Today we’d like to introduce you to Denia Luna.
Hi Denia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a Mexican Makeup Artist in LA. I’ve always loved makeup and the power of transforming someone into any version of themselves with a brush. This intensified after I was diagnosed with alopecia at the age of 17. I woke up one day with bald spots on my head and in less than two months, I lost all of my hair. It was a really hard moment of adjustment, I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror for a long time. Coming from a conservative city, I wasn’t exposed to diversity. Suddenly, I stood out and couldn’t process how that made me feel. I had only known beauty to look one way and I no longer fit into that mold.
For the next five years, I tried to hide my alopecia with wigs, hats, fake lashes, and by drawing in my eyebrows from scratch every day. After trying medical treatments, my hair grew back for a few months; unfortunately, it never stayed for long so I had to go through the painful process of losing it all over again.
During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time alone and used that space to find healthy ways of expressing myself. I started creating fun make-up videos, photos and reels for my Instagram and TikTok. Once I found the courage to show my bald head on social media, I started to talk openly about my condition. I wanted to inspire other people with alopecia to connect and let go of their shame and embarrassment. My hobby opened new doors, leading me into developing a career in makeup design and working on film sets.
After years of growth and acceptance, I finally see past my condition and celebrate how I look by challenging established beauty standards through my makeup and artwork.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Having alopecia is like a roller coaster of emotions. It took me a long time to make amends with my condition. I went through stages of depression and that made it difficult to find myself in different areas of my life – discovering my identity in my personal life and a moment of constant growth in my professional life. After I graduated from university with a business degree, I discovered that makeup could be more than a hobby for me so it became my vocation.
Besides my condition, having to move to a different country to pursue my passion has been hard. There are many challenges when adapting to a new culture and starting out professionally in a city without friends or a community. Fortunately, those things can be nurtured and build by connecting with those around you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create characters through makeup design, from people with beauty or glamorous looks to injuries and crazy monsters. All these characters have a back story and life surrounding them that is reflected and shown through their makeup. For example, If they are having problems at home and not sleeping well then they would have dark circles. If they had an accident when they were young and fell to the ground, then they should have a scar on their knee. Subtle stuff can tell a lot about a person; I love creating those little details.
One of my favorite creations has to be the first time I made a creature concept come to life with foam prosthetics. I had the idea of creating a mushroom forest guardian entity and each step of the process until the final result was very rewarding.
All artists come from different backgrounds and cultures. My life experience sets me apart because I find most of my inspiration from dreams to childhood memories (good and bad) and I’m not afraid to be vulnerable through my art.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think an important characteristic to my personal journey of success is knowing my worth and being confident without forgetting to be humble. It’s really important to be grateful for all the opportunities that come to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: denialuna.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mua.denialuna/
