Anok Yai | Image courtesy of Ngozi Esther Edeme
You may have seen her viral pink blush looks all over Instagram and TikTok, inspiring countless recreations. It’s no wonder then how Ngozi Esther Edeme, best know as Painted by Esther, has taken the beauty industry by storm, redefining the notion that darker skin can’t handle bright, colorful blush. Her love for beauty began in Nigeria, watching her mother spend hours getting ready, and later became a source of comfort after moving to England. She went on to study sociology and work as a nurse, but the traditional career path left her unfulfilled. After graduating in 2018, she moved to London, and soon after landed big break doing makeup on Tiffany Calver (Drake’s DJ) on his tour. From there, the momentum never stopped. Today, Edeme counts Adut Akech, Naomi Campbell, Olandria Carthen, and Gabrielle Union among her clients. Her work has taken her to some of fashion and pop culture’s biggest stages, from the Met Gala with Akech to this year’s Super Bowl, where she created SZA’s look. Even during our interview, she was juggling calls to glam a celebrity the very next day, a testament to her rising demand. “I never take it for granted, and I’ll never let it get to my head,” she says. “For me, it’s about staying humble. This could all end tomorrow, but I’m grateful that it hasn’t.” Models.com spoke with Edeme ahead of fashion month about her beauty icons, how her fine arts background sharpened her makeup skills, and what’s next for her.
Cassie | Image courtesy of Ngozi Esther Edeme
Where are you from, and what was your relationship to beauty when you were growing up?
I was born in Nigeria and went to school there before moving to England. My journey with beauty started back home, where there is a strong emphasis on presenting yourself well. I’d watch my mum get ready for work, spending hours on her hair and makeup. I can still remember the strong, perfumed smell of her powders, and that really ignited my love for beauty. She would buy me dolls, and the first thing I did was braid their hair or redo their makeup. When we moved to England, beauty became my comfort, especially while asylum seeking, when there weren’t many other comforts. I spent hours on YouTube watching tutorials from Aaliyah Jay, Makeupshayla. In secondary school, I had my prom while living with white foster parents, they didn’t understand how significant it felt to be the only Black girl in school with something to prove. In Blackburn, where I grew up, beauty was important for many of the girls, too. They would come into school with fake tan, lip gloss, nails, and lashes. When my foster mum refused to book me a makeup artist for prom, I decided to do it myself. I went back to YouTube, watched Patrick Starrr, Makeupshayla, and Aaliyah Jay, and practiced. Prom was the first time I did my makeup for something big, and it turned out so well. My teachers and classmates loved it, especially my eyeshadow, and I thought I could really do this. I applied for countless makeup jobs, especially at MAC, but was always rejected. That drove me to prove I was good enough. I studied sociology at university because my parents wanted me to have a degree. While I understood that, I wasn’t passionate about it. Instead of focusing on my dissertation, I was planning makeup looks. I would ask girls on campus if I could do their makeup, and they agreed. I posted the looks online, and they often went viral. After graduating, I moved to London, took a leap of faith, and couch-surfed while pursuing makeup. I always believed something would work out, and it did. My first big break was going on tour with Drake, doing his DJ Tiffany Calver’s makeup for two weeks. Posting about it brought attention to my work, and it kept growing. My first major client was Ari Lennox, I did her makeup for a shoot, and she posted it. People loved it, and it kept building from there.
Was your family supportive of your decision to be a full-time makeup artist?
Initially, I didn’t have my parents’ support. I didn’t really have anyone’s support, but I had my own. I’ve always said I’m stubborn in a good way, because if I had listened to what people wanted for me, I’d be miserable. I’d be stuck in the wrong job. I was a nurse before this, and it just wasn’t fulfilling. I was depressed and thought, This can’t be my life. So about a month after graduating in 2018, I moved out. I told myself, I know what I want, I know what God has planned for me.
I saw that you also studied fine arts. How did that path lead you to become a full-time makeup artist?
Yes, I studied fine arts all my life, from school through college, before dropping it at university because it became too theoretical. But it definitely helped me. I always have a reason for everything I do on the face, and that translates perfectly into makeup. I’m an artist by nature; that’s my first talent. I was a portrait artist, so I’ve always studied faces and sketched them. I used to win competitions for it. Fine arts taught me how to apply light to the face, understand the high points, mid-points, and low points, and contour perfectly. The nose was my favorite thing to draw. I loved focusing on the middle point and sculpting it out. My mediums were pen, graphite, oil paint, and sometimes acrylic if I was feeling experimental.
