Hayley Elizabeth on How Makeup Taught Her Have Pride in Being Queer and Disabled | Pride in Place

I really like pink. I went to art college, and they finally had to let me quit using a lot of pink since it’s only my favourite thing in the entire world. The most important pink which I used in my lips and eyes is that the pink color named Level Up from the Sugarpill Fun Size Palette. In my lips, I wore the Haus Labs Rip Lip Liner at Myth, and the lipstick would be your Bite Beauty Power Transfer Creamy Matte Lip Crayon at Amaretto.

About 10 or 11, I started teaching myself cosmetics. After I began high school, I was the woman that did all of the cosmetics for musicals. Women who’d go to prom night, I’d do their makeup – which has been my thing. Then, the moment I turned 18, I got work at MAC and heard a great deal from the actual job. I have been freelance since then.

As a queer man and as a handicapped individual, cosmetics educated me to be pleased with myself. I’ve facial differences. I have grown up using surgeries because I had been very, very youthful, so I have never had control over my look. After I started playing with makeup, I was like, “Oh, wow. I get to pick what I look like. I get to pick the way I express myself. I am able to discover the way to be good at this and feel proud of myself to this.” I get to say the way I feel about the inside and ensure it is clear on the outside and feel excellent about it — that changed who that I am.

And I add chains to all. I enjoy sticking things to my head as well as a walking art endeavor. I am convinced I watched Lady Gaga using some kind of series look at some stage in the past 10 years and has been just like, “Ah, love this.” It makes me feel like a badass, frankly.

All that collectively makes me feel just like me, and that is what Pride means to me personally.

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