Chelsea Uchenna, AKA Makeup by Chelsea, discusses her career journey, working with the stars, and Paris Fashion Week glam.
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00:00Obviously, the first day, which was the grand dinner at the Louvre, and she had this, you
00:06know, like, yellow gown that was just so beautiful.
00:10So when she tried that dress on, I was like, there's nothing that we can really do to the
00:14face because the dress is the moment, like, the dress is the moment.
00:18And she had her hair, like, just slicking out of her face.
00:20So I was just kind of like, let's just do something fresh, glossy kind of cheeks a little
00:25bit.
00:26And then we can do something with the lip, you know, a little bruised situation.
00:29So I used a Danessa Marks Color Fix paint, and I kind of just used it, like, right in
00:35the lip, in the center of the lip and a little bit on the cupid's bow and clear lip gloss.
00:41And I absolutely love that look.
00:42She looks divine.
00:43I'm Akili King, Essence Senior Beauty Editor, and I'm here with the incredible makeup artist
00:53Chelsea Uchena, also known as Makeup by Chelsea.
00:57How are you feeling today?
00:58Feeling good.
01:00I'm so excited.
01:01For those that don't know, she works with everyone from Doji to Rio McPherson, Louis,
01:07and Iris Starr, with Skovan.
01:10You're killing it.
01:11And she's just amazing.
01:12And we're going to get into her a little bit more with her hair.
01:17Yes, girl, you deserve all the flowers.
01:20But first, we want to start off, you know, learning a little bit more about your journey
01:24as a makeup artist, and what kind of inspired you to pursue this path?
01:32I feel like I started makeup really young, so I was about, like, 12 or 13, by the time
01:37I started to, like, figure out what it was.
01:40I think I knew what it was because I used to watch my makeup, like, my mom did.
01:43I used to watch my mom do her makeup, like, all the time.
01:45So I was very interested in it, and I've always been very artsy as a kid.
01:48I used to draw, I used to sketch, I used to paint.
01:51I've always been very artsy, so I feel like it was only a short time before I fell into
01:56makeup.
01:57And by the time I, like, realized what it was, I was like, I want to do this on my face.
02:00I want to, like, get into it.
02:01But yeah, that's kind of how it started.
02:04And then I started, like, doing makeup on other people.
02:07It kind of just, like, fell onto me a little bit, because I used to do makeup on myself,
02:11and then I'd post it on my, like, Snapchat and my Instagram.
02:14And then this one girl seen it, she's like, can you do that on me?
02:17And I was like, yeah.
02:18And then after that, like, the obsession really, really began.
02:22I was like, oh my god, I want to do this all the time.
02:24Yes, I love that.
02:26I love that.
02:27I would love for you to elaborate on growing up in Ireland and how that kind of maybe influenced
02:33your approach to beauty.
02:35I, so yeah, I was born and raised in Ireland.
02:39And it was a cool, like, it was very chill kind of childhood.
02:42Obviously, I've been always very artsy.
02:44I used to do a lot of different things as a kid, but I've always been quite artsy.
02:48And I feel like growing up there, obviously, because I lived in a very small town, and
02:53it was predominantly white.
02:54So, like, cosmetics wise, there wasn't really a lot of options, and, like, we weren't, like,
02:58well off or anything.
02:59So it's not like my mom was, like, priority was buying me makeup.
03:02So I kind of, it kind of forced me to become a little bit crafty.
03:06And that's something that I carry with me, like, to this day.
03:09I'm curious, when you look back, who were some of your biggest beauty inspirations?
03:16And who would you say now as well?
03:19I, so obviously growing up, I would definitely say my mom, because I used to really, like,
03:24I would sit there and perch and just kind of watch her do her makeup, and I'll squirmish
03:28through her makeup bag.
03:29And she used to love, like, black eyeliner, and she would do her little, like, red cherry
03:34kind of lip.
03:35And I feel like this is so T. So, like, still to this day, I always do black eyeliner.
03:40And I think that stems from her.
03:42So she's a big part in, like, my routine, and just my obsession with watching people
03:46do their makeup.
03:47I also love musicians.
03:49I love music videos.
03:50Like, I loved a lot of Beyonce's videos, like, when I was younger, and, like, Katy Perry,
03:56and just all the pop girlies.
03:57So I used to be so obsessed with, like, the makeup, the hair, the outfits.
04:00I would just be, God, I was like, this is so cute.
04:03And then obviously, as I kind of grew older, and I started to get into, like, social media,
04:07and figuring out what YouTube was, and I found all these YouTubers, I used to, like, watch
04:11Jackie Aina a lot, and, like, Alyssa Ashley, and Layla, a lot of my favorite, like, creators
04:18on YouTube that I would just, like, perch and just watch all their videos.