Who were some of your beauty icons growing up? I know you mentioned your mom, but were there any other beauty icons who inspired you?
My number one was definitely Sam Fine. His book changed my life, and Kevyn Aucoin was another huge influence. There’s one look he did on Naomi Campbell that has stayed with me forever, a matte ’90s eyeshadow paired with flawless skin. I was also inspired by drag queens. I watched Drag Race religiously to see how they beat their faces, applied makeup, and transformed themselves. That’s actually how I learned to use tapes. A lot of my biggest inspirations are male artists, I don’t think men make up better, but they bring a different flair and touch. Scott Barnes was another turning point for me, I attended one of his masterclasses, and it completely shifted the way I work. He taught me how to prep the skin before sculpting and introduced me to underpainting; he’s the one behind that famous photo of Kim Kardashian with the contour lines across her face. From him, I learned placement, product textures, and how to really blend. He is the underpainting king. Of course, there’s also Pat McGrath. She’s the queen of shimmer and avant-garde, and her work has heavily influenced mine. I’ve had the honor of working with her and meeting her, and she truly is everything you’d expect her to be. Danessa Myricks has also been a major influence, especially when it comes to photography. She gave me the confidence to embrace it, because as a makeup artist, you need to know how to capture your work in the best light. I used to be intimidated by cameras and lighting, but watching her so confidently handle it made me realize I could do the same. Last year, I met her at a dinner and had my camera with me. She asked me what camera it was because she loved it, and it was such a full-circle moment, me putting her onto a camera after she had inspired me so much. We bonded instantly over that, and we’ve kept in touch since.
Do you also know how to edit your images in Photoshop?
You have to. It goes hand in hand, but I try not to because I don’t want to mislead anyone. That’s why I post a lot of videos so that people can see the makeup in motion. I also share content where I haven’t taken the photos myself. For example, I recently did a look with Olandria for Watch What Happens Live. I found the images from Twitter and they were perfect, I like posting things where you can see the work in different settings. I had a meeting recently with an agency I’m signing with, and they picked up on that. They said, “We love how your pictures feel from your point of view, and we can see your work from so many angles and in different lighting.” That way, people know exactly what they’re getting. You don’t have to come to my page and think it’s heavily edited or question whether to book me. When your work only shows one face, one angle, it limits the type of client you attract. I want all kinds of clients, so I try to put out content that caters to everyone.
Your signature look, most notably your pink blush seen on Anok Yai, Love Island’s Olandria Carthen, Cassie , and Doechii. has taken the internet by storm. How did you develop this signature style?
It really came from trial and error. There wasn’t a specific inspiration. If anything, it came from being stubborn. When people said as a Black woman I had to stick to orange blush, I wanted to prove that wasn’t true. When I look at a face, I focus on undertones. Not every Black woman has orange undertones. We can be warm, cool, neutral, or super warm, and pinks, corals, and purples complement those tones beautifully. For me, it was also about seeing beauty across all ethnicities and noticing what draws me to each person. For Black women especially, cheekbones are often incredible, and the best way to highlight them is with color and glow. It started with that and years of experimenting. The more faces you work on, the more you tweak and learn what enhances them. I also think it ties back to my love for dolls, Bratz, Winx Club, Barbie. My mum always bought them for me, and that probably influenced me subconsciously. I’ve always been heavy on blush for myself too. It’s my number one product. After moisturizer, the first thing I apply is blush. So this signature style grew from practice on myself and others, and over time it became what people recognize me for.
Olandria Carthen | Image courtesy of Ngozi Esther Edeme
This year marked your second Met Gala, where you keyed Adut Akech’s look. What was it like collaborating with the Swarovski team to bring that vision together?
It was interesting, to say the least. This is why being stubborn helps, because the direction they wanted was not the final look. They wanted her plain, with no color on her face at all. But I’ve done Adut’s makeup for years, and I know what complements her and what pops on camera. She was wearing this elaborate pink outfit, and as a dark-skinned Black woman, pink complements her skin perfectly. The mood board they sent was just skin and a lash, and I said, “That’s fine, but that’s not what we’re going to do.” On site, they repeated that vision, and again I pushed back. I told them her skin needs color, shimmer, highlight, and drama. She has the perfect face and features to carry it, she really is a Bratz doll. Once I pitched my idea, they agreed and said, “You know what, you’re right.” I appreciated that they were willing to listen, I gave her the drama and Adut loved it. She always gives me freedom and trusts my hand. We’ve been working together for four years now, and the first time I did her makeup was for the British Fashion Awards. Since then, we’ve built that trust. For the Met, we settled on a pink brow, pink highlight on the cheekbones, a neutral eye, and a sparkly lip to tie in the outfit and the essence of Swarovski. That was my intention, to translate that onto her face.
