Menu
Crown The Brown: Saneshnie Naidoo
Crown The Brown Interview: Saneshnie Naidoo (@sanesh_makeup). South African Makeup Artist Saneshnie Naidoo has always shown her audience the beauty of make-up and glam.
Her platform inspires many make-up lovers as she always embraces her authentic self and shares some insightful tips and hacks for the most beautiful looks on various occasions! We wanted to know more about her work as a Make-up Artist and content creator on social media!
How would you describe your work as a make-up artists to others?
I would describe my work as enhancing and bringing out your natural beauty. I still want my clients to look like themselves but feel more empowered by having a full face of glam on. I really want my clients to see the beauty they have from someone else’s perspective.
When did your makeup journey start? What inspired your love for makeup?
My journey started when I was in my last year of primary school. I would always see my sister applying makeup and it fascinated me. But the turning point was trying to hide my severe acne behind makeup.
I felt that if I wore makeup, no one would ask me why my skin looked like that. From there, my passion really grew for learning how to do various eye-shadow techniques, playing around with ombre lips to make colours look good on my skin and learning all the newest makeup trends.
As someone within the South Asian diaspora, what has your experience been like within the beauty industry?
For a very long time, I felt overlooked in the beauty industry. But I had a small yet growing audience who watched me and supported me, and that was what mattered to me the most. One of the main reasons I started my YouTube channel in 2014, was because I couldn’t relate to anyone.
Even some of the biggest Desi Youtubers at the time, were not my skin tone. Makeup looks that I tried from Jaclyn Hill wouldn’t look the same. So I really wanted to accommodate people who looked like me on the platform.
I have to say though, that as I grow, the more I show how imperfect I am, the beauty industry has really shown me so much of love and support. I’m honestly super grateful for my followers. And I wouldn’t have had this journey any other way.
Have you experienced any challenges or lack of representation in the industry over the years?
I would say my biggest challenge that I still face is not being recognized by brands. Honestly, I don’t see it as a bad thing, I see it as an opportunity to work harder and prove myself.
There’s always a lack of representation somewhere in the industry, but I’m really glad that brands are hearing us out and are deciding to include us in more campaigns and more opportunities. We’re winning over one brand at a time.
What do you think is lacking in the South African beauty industry?
More Indian beauty content creators. I genuinely feel like more of us can be winning in this industry.
From experience, it is quite hard to find inclusive brands in terms of finding proper shades and pigmented palettes. What brands would you suggest for those who struggle to find proper foundations or palettes for their skin tones?
I would say, it was extremely hard a few years ago, but brands are really stepping up their game. Some affordable brands include Wet ‘n Wild, Revlon, L.A girl, Rimmel and more high-end would include Bperfect Cosmetics in terms of eye-shadow, Urban decay with foundations and professional brands like Kryolan and MAC.
What are some of your highlights as a makeup artist over the years?
Some of my most precious highlights are definitely being a part of my bride’s special day, just seeing someone’s eyes light up when they’ve seen the makeup I’ve done for them. It is beyond rewarding to see my clients happy and feeling beautiful.
With creating makeup content, what’s the most time consuming part of creating the content and what do you enjoy most about it ?
The most time consuming part is the editing because sometimes there’s hours of editing we need to go through. I enjoy the actual content creation the most, just letting my creativity flow really makes this job so pleasant.
Social media has allowed way more representation towards brands and supporting local businesses. How can we as a community improve on supporting local creators and businesses?
I think we can really empower local businesses and creators by showing support through following, watching and liking their content, trying their services for ourselves. Buying from small businesses, instead of large chain stores.
Recommend their services to family and friends. Comment on your favourite creators’ content. There’s so many ways to show support without even having to spend money as well.
What advice do you have for other aspiring make-up lovers out there?
Whoever said, “Do what you love and you never have to work a day in your life”, they were onto something. Let your passion be your driving force in your journey. And always be authentic to yourself.
Furthermore, Saneshnie has proved that beauty is skin-deep. Similarly, her journey towards representation is inspiring. She fuels her passion towards being her own sense of representation and creating more support for her audience.
We love watching her growth! Be sure to follow her @sanesh_makeup on Instagram for some amazing make-up inspired looks!
