.png)
BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
By: Sneha Harikannan
PETALING JAYA, OCTOBER 13TH: The idea of being a beauty influencer is perceived as a shallow, vapid job. Sureena Shree and Lee Ming Hui are here ready to prove everyone wrong.
Editorial looks by Sureena (left) and Ming Hui (right)- photo credit: @s.shree.c and @minghui.psd on Instagram
Both of them started their professional pages in 2018.
“Before that, I wasn’t very interested in makeup - I was more interested in painting and drawing on paper and canvases. Now, my face IS the canvas!” said Ming Hui, a 19-year-old graphics designer.
Sureena, a 22-year-old Professional Communications student, said that she was reliant on makeup to cover up her acne. Later, she began to learn about proper skincare and beauty.
Neither of them expected the rise of their profiles. While Ming Hui said she is grateful for where she is now, Sureena agreed but had a tougher time dealing with it.
She said she was getting burned out by the constant ongoing workflow and it began to affect her mental health immensely.
“At one point my account was almost at the 4K followers mark. With my anxiety consuming me I removed everyone who I didn't know personally and went private on the account,” said the 22-year-old.
One year later, she is rebuilding herself from the ground up, despite the challenges.
Sureena taking her content to different heights- photo credit: @s.shree.c on Instagram
She called the rebranding bittersweet in the way it impacted her life and said she is planning on targeting an entirely different community with her content now.
“The decrease in numbers [of followers] did get to me but realising that those who followed me for my old content probably would not enjoy what is up and coming because it's headed in a very different direction,” she said.
Both influencers said they decide on the content of their pages purely based on mood. “If I feel like posting I do but I make a conscious effort to not spend too much time on my phone,” said Sureena.
“Now I definitely prioritize quality content instead of quantity. I do have a rough feed plan using a preview app but that's more for the overall colour theme to be aesthetically pleasing,” said the 22-year-old.
Sureena explains the extensive creative process for a post.
“If it is a paid promotion I will shoot and edit the promo visuals, send it to the brand for approval along with a caption draft and post it at an audience peak hour,” she said.
Ming Hui said she feels really happy seeing more young children express themselves through makeup.
“I think more and more parents are becoming more open towards makeup as a form of expression, and it’s really endearing to see,” she said.
An artistic shoot all about the aesthetics- photo credit: @s.shree.c on Instagram
Sureena expressed that she is happy with all the brands that are coming out with high quality and affordable products because it allows so many people to explore their creativity.
She also said she is happy to see the support for local men who pursue makeup and the stigma that has broken down in recent years.
“There still is a long way to go as for discrimination against men who are in touch with their femininity but I do believe we are on the right track,” she said.
She also hopes to dispel any false reality that influencers have created for themselves.
“Models and influencers don't always look the way they do on campaigns or billboards, there's a lot of makeup and retouching that goes into it,” said the 22-year-old.
“Textured skin, freckles, rolls, height, loose skin, frizzy hair. You don't have to be what's considered to be 'perfect' for the next three months until a new definition pops up,” she said.
With her profile, Ming Hui wishes to spread the message that using makeup is an expressive tool to have fun.
Sureena hopes her profile is able to normalise imperfections and show her audience that there are many definitions to the word ‘beauty.’ They should be kinder to themselves if they don’t fit the ‘ideal’ beauty standard; something she’s working on herself.
