ICONS IN MY MIRROR | THE LOOKS THAT HAVE INSPIRED ME
CoverGirl. Golden Sunrise.
The eyeshadow that truly started it all.
That shade, swiped across my oldest sister’s eyelids, didn’t just spark a love for glam — it planted a deep respect for it. I was a 10-year-old girl, sitting on the toilet seat lid, mesmerized as I watched her get ready. I remember her looking down at me and just smiling. She rubbed her sponge applicator across that gold pigment, leaned in close, and gently swiped it across my eyes. Feeling this overwhelming sense of joy, I stood up on my tiptoes, looked into the mirror, and smiled ear to ear — seeing how my hazel eyes suddenly became a golden sunrise.
I felt like my sister.
I felt beautiful.
That little Black girl, the youngest in a big family, found a passion that’s stayed with her 25 years later — now writing about the joy and strength it still brings.
As I sit back and reflect on the looks that have inspired me over the years, I couldn’t help but start with the ones that started it all.
I still remember watching my mom twist up her Fashion Fair lipstick and apply it to her lips. It was this gorgeous, burnt red shade I loved. Thinking she was done, I started to walk away, but then she did something that had me realize, ‘Pigment is pigment’ and I could use it how I want. She moved it from her lips straight to her cheeks, swiped it on, and blended it in with her fingers. The monochromatic look brought out her warm undertones beautifully. I remember how radiant she looked — how that simple swipe made me see facial features in a whole new light.
The fire had been lit.
And it never went out.
As I grew older, I started to see makeup as a tool and I began to really see the women around me. I’d look at their faces and think of those gold and red pigments that I saw from my mom and sister. I’d ask myself: what shades would make their eyes shine? What would bring out their cheekbones? That’s how I started seeing glam — not as a way to hide, but as a way to unveil.
And once I was hooked, I dove deep. I started researching, studying, soaking in every drop of this new love.
When I discovered Sam Fine, everything changed.
His work took my breath away — especially one image of Iman that left me speechless. The glow on her brow bone? Iconic. The placement and the shade made her eye shape pop. Her light brown brows were crisp but never artificial. They gave structure while keeping softness. Every feature was enhanced, not hidden.
I became obsessed with finding a shade like the one on her lids — that perfect burgundy-copper blend that harmonized with every other tone on her face. The glow on the apples of her cheeks blended seamlessly with the blush underneath. I could go on. And on. And on.
The lips were lined in a way that defined her shape, not changed. It just elevated. That image? It became my blueprint.
Sam always had a wedge sponge in his applications, and when I studied his photos, I noticed the precision in his baking technique, especially under the cheekbone. That sharp line? The intentional placement? It showed me what happens when you apply glam with purpose. I didn’t have setting powder back then, so I used baby powder, and sat in front of a floor mirror, practicing it over and over.
That process made me fall deeper in love with my features — because I was finally looking for them.
There are so so many looks that have had me wowed and inspired by the iconic Sam Fine, but this one from his book (Fine Beauty) really educated me. I saw how playing up different features can have them be the center of attention. I started to understand balance. I loved how even though each shot was of the same woman, with each look it brought out something different in her. This one also made me love the lighter brows like Iman. This gave pure education without saying a word, and I swear to this day, it lives in my head rent free.
Another legend? Danessa Myricks.
She helped me fall head-over-heels for pure pigment and color. Her artistry made it clear: it’s not about what product you use, it’s about what it does for the look you’re building. She brought fun and freedom into my artistry. She also shows the world that black women are not meant to be hidden. We are meant to shine.
In times I didn’t feel seen, her approach had me see myself.
I fell in love with texture with this shot. I loved seeing a glossy lid and the smokiness of it. I have been playing with texture ever since. There is just so much power to her looks and I am constantly inspired by her and her artistry till this day.
This conversation about inspiration isn’t complete without Kevyn Aucoin.
He was a visionary. He didn’t just see the person in the chair — he saw their aura. His technique and placement taught me to study a face, not just paint it.
I adored his work on Janet Jackson. Her looks were always showstoppers. Seeing her gold lips had me taking that same CoverGirl shadow from my sister’s makeup bag, and applying it to my lips. The cut creases, the soft white on the outer corners — it made her eyes wide and sultry all at once. Every step was intentional. Every face, unique.
His work on Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell taught me the power of precision and attention to detail. Naomi’s lip shape, subtly redefined with liner, showed me how you could build symmetry without overdoing it. And that contour from brow bone to nose tip? Flawless.
And then came Scott Barnes.
The man who taught me underpainting — a technique I use to this day. He showed me how to build structure underneath the glam instead of piling it on top. His looks on Jennifer Lopez were everything. I still remember pausing scenes from Maid in Manhattan during the gala — the peachy lip, the glowing skin... I was hooked. That look was angelic.
And last but never least, this Beyoncé glam.
The silver glow. The juicy gloss. This look lives in my head rent-free. I tried to recreate it constantly — hunting down silver pigments in every texture. Her brows were natural but manicured, her skin was dewy and lit from within. There wasn’t much concealer, yet she looked so bright. Even the shimmer in her gloss added dimension and plumpness to her lips.
There are so many more looks in my personal vault, but these? These are the ones that shaped my artistry — the ones that turned curiosity into obsession, and obsession into a lifelong flame.
I’ll never stop being inspired. And I’ll never stop fanning that spark that first lit up inside a little girl sitting on a toilet seat, watching her big sister swipe on a gold eyeshadow.
xoxo,
MeghanBStudios
