Interviews Stara D’Haiti Miles Vanity

Stara D’Haiti

We interviewed Stara D’Haiti, an up and coming makeup artist, about her journey as a Black woman of color in the beauty industry. Stara is a college freshman who will be attending Stanford University in the fall, and her makeup looks can be found at @Staraspinz on Instagram.

Interview by Salma Eldeeb

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO JOIN THE BEAUTY COMMUNITY?

When I was first introduced to the world of makeup, it was a time in my life where I strived to meet certain standards being pushed around me. My original interest, alongside the shallowness of simply “looking pretty”, was a fascination with being able to create something completely out of yourself. Over the years as I grew more skilled in the practice and gained the tools to articulate different things, I realized that what eventually led me to consider myself a member of the beauty community was the ease of self-expression. Though it has its faults, the beauty community provides a space for genuine authenticity if you so choose to indulge in your own creativity.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MAKEUP BRANDS?

Fenty Beauty, Nars, Pat McGrath Labs, Uoma Beauty. Most of my makeup is drugstore products; however, I don’t necessarily have a favorite from those. I just pick and choose what works for me as most do with drugstore brands.

HOW WAS YOUR JOURNEY AS A WOC MUA?

As I previously mentioned, when I originally started doing makeup it wasn’t for myself. Altering or enhancing my appearance was for the approval of others rather than personal enjoyment or satisfaction. Because of this, I think I would describe my journey as a WOC MUA as one of self discovery. The beauty community is how I grew to love myself, my complexion, my identity, even beyond makeup. Through this journey though, it’s definitely been difficult to persevere at times due to many things including frustration of the industry’s lack of representation and inclusivity, as well as the relentless misogynoir from multiple figures in and out of the community. Even taking the initiative to do something as small as create a makeup page on Instagram is something. I internally wrestled with for months. It is those who value the true power of the community that push me to continue in this journey as a WOC MUA.

WHERE DO YOU GET THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR MAKEUP DESIGNS?

This is actually a pretty tricky question. When I get an idea for a look it’s either through people I know and their personality, fictional characters, or songs/ media that invokes a certain vibe. I also draw inspiration from events, celebrations, holidays etc. (i.e. Pride, Haitian flag day, leo season). The next step from initial inspiration is associating that concept with different adjectives and what colors and shapes I best feel represent that. Overall, inspiration for my makeup designs comes from recreating, or as I like to say “recycling”, art and things that are already out there/exist. I‘s just a matter of formulating that into my own perception of it.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE IDOLIZATION OF PROBLEMATIC PERSONS IN THE BEAUTY COMMUNITY?

It’s really interesting to see how problematic people in the beauty community have been labeled as and proven to be exactly that: problematic, yet nothing has been done for these people to actually be held accountable for their actions. Jeffrey Star and crew continue to grow their following and people continue to support them despite their sheer irresponsibility. It makes no sense to me why people invest time in these individuals after various influxes of drama and shallow apologies and claims of “being a better person” without actually changing for the better. It comes to a point where problematic people who have been given forgiveness and multiple opportunities to grow and not done followed through just need to be deplatformed.

DO YOU THINK THERE ARE ISSUES IN THE BEAUTY COMMUNITY REGARDING THE TREATMENT OF POC?

Yes, there are definitely issues in the beauty community regarding the treatment of POC. The general issue is the lack of acknowledgement of POC as people and consumers. Through decades of divisiveness in this country, many institutions, systems, and spaces are deeply ingrained with racist convictions. In the beauty community, this has manifested as certain people believing they have the right to gate-keep who can participate in the field; excluding womxn, especially those of deeper complexions, from shade ranges and marketing; not allowing diverse creators to succeed and grow in their artistry in the same right as their white counterparts whether it be creatively or financially; refusing to acknowledge or give credit to the contributions of POC communities to any platform they initiated or mobilized; and much more. The first step to bettering these trends is recognizing behaviors not only in others but also yourself. Then productive work can be done to counter and solve the negative treatment.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE MUAS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE

@jackieaina, @nappyheadedjojoba, @ pradaolic, @iservelookz, @naezrahlooks, @makeuptiffanyj, @beatsbydeb, @kaadijaa, @msmercc, @naataachii_, all on Instagram!