What if lips were blue, brows were lilac, and cheeks were lime green? If you can imagine it, Irish-born, London-based makeup artist Aoife Cullen has done it, and had us wondering why we haven’t tried it before. From bold beauty incorporating self-dubbed “weird” lip combos, to soft girl glam that her TikTok tutorials are helping you master, Aoife is the Irish MUA whose beauty looks are endlessly going viral – for good reason.
We linked up with Aoife to find out the answers to questions like: who’s your biggest inspiration, how did you become an MUA, and how can we reclaim beauty from the male gaze?
What’s your first memory relating to makeup?
“My first memory of makeup js watching my mum do her three-step Clinique skincare routine on the sofa. She would do that every single night. She’d also take me to the Clinique counter and I would help pick her gift with purchase – I would always pick the shimmery eyeshadow palettes and blue eyeliner.”
What inspired you to become a makeup artist?
“I was inspired to become a makeup artists, honestly, when I got access to the internet. I discovered Tumblr and started seeing loads of makeup from the runway and that completely exposed me to a new realm of makeup that I’d never had any experience with before. Watching Pixi Wu on YouTube, the OG beauty YouTubers that were like working makeup artists inspired me towards a career that wasn’t really in my eyesight growing up. Instantly then I was like, “that’s what I want to do.””
Last year, we posted a TikTok on “man repellent makeup” that blew up, and featured your work as the main example. When you do your makeup, would you say “repelling” men is the main intention or an accidental reaction?
“I would love to [the male gaze] is completely irrelevant, but I think that all women know, you have that man inside you that’s like watching a woman – that whole thing. But when I sit down to do my makeup I would say I mostly don’t think about men. I think about things that I love – I pull from different eras, different inspirations, runway, or someone I saw on a TV show. I mostly subconsciously think of what women would like, and would be appreciated by them, as opposed to factoring in any kind of relevance of what a man thinks.”
You’ve self-dubbed a lot of your makeup looks as “weird,” but what does that mean?
“I love weird stuff! If I’m ever like ‘oh my God, that’s so weird,’ that just means I love it and I’m probably obsessed with it. It’s not necessarily meant to mean ‘ugly,’ or whatever ‘ugly’ means. To be weird just means unconventional, or not the first thing that you think of. When you think of something, you picture the most conventional version of that [thing], so ‘weird’ makeup it just goes in the other direction.”
You’re known for your elaborate beauty looks, but what kind of makeup do you do when you don’t have as much time or energy?
“If I’m short on time, it’s always just a black eyeliner – takes two seconds – and a brow.”
What’s a beauty trend you’re buying into?
“I’m Irish, I grew up in Ireland, and Irish come out of the womb with a bottle of fake tan. So I was always prone to that propaganda of: “you look hotter with a tan, you look skinnier with a tan, you look better with a tan.” I automatically just did fake tan as part of my weekly routine like every other person, but a few years ago I stopped wearing it because I want to work against that propaganda that you look better with it. I think you look your best with the skin you’re supposed to have.”
What’s the next big beauty trend?
“I hope it is no under-eye concealer. I think that looks better on everybody. We should take away the faff and all the effort that comes with trying to brighten or cover up our under-eyes. It looks way cooler when you don’t!”
What’s next on the cards for you in 2025?
“I am finally, after years of wanting to do it, becoming a nail tech. Makeup and nails are so intrinsically linked for me, they go hand-in-hand, and I’m finally venturing into doing it properly. I want to include it in my work and showcase both of those things together.”
Hit up Aoife’s TikTok and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the hottest and weirdest beauty and nail trends.
