Aoife Cullen Reclaims Her Power With Unique Makeup
There are makeup artists and then there are people who create art with makeup.
Aoife Cullen is one of the latter. The London-based, Ireland-born beauty creator is all about pushing boundaries, whether that’s by rejecting the cultural norms of “feminine” makeup or just embracing all things weird.
But that hasn’t always been the case. Like all creatives, it took time for Aoife to find her voice. Now that she’s found it, she’s an unstoppable force in the industry – and has become a symbol for the small ways beauty can help you reclaim your power.
FINDING BEAUTY IN THE ‘UGLY’
Raised in a small town in the north of Ireland, Aoife’s background in beauty started when she was 14 and gifted a copy of Bobbi Brown’s Makeup Manual. ““I was totally infatuated with the mystique and ‘coolness’ of the makeup world and knew I wanted to pursue that myself,” she told Sasha Bonds. Not long after, she purchased her first makeup: a green shimmery eyeshadow and a pink lip gloss.
With her new bible at her side, she quickly found her home in the “weird” and “ugly.” Think black lipgloss, white face paint, and metallic eyebrows. She has an entire series called Weird Lip Combo in which she finds the most outlandish lip looks, and has a skill for scouting out shades you never thought existed. A quick scroll through her feeds show her mid-transformation into an alien and applying diamante tears. She hates thick foundation and loves needle-thin brows. Her looks are futuristic, avant-garde, and totally her.
“Growing up, you always stay in the confines of conventional beauty and the standard of beauty. You always feel those pressures. But I've always loved things that are a bit weird, people who are beautiful in their own way.” - Aoife Cullen, High Snobiety
Aoife’s looks are born from years of creative consumption. YouTube tutorials, Tumblr, magazine covers – you name it and it’s probably informed her vision. After spending a year studying Make-up in Fashion, she worked on the counter for a beauty brand while also building her personal brand on the side.
It was undoubtedly worth the effort. Today, she boasts a combined 453k followers across both Instagram and TikTok and has been recruited to apply her weird and wonderful touch for the likes of Nike, Fenty Beauty, Paco Rabanne, Glisten Cosmetics, NARS, and many more.
SUBVERTING FEMININITY
The conversation about femininity, makeup, and misogyny is too long and complex to succinctly capture in words. That’s part of what makes Aoife’s looks so powerful – subverting the way society views women with the very same tool designed to make women “acceptable” in the first place.
“I love being able to take a tool that was essentially created for the benefit of society to look at women and use it in a way that they disapprove of.” – Aoife Cullen, Dazed
Aoife’s a big fan of celebs who make a similar statement with makeup. Take Dolly Parton, for example, who is totally unapologetic about being in 24/7 glam, and Grace Jones, who’s long been ahead of her time with her ethereal eyeshadow and colourful contour. Both indulge in their femininity, but find new and exciting ways to explore their identities within the framework society has created.
“There is an undeniable power, beauty and awe within femininity that I respect and adore so much,” Aoife told Dazed. “Mixed with elements of ‘weird’, it kind of speaks to the future image of femininity. I like to feel like I’m shape-shifting through make-up and expressing something more than beauty.”
RECLAIMING YOUR POWER
Beauty means something different to everyone. If there’s one thing to take from Aoife’s work it’s that individuality is power, and showing who you are is beautiful in itself.
“I feel like it’s a form of reclaiming power and not just using it to look beautiful by society’s standards, but to create something and express who I am,” she explained to Dazed. “I get a kick out of it when someone comments ‘ew’ for example. I feel there is an undeniable power, beauty and awe with femininity that I respect and adore so much. And mixed with elements of ‘weird’ kind of speak to a future of the image of femininity.” Aoife is the epitome of confidence and creativity. To put it simply: iconic.
WHATS UP NEXT …
