Story & Photos by Anneka Stone
Makeup by Shahrin Syara
To some, makeup is unimportant. Or perhaps a necessity, to look more presentable to others.
But for Shahrin Syara, makeup was never like that; when she was young she first saw it as a sign of rebellion and expression.
Her interest in makeup stemmed from her free-spirited young aunt. While Shahrin grew up in a strict home environment and wasn’t allowed to play with makeup, her aunt was a breath of fresh air. She would dress Shahrin up behind her family’s backs, and wore “dark and crazy” makeup regardless of what others said.
“My mom would always say to her, ‘Why do you look like a witch?’ ‘Don’t you care about what people say?’ And she just didn’t.”
Shahrin’s interest in makeup continued to grow as the years passed.
She started buying lipstick and lip gloss in secret, and from there, started to express herself more. Now, the 22-year-old freelance editor practices her intricate makeup looks whenever she can find the time to.
”A big inspiration I have is Rowi Singh … I used to do a lot of regular makeup, but seeing her looks really made me want to try using a lot more colour,” she says, showing me Singh’s Instagram page.
It is evident that Shahrin indeed pulls inspiration from Singh; the artist sports colours of all shades in each post, from a rainbow eye look inspired by Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring in Wyoming, USA, to a Doja Cat-influenced purple eye with detailed cow print liner.
When asked if she considers makeup as a passion, Shahrin disagreed. Rather than a passion that she would like to pursue as a full-time career, she thinks of it as a hobby that she enjoys doing as an escape from the reality of life.
“I’m terrible at multitasking … So when I’m doing makeup, I’m thinking about the makeup and nothing else,” she says, laughing at herself.
“It just helps me to get my mind off of things, and I can have fun doing art on my face.”
Check out the gallery below to see Shahrin’s three looks based on the themes of Catch’s 38th edition!
