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The beauty industry continues to thrive - especially online, where content creators are sharing their distinctive artistry. From the beauty vloggers who share their spoils and expertise with their audiences to the new guard of makeup artists combining humour, music and art on TikTok - the new social media platform loved by Gen Z and content creators with an eye for viral potential.
Two such creators making waves online are 22-year-old Chelsea Keta, known to her fan base as Slim Girl Supreme, and Bella Monsoon. Chelsea Keta and Bella Monsoon are using both their faces and online platforms as blank canvases to amuse the world.
Let's meet them:
Slim Girl Supreme
This self-taught makeup artist fell in love with makeup at a young age, which is why she started sharing tutorials with her growing fan base. After doing this for a while, Chelsea decided to take her content to the next level. She moved away from traditional makeup looks and tried something a little different – makeup illusions – which she learned and emulated from online videos shared by other international artists.
Following her first post, fans went wild and kept asking for more. This was just the start of something truly incredible.
Being artistic by nature, Chelsea began to challenge herself even more, by incorporating cosplay and her drawing, painting and sculpting skills into her makeup illusions, resulting in truly unique creations for every one of her videos.
Today, Chelsea specifically focuses on creating content that showcases special effects and illusions, and she’s doing this well via the world’s leading destination for short-form mobile videos, TikTok. Her videos on the platform get up to 600 000 views.
“Via TikTok, I can share my work with the world and this keeps me motivated. I think of the online world as my blank canvas, ready for creativity. I aim to inspire and connect with different people and ultimately collaborate with brands that love my work. I think there is a huge opportunity for me to grow on TikTok as my videos are shared with a global audience,” she says.
As the art of makeup illusions is fairly new in South Africa, Chelsea says that followers sometimes have mixed reactions to her content, however, it’s mostly positive. She adds that while some people are still trying to get familiar with this new form of expression, there are other people who appreciate it and are jumping on the bandwagon as well.
READ MORE: This make-up artist is blowing minds with her stunning 3D lip art
Bella Monsoon
Bella Monsoon, aka Latasha, is one of South Africa’s rising content creating stars – and rightfully so, as her content is blowing up on today's leading destination for short-form mobile video.
Born in Durban, but currently residing in the Mother City, Latasha owns and runs her own e-commerce retail company - Lakota Inspirations – that she founded whilst completing her undergraduate BSocSci degree.
Outside of her e-business, academically speaking, her chosen field is clinical psychology and she works as a trauma counsellor. Additionally (as if she wasn’t overachieving already), for the last year and a half, Latasha has jumped into the beauty world and is developing her skills as a creative makeup artist.
So why did Latasha join TikTok?
She was on the app sporadically when it was previously known as Musical.ly (who knew, right?), but took it more seriously when it became TikTok after being impressed by the level of talent she saw on the platform.
“I was so inspired by the quality of content on the app and just the general sense of community that I knew it was something I had to be part of. It was something that I hadn't found on any of the other social media platforms," she says.
@bella_monsoon Day 18 of 31 days of ##Halloween ##Makeup ?? Posting a NEW look every single day this month ##31daysofhalloween ##spookyseason ##zombie ##sfxmakeup ##fypsa
? original sound - bella_monsoon
Recently, Latasha also started to incorporate her psychology and mental health background into her videos, which has been very positively received.
@bella_monsoon PLOT TWIST: He did my surgery but I'm still not good enough... ##duet@imgriffinjohnson ##dontbethatgirl ##halloweenmakeup ##makeup ##halloweensa ##trending
? Hate Me - Ellie Goulding & Juice WRLD
“My beauty videos focus around tutorials as well as raising awareness around general issues currently occurring in the world. So in that way, I not only share creative makeup looks but a broader message too,” she says.
@bella_monsoon Are you a day or night person? ##reverse ##makeupremoval ##makeup ##trending ##livelifegolden ##risenshine ##fyp ##foryoupage ##tiktoksa
? Devil Eyes - Hippie Sabotage
Going forward, Latasha wants to incorporate more mental health education into her TikTok content which she believes is especially vital considering the current state of the world. “I would love to share this type of content with even more of South Africa (and the world). I am passionate about what I do and I would love to share my passion and make a difference,” she concludes.
@bella_monsoon This took over 7 hours! Please don't let it flop!?? ##xyzbca ##viral ##makeup ##makeuptutorial ##australiaonfire ##mrsnow ##beatiktoker ##foryoupage ##fyp
? original sound - cyclemichael
Compiled by Afika Jadezweni
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