The Odds for the future of Avant-Garde Makeup

The standards of makeup styles are constantly evolving. Avant-garde makeup is slowly becoming a popular trend on social media. Due to its unconventionality, however, it may not be as accepting as other makeup styles are in the eyes of many.

Lee Ming Hui is an 18-year-old graphic design student who is pushing the boundaries of makeup by creating her own artistic makeup at home. She is known globally for her avant-garde style and creativity in makeup. Her makeup looks collection on her Instagram account consists mostly of pop cultural and nostalgic art. Ming Hui has attracted nearly 5,000 followers who are astonished by her talent. Despite her parents not being very supportive of her passion, she still strives to create newer content for her followers. She said, “I’m very passionate about what I do and I want to share it with the world and hopefully make more friends who have the same interests as me”.

To this point, you’ll be asking...what is avant-garde makeup anyway? Well, remember The Hunger Games movie series? In the movies, the people of the Capitol dressed differently than the people of the 12 districts. Other than the haute couture outfits, each and everyone had an outrageous amount of colourful and artistically created makeup on their face. It has now started to reflect on today’s modern beauty community, where many makeup artists such as James Charles and Mimi Choi are creating makeup looks that are bombastic yet stunning. It has come to what we know of as Avant Garde makeup.

“Avant-Garde makeup to me is basically a platform to express my creativity and emotions. I’d like to think of it as Picasso; expressing art in the most beautiful way, but on a skin canvas instead.” explained Amanda Lee, a Malaysian freelance makeup artist who has been in the makeup industry for about five years. Amanda specializes in avant-garde makeup and is aware of Ming Hui’s talent. She is fully supportive of Ming Hui’s work but claims that her style is not completely avant-garde as it is more of a “subtle version”.

In most dictionaries, Avant Garde can be defined as a genre or movement in art. It embraces the unorthodox work by artists that breaks many boundaries of what is considered to be acceptable in art. In short, it is the think-out-of-the-box side of art. It could be found in various works of music, fashion, architecture, and paintings including makeup.

Small recognition could sometimes come with harsh criticism. In early January this year, an American celebrity makeup artists named Jasen Kaplan called out Ming Hui and others like her for their “poor makeup skills” and claiming that they “weren't real makeup artists”, to begin with. His statement angered many avant-garde makeup enthusiasts but also made Ming Hui stronger. She has then continued to keep creating content and improving her skills along the way. “Makeup can be subjective. Once people get the basics right they should be able to explore the endless possibilities with makeup, however they want.”

Despite receiving hate from people all around the world, Ming Hui also has to face the harsh reality with the people of Malaysia. When flipping through the glossy pages of a fashion and beauty magazine, most readers would stumble upon a few photographs that scream avant-garde. It has been popular among many magazines to use this genre of makeup for the editorials as it stands out compared to the rest of other makeups. Therefore, Avant-garde makeup is a style in the beauty community that’s usually practiced by professional makeup artists to create what’s known to be suitable for a magazine shoot, fashion show or fancy event. It is the high-end side of beauty where unorthodox art is heavily involved. Due to that, many Malaysians often perceived avant-garde makeup as “bad makeup”.

Amanda believes that Malaysians have a very stereotypical mindset when it comes to certain types of makeup. Through conversations and word of mouth, it brings the conclusion of avant-garde makeup to a closure. In Malaysia, there are many stereotypes against avant-garde makeup. Some people consider it as the makeup made for the beauty elites and models only but the majority calls it the bad version of makeup as it’s not natural. Not many Malaysian girls are keen on this genre of makeup as it is considered to be too wild and crazy. Ming Hui also added that the majority of her Instagram followers were from the USA. “That is already good news to me and I wish everyone around the world could see my work.” “I wish I could be more recognized in my own country though, but I know that most Malaysians are quite judgmental and wouldn’t like my style of makeup,” explained Ming Hui.

Julia, an account executive who practices minimalism believes that avant-garde is indeed a creative genre of makeup. However, she herself wouldn’t encourage girls or boys to try the bombastic style. She believes that it is a very expensive field in makeup. “I don’t think people should be spending so much cash just to apply an art on a face, then remove with a makeup remover. I think it’s wasteful. Unlike painting on a wooden canvas which could be auctioned off or even an haute couture, people would buy it. It’s not a very beneficial practice in terms of income unless you are very very good.”, she added.

To support herself, Ming Hui does art commissions as her parents aren’t funding her passion for avant-garde makeup. With the money she earned through those commissions, MingHui would often use it to purchase makeup products to produce newer looks or even buy some bubble teas.

From a man’s perspective, Khairi who’s a university student claims that people who like or practice avant-garde makeup are very “insecure people”. He also said that it is a way to seek attention and he doesn’t like that idea of being desperate for attention. “I think natural beauty is the best. People shouldn’t put on makeup in the first place.” “Allah has created a unique face for everybody, I think we should be happy for what He gives.”, explained Khairi.

What looks like as if the world is against avant-garde makeup, Amanda says that through art exhibitions; avant-garde makeup stands a chance to be embraced in Malaysia and globally. Amanda also believes that in order for Ming Hui to succeed in this competitive industry of makeup, she could start doing collaborative work with local photographers and models. Amanda said that after all, “It’s a win-win situation for both parties if she’s willing to put in the effort.” Despite the haters, they are still many supporters of avant-garde art around the world. For bright and colourful minds such as Ming Hui’s...Amanda proudly says, “like every other makeup artist in this world, the future is in our hands.”