Welcome to the Milk Fam Diaries. At Milk Makeup, we believe it's not just about how you create your look; it's what you do in it that matters. We see your creativity on our feeds and hear your support in our comments daily, but we wanted to dream up an interactive way to share a few more pages from your stories. That’s how this series was born. In these diaries, we’ve created a space to have candid conversations with our community on inspiration starters, self-expression, favorite products, and so much more. Get to know the faces behind our campaigns who are as inspiring off camera as they are on. This week, we talk to Aba, an artist from Virginia who wants to travel to another dimension.
Meet Aba, who was recently featured in our Bionic Fam campaign. A multi-talented artist who hails from Virginia, she loves it when anyone brings up that Timbaland and Missy Elliot also happen to be from the same place. With a schedule that keeps her perpetually busy (she currently travels back and forth between NY and Virginia), she manages to balance her modeling and copywriting work with free time dedicated to painting.
“I feel like I do embody being a Virgo in a lot of ways internally,” she says of her tendency to fill her time to the maximum. “But a lot of people say I give them Leo vibes. Leo is my rising sign, and my moon is in Sagittarius. So it’s just chaos.” Her chaotic astrological placement contrasts with her grounded approach to beauty standards, which she brushes aside in favor of seeing herself as a part of nature. “I think it’s better to feel more like a natural part of the earth,” she says. Read on for her meditations on dimensional travel and evolving beyond insecurities.
How would you describe your personal style?
It’s always changing, it’s definitely based on my mood. My style is very free. Leans toward boho, I would say.
What’s your relationship to makeup?
I grew up wanting to wear a lot of makeup and wanting to know how to do it. But my mom was not into it at all—I think I’ve seen her wear makeup about four times in my entire life. I took that want to paint my own face and turned it into, I can just paint faces. Now, it helps me understand more about my own features and how to highlight things, bring things out, or cover things up.
 |
What are your go-to skincare products?Actually, sunscreen. I spent so many years playing around, acting like this is not the only skin I’ve got. I actually got this new one called Black Girl Sunscreen. I love it because it’s so thick and rich and moisturizing. What are some of your hobbies?I love to paint, I’ve been painting a lot lately. I’ve been doing a lot of acrylic just because it’s got a faster drying time. But I want to learn oils. That’s my goal—to learn oil painting. If you had a one-way ticket to anywhere, where would you go?It would be really cool to travel to an alternate dimension, to be able to see myself as me, but also as someone else. You know when you make those decisions that could change the course of your life? I would love to be on the other side, to go the other way. See what that would be like. What would your superpower be if you could choose one?I’ve thought about this a lot, and it’s a tie between invisibility and being able to teleport. |
What are you listening to or watching that has been inspiring you lately?I’ve been listening to a lot of Doja Cat lately. She’s a true lyricist, and I think that she’s also super theatrical—that “Mooo!” song is hilarious. It pumps me up; it gets me feeling good. Some women musicians make music that’s empowering but only because it’s like, “men aren’t sh*t.” And I don’t need that to be pumped, I just need to know that I’m a bad b*tch. Can you talk a bit more about what you like about the feeling of the Bionic Blush?I’m definitely a cream blush girl, and Bionic Blush felt so rich and moisturizing. It felt like it was adding to the moisture in my skin rather than just sitting there. I love the way it’s pigmented because I can layer it to get more of an intense effect or have it be more subtle. I especially love the berry shade, Beyond. How do you personally #LiveYourLook?It took me so long to love—or even like—the way I look. I got made fun of a lot for my dark skin, having a gap, and being so different. I tried so hard to be the opposite of who I was. Now I try to be as authentically myself as I can, whether I like it or not. If I wake up in the morning and I’m not feeling my “skin suit” that day, I’ll still try to bring myself to a place where I’m beautiful because I’m a part of nature and not because I’m human. Right? I would rather look like a leaf than try to look like the beauty standard, whatever that is. I think it’s better to feel more like a natural part of the earth. |
 |
Follow Aba on Instagram @abamfraseewur.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
"
