notes even slightly, and I know how important it is to be able to wear the exact fragrance you're attached to. So for me, it was all about reinventing the bottle. I've grown so much in the last 10 years - emotionally, spiritually, and artistically - and I wanted that to show in the new design.
You know, for a long time being a heavily tattooed woman was viewed as something gross, or you're either a criminal or a drug addict. It feels good to be a good representation of the art form versus being the token tattoo girl. I'm just glad that people even consider it to be sexy, because I think I'm just a big nerd so it works out.
Who are your heroes? Why do you look up to them? Why do we respect those who live and think for themselves as opposed to doing what is expected? We all admire the idea of living a life unbound by thoughts of fear. People who seem to live that dream inspire us to want to do the same. They mirror the qualities that we possess but are too scared to access.
But true individuality is more about being in tune with who you truly are, whether you're expressing yourself physically, mentally, or spiritually; individuality arises from living without fear of what other might think or say about you and without being swayed by their opinions, leaving you free to lead life without caring about judgments made by the outside world.