Adiba Camallsaib : an Inborn Talent for Makeup Artistry

Her artistic skills have led her to transform herself into a talented makeup artist. Fond of art since her young age, Adiba Camallsaib, aged 20, is known for her mesmerizing makeup designs on social media. A student at the University of Mauritius, majoring in Politics, Human Rights and International Relations, the gifted artist shares with us how her innate talent as an artist has emerged.

By cultivating her talent and by persevering in learning in a domain that was unknown to her, our young lady discovered that she has a true gift.

Known for her blogs on social media, Adiba Camallsaib shares that she got into the world of makeup only two years back. Despite not pursuing studies in the arts, she explains that it is in fact her talent and love for it that drew her into that world. “I was always fond of art. I was always drawing during my free time or whenever something popped up in my mind. I did participate in art competitions when I was younger and wanted to go further into arts but later on, I moved on to the study of sciences. Still, I included drawing in my daily life, doodling in my notes and practicing henna art.”

Not a makeup girl as such, it is in 2017 that Adiba started to develop an interest in it. “I started learning about makeup at the end of 2017. I was not the type of girl who wore makeup to go to school. But when I finished my ‘A’ levels, I wanted to learn more as my little sister was more talented than me in terms of makeup at that time.” In October 2017, Adiba shared her first makeup post online. “As it was Halloween period, I seized the opportunity to play around doing crazy makeups. For me, I sort of translated my love for art into makeup. Just like I would have expressed myself on paper, I have turned myself into a real canvas,” she utters.

Who inspired her in this field? Adiba states that she is a great fan of Nordics MUAs. “They create absolutely amazing pieces. I came to know about them on Instagram while surfing on one of my favourite makeup brand's page.” She explains that it is also the support of people online that motivated her to continue pushing herself further. “The support I got when I first posted about my creative makeups was insane! The continuous support my followers give me truly inspires me to keep on improving myself in what I'm doing,” she says.

Student at the University of Mauritius pursuing a degree in in Politics, Human Rights and International Relations, the young artist avers that sharing her makeup online was a well thought choice. “Even though it demanded a certain involvement, I decided to go for it because in my opinion, it makes the learning of new things funnier. As I'm a self-taught makeup artist, I still have a lot to learn, I make mistakes and I master some things which I share on my platform. We all share a good laugh when I mess up something and the support I get from my followers is really empowering. Maybe when I post about makeup or life difficulties, blogging made us all one big family, as there's always people out there who'll help you out and blogging also gives me the chance to help them out in return.”

A career in the makeup field

Energetic and always on the move, Adiba used to practice martial arts. She was also a former swimming coach at the CSSC and was also part of the Highland Blues, which is a Women 7s Rugby Team, some years back. When it comes to doing her makeup, she confides that she draws her creativity from various things. “From visual pieces, a beautiful colour combination I saw somewhere, situations, words, or when I convey a message.

Allowing my creativity to speak and showing my true self is what also motivates me. Creating content has never been easy but when you're passionate about it, it becomes fun even if it takes up hours and days to be made!”

The promising makeup artist confides that she dreams of pursuing a career in the field. “I would absolutely love to do that as I feel that expressing myself through makeup has made a positive impact on myself and my entourage and I want it to reach more people. I would like to inspire people through my art,” she underlines. Adiba is of the opinion that the makeup field is not saturated at all. “I believe that as long as you do makeup with passion, you create your style. There are not many makeup artists who do creative makeups. I trust that as long as I create my own content, I don't have to bother about how many people are in this field as each one of us has his/her own talent and own way of doing makeup.”

Moreover, she does not trust that it is an absolute necessity for someone to have a professional training in makeup, if he/she wants to become a professional makeup artist. “I am myself a self-taught makeup artist. I, however, believe that it can be beneficial for someone who wants to do it, as his/her job from the very beginning of his/her career. But it does not always have to be like that. I like to be free in what I am doing and to experiment things and see what works best for me. I will not refuse some tips but I feel like there are many things out there, which can help us in getting better at makeup, but it demands a lot of patience and time.”

Her advice to young Mauritians out there who have skills and wish to become makeup artists: “Keep on practicing! Keep records of your works! This will help you see your improvements and also to figure out where you have problems. If you're confused about something, reach out to other muas! I'm sure there are many muas (makeup air unit) out there ready to help you out just like I usually do, we can advise you or explain how it works.

Never give up! Even if you have little support, keep on the work! Practice makes better.”