LA is such a melting pot that it was somewhat little bit of a tradition shock once I began touring for my job. Being surrounded by folks from all backgrounds has all the time simply been my norm, however I have been to some states the place there aren’t individuals who appear like me. It made me notice how lucky I used to be to develop up in a spot that’s so various and so welcoming. I’ve all the time identified that magnificence is available in all shapes, sizes, and varieties.
The way in which I received into make-up is one thing that might solely occur in Los Angeles. Whereas I used to be getting my diploma, I received a part-time job on the MAC counter. Sooner or later, Hailee Steinfeld got here in. She gave me a possibility to do her make-up whereas she was on tour, and that is how I received my foot within the door. Had it not been for that job and for her, who is aware of the place I’d be now.
I’ve seen so many individuals exhibiting up for each other within the magnificence neighborhood this week. The make-up artist Grishan Roof—who goes by Depot Chopra on Instagram as a result of she depots merchandise to make them simpler to make use of—is constructing out kits for artists which have misplaced theirs. It takes years and years to construct these kits—to search out brushes and eye shadows and merchandise you’re keen on. I do know so many individuals which have been donating gadgets to her.
In a time the place the world feels tremendous divided, it’s so stunning to see the outpouring of affection that is occurring proper now. Each time I’m going on-line, I am crying—both from such unimaginable disappointment or from happiness that somebody is getting the assistance they want. As devastating because it all is, it is also so stunning to see everybody come collectively.”
Andrew Fitzsimons, hairstylist and founding father of Andrew Fitzsimons Hair
“I moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after dwelling in New York for 5 or 6 years. In New York, there’s a variety of satisfaction in how exhausting all the pieces is. There’s a pleasant however begrudging angle in direction of Los Angeles dwellers that’s like, ‘Why are their lives so sunshine-y and simple?!’ I form of adopted that angle mechanically with out ever having visited. After which as soon as I got here right here, it was like that Intercourse and the Metropolis episode set in LA. You wish to hate them, however you additionally wish to be them.
As I began going to Los Angeles extra for work, I spotted how a lot it has to supply. You’ll be able to go to downtown LA and really feel such as you’re in a serious metropolis, after which moments later you could be on the seaside. I like that I can actually curate my life right here, that I could be round nature however nonetheless do my job. I’ve discovered neighborhood right here. I’m an immigrant—I used to be born in Eire—and immigrants normally discover one another as a result of now we have quite a bit in widespread. My good friend Mariana Marroquin immigrated from Guatemala and is the director of the Trans Wellness Heart in LA, the place now we have an ongoing donation program for unused magnificence and self-care gadgets.
The spine of California actually is the immigrant inhabitants, particularly the Latinx neighborhood. There are thousands and thousands of undocumented people who find themselves frontline employees in the US. In California, it’s the undocumented inhabitants that’s rising meals, selecting meals, packaging it… They’ve accomplished the toughest factor on the planet, which is to depart all the pieces and go to a wierd land to verify they will help their households survive.