Could you give us an introduction to yourself?

My name is Fathima Shazna Ilham. Call me Shazna. I am a self-made MUA. My parents are from Sri Lanka and I was born in Switzerland. I am 24 years old now and working in a pharmaceutical chemical company. I got married at 18 when my mum got diagnosed with breast cancer. When I was 8, my parents had many surgeries because of kidney failure and some other illnesses. And one surgery of my mum failed. That changed her life completely. Her backbone was so damaged that she couldn't walk or run properly and slept on a wood board for 10 years. Unfortunately, two years later she passed away. My mum and I had the same interests. One was colours. I was one of the best students in the class for colouring/drawing. And I love to do makeup. That's why I love doing eyes because I can play with so many colours and be creative.

Since my mum passed away I understood how short life is. That's why I started practising my passion, because my entire childhood was taking care of my parents, and then a baby. At the same time, I wanted to represent my religion and my culture. That's why I wear a headscarf. I have a wonderful husband who supports me in this and a baby who replaced my mum's place. Of course, the pain of not having a mum is immense. But while doing my passion I forget all the pain around me

What are your beauty staples?

I have very thick eyebrows. I use Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Ebony to fill in the gaps. This is my all-time favourite brow product! A little goes a long way. I am still using one pot for almost 2 years now (every day). It’s creamy but it gives you a powder finish. 

Some other favourite beauty products are: Fenty beauty pro filter foundation in 310 (I am NC 42), Estee Lauder double wear foundation in Cashew, Tarte cosmetics shape tape concealer in medium, Sigma Beauty brushes are THE BEST, Beauty Blender gives you an even foundation application, Kat von D tattoo eyeliner, HudaBeauty lipliners and bronze sand highlighter

How would you describe your style?

Growing up in a strict religious family, showing much skin was not allowed. But to be honest, I feel so comfortable to not show much skin. I never wear sleeveless cloth or mini dresses, or V necks with cleavage. I rarely show my arms, so I figured out which fabric/material is suitable for long sleeves in hot summer. I mostly wear black and grey. Since my husband and friends are pushing me to wear more colours I am trying (hard) to wear all kind of colours and patches. I don’t have a specific style. But I love to wear loose and cosy clothes.

Were you always comfortable with your skin colour or did this change over time?

No. I hated my skin colour for years. And that’s because of most of the aunties around me. My mum and I were very soft-hearted people that we couldn’t talk back if someone hurts us. There was a time when everyone wanted to look fair as much as possible. They spent money on whitening creams, and I am one of them. I used many whitening creams when I was a youngster. Nothing worked. I compared my skin colour with movie heroines because they all were fair. When I got married to a fair husband I heard here and there those aunties’ talks that my husband doesn’t deserve such a dark skin wife. The value of a fair person was much higher than a dark person. It hurt me a lot. I had always doubt if I am good enough for my husband. When I had a baby they started to compare her skin colour with recent new-borns. This made me mad. I started to love my skin tone because of Instagram. Yes, because of social media! Because of influencers who started to love their skin tone and share it with others. This got me inspired. Everyone who loves their skin tone and share with the world to inspire others… BLESS THEM ALL!! I am sure in the future there will be no bullying because of skin colour and we all will have equal value.

By: Gayanthi Hapuarachchi .