In your eyes, what’s the most important part of your job as a makeup artist?
That’s a good question. No one’s ever asked me that. Being good at your job is number one, but being personable is just as important. They have to like you and your spirit. Naomi picks up on energy, and the first time I met her she said, “You’ve got good energy. You’ve got good spirit.” I told her, “Thank you, I’m happy to be here.” And I always am, no matter the situation. Whether we have plenty of time or we’re rushing in a stressful environment, I try to stay calm because they can feel that energy. If you’re panicky, it rubs off on them, and they’re the talent. You have to remember that. Their needs come first, their ideas come before yours, even if they trust you. You can’t be egotistical, it’s not about you. You have to be a good listener and take direction well. My background in customer service and nursing helped with that, and those experiences shaped how I work now. So for me, the most important things are being skilled and being personable. Being nice, making people laugh, and loving what you do. If you love the job, you’ll push through no matter how tired you are.
You’ve worked with supermodels like Naomi Campbell and artists like Tyla and Kelly Rowland. How do you adjust your approach depending on the client?
I’m blessed that they genuinely trust my eye. They know I love them, and they know I’ve done my research. I understand their personality types and what makeup they’ll want. With more mature women, the look is usually toned down unless the occasion calls for something bold. Naomi prefers a sculpted face. She’s not heavy on blush, which makes sense with her incredible cheekbones. She likes sculpt and glow with radiant skin. Kelly is more playful. She doesn’t tell me what to do, but she’ll show me her outfit and hair, and I’ll build the look around that. Tyla is young and fun. She usually says, “Give me loads of blush, give me an eye or a lip.” She always wants something playful unless it’s for radio, then we’ll keep it simple with basic glam. I look at their personality types. I grew up watching Naomi and Kelly, so I know their preferences. With Tyla, it’s clear from her page. Her aesthetic matches mine perfectly.
I know you said that you grew up watching Naomi Campbell and Kelly Rowland. So how does that feel for you now that these are your personal clients?
It’s quite insane. On one hand, it feels like just another day, but then I’ll see clips on Twitter or TikTok of Naomi’s best walk moments and think, what? It still hasn’t fully registered that this is the same woman whose house I go to and travel with. We were just in Brazil last week, and before that Hong Kong. Moments like that make me realize, wow, this is real. It does feel surreal. I even go to her kids’ birthdays, which is mind-blowing. With Kelly, it’s the same. Our glam sessions are filled with prayer and gospel music. We talk, we vibe, she’ll play me unreleased tracks and ask what I think. While filming The Voice, she pulled me into her room to play songs she’d been working on. She gave me her headphones and waited for my approval, and I remember having an out-of-body experience thinking, is this really happening? Music is a big part of our bond, we connect over Brandy rock, and so many shared tastes, and she trusts my ear. Naomi is one of the reasons I got into makeup. That iconic Kevyn Aucoin look on her shaped me. To now be traveling with her, taking photos at Christ the Redeemer together, it’s surreal. I do have to pinch myself sometimes and think, oh my God, this is my life. I never take it for granted, and I’ll never let it get to my head. One of my constant prayers is to never become arrogant. I don’t ever want to feel like I deserve these things or that they have to happen to me. Of course, you work hard and want success, but I never want to feel like I’m the end-all. For me, it’s about staying humble. This could all end tomorrow, but I’m grateful that it hasn’t.
Going back to Naomi (Campbell), I know that you’ve worked together across multiple editorials for Dazed, i-D, and Dust Magazine. You touched on this a bit, but how is your creative partnership? Could you expand on that a little more?
She really just lets me get on with it, she doesn’t tell me what to do. She’ll sit in the chair, and even if we’re short on time, she trusts me. In Brazil, she spent an hour on her lashes, which left me only 20 minutes for makeup before live TV. She said, “It’s fine, Esther’s quick. Esther can do it.” And I did. That clip was everywhere online. She trusts that I’ll get her right, even under pressure. At the end, she’ll check and say, “Yeah, this is good.” If she wants a tweak, it’s small, more gloss, less gloss, but rarely any direction. It’s the same on shoots. They’ll send a mood board, but when we get there, she’ll say, “Do what you want, give me what I like.” That happened recently for Vogue Japan, or maybe Vogue China. The team had an elaborate mood board, but she wanted her signature glam. With her, it’s about finding the middle ground. You don’t want to ignore the shoot’s vision, but you also want to honor her preferences because she’s so specific. She’s done makeup all her life, so she knows exactly what she likes, especially with skin. If you can get her skin right, you’re locked in. I’ve been working with her for almost four years now, and that trust is what makes the partnership work.