04:22And yeah, so growing up, that's kind of how I learned about beauty.
04:26And then obviously, now, I would definitely say more makeup writers are, like, my inspiration.
04:32So Janessa Marks and Pat McGrath, they're, like, my icons.
04:36They're my makeup mothers.
04:37So definitely those two.
04:39Yes.
04:40No, for sure.
04:41And then, like, the book that you named are, like, beauty industry, girls, race, gender,
04:47love that.
04:49And then, so what has kept you inspired, and going, as a rising makeup artist?
04:55Like, when you face challenges, for example, what do you kind of overcome them?
05:00I feel like I am very, like, obsessed with makeup.
05:04Like, I'm very, very passionate about what I do.
05:07And I don't think the obsession will ever really fade.
05:10Like, I really love, it's, like, all I think about.
05:12Like, I'm very much, maybe it's unhealthy, but I don't know.
05:14I'm very obsessed with makeup.
05:16So even when there's times that, like, I'm facing, like, challenges, I still kind of,
05:20there's still an underlying love there.
05:22I might just have to step back a little bit, maybe take a little bit of a break, and then
05:25kind of come back to it with a fresh and open mind, and just kind of realizing why I even
05:30do this in the first place.
05:31And sometimes, if I'm experiencing some type of, experiencing, like, a burnout or things
05:35like that, like, I feel like that's, like, my main challenge as creative, like, burnout.
05:41Sometimes I just have to step back, step back a little bit, take a break, come back, and
05:45I'll come back new and fresh and ready to, like, get into it and ready to paint.
05:49But yeah, I'm very passionate about what I do.
05:51So I feel like that's what keeps me going, because I love it.
05:55Yes, for sure.
05:56And, like, I appreciate what you said about now and just being honest about that, because
06:01I feel like when you do love what you do, it's probably hard to say no.
06:05I mean, I can really, as someone who loves what they do, you know, it's hard to say no
06:10and you just want to keep going because you care so much.
06:13And then you look up one day and it's like, wait, I'm so depleted or exhausted, I need
06:18to just go and take a shower.
06:20I feel like that is important to remind people, even when you love what you do, you have
06:25to refill your cup constantly.
06:28One hundred percent.
06:29But what for you do you feel like has been your big break and what do you feel like has
06:34been like the most pivotal moments of your career?
06:38I would obviously like being able to work with such inspiring women and that I genuinely
06:45admire is like always going to be so insane to me because I'm just like.
06:51We got to work together, you know, like so cool, like that's still so cool to this day.
06:55So anybody I meet and I'm inspired by them, I'm always like, this is it.
07:00But I feel like in my career.
07:03I definitely would say I had a masterclass last year in October and like that was so
07:08huge for me because I'm always trying to like teach what I know because I'm self-taught.
07:13So like anything I learn, I always try to like share it with the people, share with
07:17the masters. And I always like since I was young, I'd always post like my little
07:21tutorials or share my little hacks.
07:23And even now on social media, I always do like tutorials, in-depth tutorials.
07:27I'm teaching something, just whatever I've learned throughout my years and in my
07:32journey. So like holding like my first masterclass is something that I've always
07:36wanted to do. Like I've always wanted to do that.
07:39So just seeing people like makeup lovers like myself just come and support me and
07:45just people showing up.
07:46I was God, I was truly God.
07:47And I was like, I think baby Chelsea would have like actually screamed if she'd seen
07:51that. So I definitely would say a pivotal moment in my career.
07:55I love that and just paying it forward.
07:57And like you said, sharing what you've learned, that's always rewarding.
08:02And then, you know, we mentioned Doki and YouTube got off like I'm sure what was a
08:07crazy busy time during Paris Fashion Week.
08:10Y'all were turning out look after look after look.
08:14God, the streets talking like.
08:17I mean, she's such an incredible, amazing artist.
08:20And, you know, we're all just like looking up to her and rooting for her.
08:24And it's just cool to also get to talk to the team.
08:28And we'd love for you to like break down some of the looks.
08:31Hey, I would definitely have to start off with one of my favorites, which was the
08:36Chloe look. And she is beautiful.
08:40Like I think during the fittings, like when I was just like gagged at the gowns, I was
08:44a guy. I was like, oh, my God, you're going to wear this.
08:47And I was my brain was just running a thousand miles per hour.
08:51There's so much that we could do.
08:52But that Chloe look, I absolutely loved it.
08:54She was wearing a lot of gold jewelry.
08:56She was wearing this fur kind of detail and this beautiful like peachy, frilly dress.
