Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Sanchez.
Martha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I feel like I’ve always been a super creative individual, ever since I can remember I had always been drawing or doing some sort of art. I remember when I was in school I would get distracted easily and start scribbling on my paper or I would draw on myself or my classmates.
In high school, I started taking theatre classes and that’s where I got introduced to theatre makeup, my mom was a cosmetics saleswoman for years so she was my first intro into the “beauty” makeup world. In theatre class I learned about different techniques with theatre makeup and how you could use it to transform one’s appearances and that fascinated me! I would occasionally practice doing these techniques on myself, my older sister or cousins for fun. I would also always watch Americas Next Top Model religiously just for the photo shoots episodes where the makeup artists would create the most beautiful Avant garde looks or just beauty looks and so I would try to recreate these looks on my sister just for fun, I also started helping out my friends with their Halloween makeup using regular drugstore makeup that we had available.
I believe I was a senior in high school when I got introduced to youtube and makeup tutorials, I remember the first YouTubers I started watching which were Kandee Johnson, Emma Pickles, and Michelle Phan, they would always post the coolest Halloween makeup transformations and of course I was drawn to them so I started to try to recreate some of their looks for fun . I got my first job right out of high school and so I saved up to get myself a camera and a laptop and I started to film my very own makeup tutorials using whatever drugstore makeup I could afford and made it work! I had to teach myself how to edit these videos with the basic video editing program that came with my computer…it was very frustrating but I was determined to learn and eventually I did. I then hopped on the Instagram bandwagon and I started posting my creative makeup looks along with my personal posts and ended up finding and connecting with artists around the world who were doing the same thing as me! I had found my little community and a lot of them were self-taught just like me. I ended up creating a new Instagram profile just so I could post my makeup looks and connect with more people and it’s the same profile I’ve had for about five years now.
I went through a rough patch early in my adult life where I basically stopped creating art, I didn’t do makeup anymore or film or post anything and it’s where I got diagnosed with general anxiety/panic disorder and depression… I struggled with it for years but I had never known what it was or why..it was a very confusing time in my life and I felt like I lost who I was and lost any motivation but after I actually got diagnosed and knew why I was feeling the way I felt I started looking for things that I felt would help me and I dove back into creative makeup and got introduced into body painting! I started using it as my therapy and it’s been my favorite way to cope with my anxiety disorder ever since. I started creating again and posting my makeup looks, body paints, and beauty/glam looks! My following started growing, I made lots of new online friends that I still haven’t met in person yet haha but I hope to one day. I started getting noticed by well-known beauty brands and started getting PR by brands that eventually led to a few sponsored posts and getting invited to special events held by these brands… I still can’t believe it when I get emailed by brands I truly admire that want to work with me, I feel forever grateful and blessed.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I’m diagnosed with general anxiety/ panic disorder and depression. For years before that I would always feel sick and I just didn’t know what was wrong with me and I didn’t feel like myself and it would add stress to my parents which in turn would stress me out even more watching them see me go through panic attacks and not know what was going on. I got diagnosed when I was around 22-24 years old I can’t really remember but at that time I was working and I was in a long serious relationship, it definitely took a toll on my relationship and my job, I had to take medical Leaves because I couldn’t deal with being around people and I would get anxiety attacks at work and I would just have to leave..eventually I got let go because of my constant absences and at the time mental health was just not really talked about or even excused.. come to think of it I believe it needs to talk about more and there needs to be more understanding of this very serious matter in the workplace but that’s a whole other subject.
Getting back to my relationship it caused a lot of stress between me and my partner of eight years and it eventually was part of the reason why we ended up separating amongst other things. I had lost my job, got into debt which caused my anxiety and depression to be at it’s worst and I just lost myself but I still had to put on a brave face for my family and for social media..during this time I stopped creating art once again, everything I would create or post just didn’t feel like myself or I absolutely hated it.. I am my very own worst critic when it comes to my art as I know most artists are. I also didn’t really put it out there for the world to know what I was going through because I like to keep personal things like this private so just doing this interview is very nerve wrecking but I also feel like it is necessary for healing.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I use my Instagram account (@makeup_mars) as my business. It is where I create, post and showcase my work, my art, it is also where I get my freelance makeup gigs from as well. I call myself a content creator because I create content such as beauty looks, tutorials, body paints, creative makeup and I sometimes dabble in fashion posts. I believe I am known mainly for my creative body paints and they are my favorite looks to create and they are what I am most proud of. I started out posting creative and body paint looks and then I slowly got into the whole makeup/beauty guru community. I believe what sets me apart is my talent and the content I post and create. I believe every artist has their own unique style and you’re able to distinguish and tell them apart by how they execute their looks.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have a few close people that definitely deserve all the credit in the world! First and foremost my mother, she is the most supportive most unselfish good hearted person I know, she has been there for me without judgment throughout everything I have gone through, whether it was my heartbreaks or my ongoing battle with anxiety/panic disorder and depression she has always tried her best to understand what I go through and give me the best advice she possibly can, she always tells me she is my biggest fan and how proud she is of me and the person I am becoming, I don’t know where I would be without her.
My older sister has always been there and supported me ever since I could remember, we definitely have grown closer as we’ve gotten older, she is also the most kindest supportive compassionate person I know, she has been letting me practice my makeup skills ever since I started with this whole thing and she was my first model and still lets me try out crazy ideas on her. A huge credit also goes out to my followers, I have been fortunate enough to have a very supportive positive community that have been kind and encouraging to me, I have even made friends with several of them and I am so thankful for them without them my account wouldn’t have grown the way it has and a lot of the experiences and opportunities I’ve had would have never happened.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeup_mars/
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