Naomi Campbell by Sean and Seng | Image courtesy of Ngozi Esther Edeme
Looking back on your career so far, what moments stand out to you as some top highlights?
Definitely this year, the Super Bowl was number one. I did SZA’s makeup, which was insane and still doesn’t feel real. Meeting and working with Cassie comes second, she’s the mood board for me and my friend, a hairstylist I often collaborate with. We don’t over-plan; we vibe and create looks together, and Cassie has always been our inspiration. When they reached out, it was surreal. We walked into the room, looked at each other, and started jumping like kids. Then Cassie walked in apologizing for being “so late,” even though it was only five minutes. I told her, “Girl, I’ve waited seven hours before. You’re fine.” She was heavily pregnant, glowing, and so warm, that day stays with me. Naomi (Campbell) is another highlight, I love her. She’s taken me places I dreamed of, given me opportunities like a Vogue cover, and pushed for me every step. She even brought her full glam team onto the Ritz Yacht recently and made sure we had our own rooms. She is serious about supporting Black talent, always tipping quietly, always making sure people are seen. If she likes you, she trusts you completely, working with her feels like family. Kelly Rowland is the same. She’s such a kind-hearted, grounded woman. Working with her feels like therapy, I literally skip to work when I know I’m glamming her. We’ve done Venice Film Festival, Fashion Weeks, Making the Band, and now The Voice UK. The trust she places in me still amazes me. She could easily book someone with 20 years in the industry, but she insists on me an I’ll never take that for granted. Viola Davis is another standout, that job came last minute as I was leaving Paris. I had to decide between her and another client, and of course I chose Viola. I only had an hour with her, but we talked politics, she radiated warmth, and she loved the makeup without a single note. A week later, she followed me on Instagram and reposted a behind-the-scenes clip I had taken, that was surreal. Also, Chloe Bailey, she’s more than a client, she’s my sister for life. We’ve built a bond outside of glam, and she’s one of the most encouraging, fun people I know. Tyla too, I adore her. Also, Gabrielle Union, my Scorpio queen. I’ve been blessed to work with so many incredible women, but those moments are definitely the ones that stand out.
You’re a Scorpio as well?
Yes. We bonded on that for sure, Gabrielle (Union) is my queen. She’s the reason SZA booked me, she went into SZA’s DMs and told her, “If you need a makeup artist, this is your girl.” In interviews, she talks about me, and even Dwyane (Wade) talks about me. They’re both so supportive, she trusted me enough to do Dwyane’s makeup and also Zaya’s. That level of trust means everything. I even got an email from Anika Noni Rose where the subject line said Gabrielle Union had recommended me. So yes, heavy on Gabrielle.
How do you keep your mental health in check, because you’re so busy all the time? Are there any rituals that you do?
I got a dog recently and that has helped the most, I live alone and wanted a companion to share life with. He sleeps next to me at night and having him around gives me comfort. I tried therapy but it did not click, so I may try another therapist in the future. I focus on sleep when I can, which is essential after back-to-back trips. In one week I was in Brazil, then the week before I was in LA, New York, Chicago, and Canada. My body is still recovering from that schedule and from long flights. I also make sure to eat, and I pray a lot. I use the Bible app daily to remind myself of the word. For me, Christianity is about continually refreshing and applying what you learn, not relying on yesterday’s insight. I pray throughout the day, even quietly when I am out. If something is bothering me, I talk to friends, my parents, or my assistant. My assistant Rochelle, knows me so well that she is like a therapist to me.
How do you define success in this industry, and what do you see next for yourself on the horizon?
That’s a good question, I think I’ve reached where I wanted to be. I’ve worked with the people I dreamed of Kelly (Rowland), Naomi (Campbell), Gabrielle (Union), SZA, and Doechii. For me, that feels like success. But you still have to keep pushing. Life doesn’t stop once you hit your goals, so I’ve set new ones. Right now, I’m working on a book because there’s been so much demand for it. I also want to create my own products. I already have one I use on my clients, a setting spray I developed in university and have been perfecting ever since. It’s the only spray I use to finish glam. If I’m doing a performer like Doechii, I’ll add One/Size or Kryolan, but for everyday glam I only use my spray. One day, I’ll release it.
Ngozi Esther Edeme