09:00It's like 40 inch human hair, micro braided.
09:04Like it was insane.
09:06So we pulled a lot of inspiration from Erykah Badu.
09:09She wanted a very like blown out, boho, chic, messy, effortlessly blown out, smoky, but
09:16not too dark in a way.
09:19I feel that.
09:20I absolutely loved it.
09:21I was like, period, let's do it.
09:22Like I absolutely loved it.
09:23So we used a lot of warm browns, reds, a little bit of black in there, a tiny plonk.
09:31And we even used like a sheen like on the lid and on the eyebrow just so it didn't look
09:34too like matte. We kind of still wanted it to have a messy feel to it.
09:39And so that was definitely one of my favorite looks.
09:41We then I would have to the Tom Ford look where she had like the smoky eye and then
09:47the fringe and the hair.
09:50That was such a cool look.
09:51And it was such a chaotic turnover.
09:56She had done like two things other before that.
09:58So she had like a Louis Vuitton meeting and then she had an Acme show and then she had
10:03the Ford show.
10:04Wow.
10:06The same glam, just like running it through the day.
10:08So that was the final look.
10:10And it was just like I used the Makeup by Mario, like Master of Arts palette.
10:14And I just did a bunch of black.
10:16And we were in a car at the time and we had a very set time.
10:21So I had like 10 minutes just to change it from like the Acme look, which was like a
10:24powdery green, geeky 90s kid, punky cool kind of vibe.
10:30So, yeah, like that full day of like all those looks were definitely so cool.
10:35Like just seeing it like transform.
10:38But obviously the first day, which was the grand dinner at the Louvre, and she had
10:43this, you know, like yellow gown that was just so beautiful.
10:48So when she tried that dress on, I was like, there's nothing that we can really do to
10:52the face because the dress is the moment, like the dress is the moment.
10:55And she had her hair like just slicking out of her face.
10:58So I was just kind of like, let's just do something fresh, glossy kind of cheeks a
11:02little bit. And then we can do something with the lip, you know, a little bruised
11:06situation. I used a Danessa Marks Color Fix paint.
11:10And I kind of just used it like right in the lip, in the centre of the lip and a little
11:15bit on the cupid's bow and some clear lip gloss.
11:19And I absolutely love that look.
11:20She looks divine, honestly.
11:23And then we switched that look.
11:25She had a dinner to go to, so she changed it, changed the dress.
11:28And I just added like a smoky kind of halo eye.
11:32She was kind of just like, do whatever you want.
11:34We just like a smoky halo eye.
11:36And then she switched to the Schiaparelli look, which is that like Canadian tuxedo
11:42gold like buttons and head wrap.
11:45And I just wanted her to look as African as possible because that's what it was
11:49giving. I love that.
11:51Yeah, we just had a lot of gold kind of shimmer and then we bronze, made the lips
11:56like frosty and bronzy and just very, just cool, very cool and very dramatic.
12:01And then obviously she had a lot of like round details.
12:03I think Schiaparelli, a lot of their jewellery is like very round and dramatic and
12:08gold. So obviously, like I had a lot of gold shimmer on like the centre of her eye
12:12for the halo. But then I also wanted her inner corners to be roundy, just to kind of
12:17tie it in a little bit, just make sure everything looks kind of cohesive.
12:19So I used a really small, tiny like bullet brush and a lot of black eyeshadow and
12:24just kind of stamped it just so it can look not too sharp.
12:28I wanted it to have a roundy kind of vibe.
12:30You did the one where she had like the kind of voluminous hair, the corset.
12:35Oh, my God. I was like, definitely top.
12:37She was number one.
12:38Like Schiaparelli looked so glamorous and gorgeous after the Khloe show.
12:45And so wiped off the face and did a fresh glam, just very bombshell, very just like.
12:53She's your like, she, I'm every woman, that's what it gave, like really.
12:57And she had like this dress and was getting bawdy and she had a blowout.
13:01And I just wanted her to look like she's already gorgeous, but I just wanted it to
13:04look like glam, you know?
13:07For sure.
13:08Yeah. Yes.
13:09No. And I feel like the whole week just embodied like the epitome of black girl
13:14magic. We can rock any style, any look, just like, again, I'm curious, like
13:22obviously the looks came first in terms of the outfit.
13:25And you guys kind of played off of that.
13:28But what about the hair?
13:30Like did the hair come first and then you decided the makeup or was it kind of a tag
13:35team when it came to hair and makeup?
13:37It was like outfit, hair, makeup, which is how I do figure out what I'm doing as
13:45well. So we all hair and makeup is at the fitting as well.
13:49So while she's trying on all these options, you know, that's our chance to kind of
13:54brainstorm and figure out like what we think would look good.
