Brushes, primers, palettes. When you hear these words, what do you think of? A painter? Someone drawing on a blank canvas? For Ella Schmidt ‘18, these things are all a part of her growing collection. Makeup. From a necessity, to a hobby, to a full blown passion, makeup has been a part of Schmidt’s life since she was in 7th grade. She has since brought her passion to Instagram, where she has created an account with nearly 700 followers dedicated to her work.

Although makeup is such a huge part of Schmidt’s life, it took time for her to become comfortable in her own skin. “I first started wearing makeup in junior high because I guess that’s what everyone did. It was just a thing for girls to wear mascara and eyeliner,” said Schmidt. Having struggled with acne, Schmidt found that makeup gave her more confidence. “I do think I am prettier with makeup, but honestly, there is nothing wrong with that. I like how I look,” said Schmidt. Up until sophomore year, makeup was simply something Schmidt did as a need. “I started getting more into makeup last summer when I was bored. It was just fun to play around with crazy looks. I think that transitioned into me growing a passion for it,” said Schmidt. With a new passion, Schmidt grew her collection along with a following.

Instagram makeup has become one of the biggest trends of 2016-2017. Full brows, big wings, bold lips and strong highlights have become a norm on most instagram feeds. “I started my makeup instagram to share a passion that I’ve always had. What’s the point of keeping pictures on your phone and not sharing them? I wanted to show a talent,” said Schmidt. Starting with only posting a few pictures of eye makeup, Schmidt’s account began to grow. She started doing full faces and joining in on giveaways. “The best part about [my makeup account] is the support that the makeup community gives,” said Schmidt. Although Instagram can be supportive, it can also be a popularity contest. “So many people only follow you in order to get follows, or make you spend money on their products. It kind of ruins the community by making everything about popularity,”said Schmidt.

Despite makeup being such a widespread hobby, there is still a strong stigma behind girls and boys who wear a lot of makeup. “The problem with this society is It’s so ingrained into peoples minds to judge people who don’t wear natural makeup. If someone wears strong makeup, people assume that they must be either super self-conscience or super conceited. It kinda sucks,” said Schmidt. This stigma makes it hard for people to wear bold looks without being judged. “I think that with men starting to wear makeup, the stigma is being broken, slowly but surely,” said Schmidt.  With a negative stigma and a growing popularity, the makeup community is changing fast and Schmidt is proud to be a part of it.