Wake Up and Makeup: A Profile of Zoe Lowry

Wake Up and Makeup

By: Maggie Manning

Zoe Lowry, 20, considers herself to be a part of the makeup community. Her love for makeup bloomed at an early age, and since then she has watched YouTube tutorials to strengthen her skills.

Zoe began wearing makeup around fifth grade when her friend got some unsolicited advice. “They told her she looked like a clown, and I didn’t want to look like a clown too, so I started watching tutorials on YouTube,” she said. “Everyone was into silver eyeshadow and mascara during that time.”

At one point, makeup wasn’t just her hobby, it was mandated. “I started cheer in eighth grade, and we had to do all the competition makeup ourselves,” she recalls. “They told us that if our makeup looked normal up close, it would wash us out from far away, so we had to go all out. It was kind of like stage makeup, but we used regular makeup products.”

Since then, Zoe’s makeup habits have changed in more ways than one. She strays away from wearing makeup most days because “I have to get up at 8 and it’s too early [to put on makeup], especially when I close at work the night before, so I wear makeup on my days off.” 

        She has grown out of silver eye shadow trends and into more unique, colorful looks. “Last Sunday, I did a sunset look on my eyes and it was beautiful,” she recalls. “Makeup makes me feel amazing; it’s an art form in itself, you can do anything.”

Zoe’s interaction with makeup as a community is anything but typical. While she loves watching YouTubers like Jeffree Star, GlamLifeGuru, and NikkieTutorials, she explained the downsides of this particular environment: “It’s not a very good community. Everyone wants to be the best. I thought about making my own videos, but I couldn't do that and sit in front of a camera,” she remarks. “It’s not a friendly community, but a competitive cutthroat community.”

However, she’s still grateful for YouTube tutorials, saying that watching them, along with practicing, expanded her makeup skills.

Along with a somewhat negative online community, there are other things Zoe doesn’t like about makeup. “I don’t like how expensive it is. It’s hard to justify things, like this one Natasha Denona palette that I wanted that was, like, $120,” she said. “I can’t justify spending that much on an eye shadow palette.”

Despite all this, she still has a strong passion for makeup, and wanted to do it full-time. “I wanted to [consider it for a career], but I can’t do others hair and makeup very well. I don’t have the talent to do what I do on myself to someone else.” 

While she may not do it on others, she thinks makeup will be a part of her life forever, saying “I don’t ever see myself stopping with makeup.”

Zoe’s advice to anyone starting their journey with makeup? “Don’t give up if it looks bad! Everyone goes through an awkward makeup stage,” she remarks, alluding to her “scene” phase, in which she did dark makeup because she thought it was “edgy and cool.” 

“Everything is possible with a little practice, it just takes time,” she continues. “ You don’t always have to buy luxury products, sometimes drugstore can be the same. A different makeup brush can completely change the product.”

While Zoe’s style of makeup has changed throughout the years, her love and passion have stayed constant. “I did the silver eyeshadow, the competition makeup, the dark makeup. Now I just do whatever I feel like doing- I go to the store in glam makeup and sweatpants,” she laughs. 
      And while she can’t interact with the beauty community as much as she’d like, it doesn’t stop her from using makeup as an art form and a way to express herself artistically.