13:56And then obviously it's time to glam.
13:59We know what she's wearing.
14:00Malcolm would kind of describe the hair and what it would look like.
14:05And then that's when I come in.
14:06I'm like, this is like a vibe here.
14:08This is what I want to give.
14:09So it's I feel like it's more outfit, hair and makeup.
14:12And then obviously we want to tell a cohesive.
14:14So if I'm looking at the hair, I'm like, OK, is the hair the moment or is the glam
14:18the moment? Like is the outfit the moment or is the glam the moment?
14:21So you kind of have to work.
14:22You kind of have to like just in your mind know what will look good.
14:25Yes. And then on the note of products, you know, what are some of your favorite
14:30products and right now, whether it's on yourself, clients, et cetera?
14:36I would 100% say 100% say I think Danessa Myrick has some of the best products in
14:44the game right now.
14:46She's really, truly getting it with the formulas and then just making everything
14:51so easy to use.
14:52But it still gives like you did the absolute most.
14:55So I'm really proud of her products.
14:57Obviously, I love Pat McGrath's products.
14:59I love milk makeup.
15:01I love e.l.f.
15:02makeup and MAC.
15:05Yeah, I feel like those are like my favorites right now that are doing a good, good
15:10job. But yeah, Danessa.
15:13Oh, also Fenty.
15:14Love Fenty towel.
15:15Yeah, absolutely.
15:16All of those amazing.
15:17I love Danessa as well.
15:19Pat, Fenty, you ate.
15:21I'm always curious what makeup artists' top tips are for like keeping skin clear.
15:29You know, if you're wearing a lot of makeup or if your clients are wearing a lot of
15:33makeup, what tips might you share with them when it comes to just keep your skin
15:37breakout free?
15:38But, you know, 100 percent, I think skin care is like the biggest thing when it comes
15:45to your makeup, because keeping your skin all the way together is going to help your
15:49makeup look a lot more flawless.
15:52I really, truly prioritize skin prep and skin care with my clients and myself.
15:57I am a big, huge advocate for double cleansing because I feel like that's the only
16:02way you're going to get everything, SPF, makeup, all that other stuff off of your
16:07face before you go in with your actual cleanser.
16:09So double cleansing is very big for me.
16:12I do not play with the double cleansing.
16:14And I use the Elar one.
16:16They have a cleansing balm and I just think it's so perfect.
16:19It does my eyes and yeah, it's great.
16:22Also, toners, essences, moisturizers, like going from your thinnest product to the
16:31thickest products and also just letting your skin care settle before you even do any
16:35makeup, like give your skin just kind of soak it in a little bit and then you can
16:40do the makeup. And then also, of course, sunscreen, SPF, SPF 50, don't play with
16:44that. Don't play with that.
16:47But yeah, I love my Estee Lauder Double Cleanser, or not Double Cleanser, Cleansing
16:51Balm. I love the SPF and like serums, I keep it quite simple.
16:57I love the Bioma Glass Eucin Serum.
17:00That's also great.
17:01I love the Hue.
17:03They have like a hyperpigmentation serum that's really good.
17:07I love Topicals Faded.
17:09Yeah. And moisturizers, Estee Lauder.
17:11That's it. That's all.
17:12Okay. Yeah, it's amazing.
17:14Taking notes.
17:16I love to...
17:16I just think that's great.
17:17So I don't really take notes for me.
17:21No, I'm trying to, I have eczema.
17:24Same, it's hard on here.
17:26So I'm always like, what are the girls doing?
17:29It's hard on here, but moisturizing is like very big.
17:31I like the skin to look juicy, like supple.
17:34And then I also get facial, so that helps too.
17:36Yeah, absolutely.
17:37Well, your skin looks juicy, so you're doing it.
17:41Whatever we're doing is working.
17:44Yes, no, for sure.
17:46And then, yeah, I'm curious, you know, what's next for you or what are you
17:49excited about coming up?
17:52I definitely want to hold more classes this year, a lot more masterclasses this
17:57year, workshops, but I also want to kind of go out, you know, into the world and
18:02travel with it. I think that's something that I really want to prioritize this
18:05year, just like meeting everybody in real life, I mean, social media and
18:11traveling, more classes and just hopefully just doing what I do best and
18:16having fun. That's it.
18:18Exactly. Any plans of coming to New York or the US?
18:22Yes, actually, that's spot on.
18:25I really want to come to New York next month.
18:27OK.
18:28Yeah, just where the New York rallies are.
18:30I want to be right there with them.
18:31Yes, we welcome you.
18:34We welcome you.
18:35Period. I'm ready.
18:36I'm coming.