Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. A popular saying made so versatile and yet simple. The way you dress, your aura, the kind of makeup you apply, says a lot about your personality and your creativity. You dress how you want to be addressed, you carry yourself according to how you want to be seen, and one important detail that can never go unnoticed is your makeup.

Over the years, makeup has evolved globally. From applying mere lipstick, to the eyeshadow era, to the white powder era, to the contour era, makeup has been a powerful creativity tool. The use of makeup can be traced back to ancient times. According to Alyaka.com, Unconventional ways have been followed to add color to the face. Kohl was used for eye makeup while red clay was used to brighten up the color of the cheeks and lips. Before mascara became popular, boot polish was used to accentuate the eyes.

Makeup has always been used to influence personality. From the time of Cleopatra, anyone seen with her kind of makeup is definitely of Egyptian royalty. In the olden days and even in these recent times, traditional dancers and villagers seen tying two ‘rappa’, chalk-like designs on their chest and face together with dark lips would be seen as an igbo woman. The kind of makeup you apply gives people a perception about you, and is seen as a form of expression and art. What kind of makeup do you apply? What's your aura? Here is a curated category of personalities influenced by makeup, to help you understand yourself:

1. The Drama Queen: Drama queens are always so extra! One way to spot these categories of people is by their eyeshadow and eyebrows. According to evergreen beauty, Drama in makeup is created through contrast and strong color. Even a woman who never wears foundation in the daytime will enjoy wearing it in the evening. It is always important to choose the right foundation color that suits the skin coloring. Drama in makeup can be spotted through the eyeshadow. It is usually pigmented, and used to express creativity by creating drawings, art and even bold shapes around the eye. People who are often seen with this makeup are unapologetic about their life choices, and are very dramatic! So, if you love bold eyeshadows and love to be expressive with colors and ideas, you are definitely a drama queen!

2. Miss Conservative: Simple yet classy. Little yet loud. That’s how we describe this kind of makeup. They don’t follow the recent makeup trends, they stick to what they know how to do best. They’re often seen with a simple, minimalist type of makeup. They're not a fan of bold lips or eye shadow, but they’re a fan of simplicity: Glossy lips, light powder, and brows. So if you find yourself doing this kind of makeup, you fall in this category! You don’t conform to societal change, you stick to your own ideology and keep it simple.

3. The Alte Clan: This form of swag is seen among the Gen Zs. The baggy jeans, the nails, the excessive jewelry and the oversized sneakers make up the Alte fashion look. But one detail we can’t miss from this fashion is the makeup. Alte makeup is very extra, especially the eyeshadow. You could see flowers, rainbows and all sorts painted on their eyes, and faces as well, and nude glossy lips to complement this look. 

4. The LGBTQ community: LGBTQ is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. These sets of individuals are often expressive with their makeup. From the bold lips, to extravagant eyeshadows, to oily skin and poise, it’s almost easy to identify them. Even when not on makeup, their skin is mostly oily, and they take skincare to heart. They love to contour their faces in the most obvious way, and don’t joke with their highlighter. So if you spot a girl or a guy with this kind of makeup, they may be part of the community.

5. Fierce and Bold: This kind of makeup is so extra and minimal at the same time. They love to be noticed with their makeup, while keeping it simple and classy. They tap into every makeup trend there is, and keep it simple. Some of them are also often seen with well defined eyeliners, bold lips and contact lenses to supplement the look. If you love trendy makeup but keep it simple, you fall under this category!

6. BONUS: The D.R.A.G Queens: These are the EXTRA queens! A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. You can identify them by their makeup. They are often men who impersonate the female gender in an exaggerated, yet entertaining manner with their clothes and makeup. You can tell by their bright face, eyeshadow, contact lenses and lips. Most of them don’t do their eyebrows as the eyeshadow extends to that area. So if you apply this kind of makeup, or come across someone who applies this kind of makeup, he is a drag queen.

Makeup describes your personality. Some people aren't so expressive with words, so they express themselves with their art in terms of drawing, their cooking, dressing or makeup. If a person is mourning, you can tell by their dressing and makeup. If a person is happy and lively, or sad and has lost their rhythm, you can tell by their makeup. Your makeup describes your personality without you trying, so check out these categories and know where you belong!