"I find beauty in what makes me happy" Interview with Garance Murru, which you've probably seen on TikTok

Garance Murru is a make-up artist and content creator from Marseille. If the name doesn't mean anything to you, his face certainly does. On TikTok, she is one of the most popular and followed makeup artists and content creators for her free and non-conformist approach to makeup. Bleached eyebrows and an expression of challenge, Garance pierces the smartphone screen and offers her Gen Z followers (overextended female) a breath of fresh air. Here we are not looking for perfection, we are looking for effect, expression, self-communication. Perfect, therefore, for Under the Beauty Radar, our column on the underground sides of beauty. All of it.

Interview with Garance Murru, make-up artist and TikTok star

How would you describe your style in three words?

Fun, colorful and sexy.

How did you find your expressive figure through makeup, and how did you start using social media?

It all happened very naturally: I grew up wearing makeup on my friends and sisters. It gave me so much joy that it quickly became a real hobby. As far as social media is concerned, I opened my Instagram profile at 12 and then I became a serial meme dispenser on Facebook, so combining the two things I loved and did the most was an almost obligatory step.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

It depends. I find a lot of inspiration in nature, from the colors of fish, birds and flowers. Other times, however, a look flashes in my head just as I'm about to fall asleep and I have to write it down so as not to forget it. And then I also get a lot of ideas from the work of other creatives in the beauty world.

Your creativity has been discovered online for the first time. Do you think that social media has changed the way beauty creatives build their careers today?

Absolutely yes. It can offer a lot more opportunities and higher revenues. I started publishing makeup content because I wanted to receive the products for my professional kit free of charge, which I couldn't afford then. But if you start your career starting from the web, it will take some time before people take you really seriously, it's something I still struggle with today from time to time.

What was it like to go from the first steps as a beauty creator on social networks to being hired for larger projects, such as fashion shows and editorials?

It seemed to me that I was taking a fundamental step towards my goal. My dream is to work as a make-up artist full time and live there. I'm not quite where I'd like to go yet, but I'm not in a hurry.

What do you like the most: working backstage or creating beauty content for the web?

It's a situation where I get 'the best of both worlds'. Online I enjoy total creative freedom, while when I work as a MUA it can be a bit frustrating to always have to adapt to the customer's needs. The most satisfying part of working at MUA, however, is the final result, when you see what has been achieved as a team. Whether it's a fashion show, a film or a photo shoot, it's always very exciting to be part of something bigger than yourself. Life on social media is sometimes lonely, so a nice balance is created.

Do you think that these two aspects influence each other?

I think experimenting so much on my face has made me a better make-up artist, just as learning professional techniques has raised the quality of everything I do.

Your work seems to fuse traditional makeup techniques with a more creative and less conventional idea of beauty. What does beauty mean to you?

I don't have a precise definition for beauty: in my head it's more of a spectrum of shades. I usually find it in what makes me happy, whether it's something impactful, someone who steps out of their comfort zone, or simply a person who exudes self-confidence.

What do you think about beauty trends? Do you tend to follow them, to reinterpret them or do you prefer to avoid them?

I have a love-hate relationship with beauty trends. I don't follow them consciously, but sometimes I look at my work from a few months ago and I realize that they influenced me. Sometimes I like to try one or two, especially if it's a technique I've never tested. I try to remain open and curious: this is what makes me a better MUA and a more complete person.

Do you have any advice for those who would like to start sharing their creative work online? How do you overcome the fear of being a 'cringe'?

I don't know if I'm the right person to answer, because I've never been embarrassed in this regard. The thing to remember is that most people will support you: there's a community for everyone. If you don't like something you publish anymore, you can always delete it later, and negative comments can simply be deleted. In the end, the situation has never been so dramatic. What really matters, at the end of the day, is that you like what you do and that you are proud of yourself.

What do you expect from your journey into the beauty world from here on out? Is there anything you would like to explore or achieve in the near future?