Live Your Look: Vanessa

At Milk Makeup, we believe it’s not just how you create your look; it’s what you do in it that matters. That’s what our motto Live Your Look is all about. It means forgetting the rules. Having the freedom to show up as you every day, whether that’s with graphic liner or a glossed lip. Being seen and celebrated for living your truth. And there's no better way for us to show what that looks like than passing the mic to our Milk Fam.

In this series, we're opening it up to our community to share their inspirations, self-expression, beauty routines, 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're getting to know Vanessa, who starred in our summer beauty campaign. Find out a little bit more about the model, boba lover, and "evolved Pisces."

Before she was a model, Vanessa was positive she was going to be a makeup influencer. It was in her upbringing: first watching her mom do her makeup and then witnessing her sister become the full-fledged family “queen bee of makeup.” Her fascination with beauty morphed into a full-glam style: dramatic eye looks, full lash strips, and impeccable brows. Then, she embarked on her modeling career and started playing with a more pared-down aesthetic for the first time. Naturally, it freaked her out.

“I was starting to identify with my face with makeup on, like a full face,” she says. “It’s really cool to identify yourself with makeup in that way, but I also feel like it made me a little insecure about my natural face, which is definitely what you don’t want.” As her beauty style evolved, she learned to get comfortable with this other side of herself, too. “It’s honestly made me feel a lot more confident without any makeup on,” she says. Another bonus: It’s made her morning routine significantly faster.

That journey mirrors another important aspect of her life: her astrological evolution. A self-described “evolved Pisces,” Vanessa recognizes a lot of growth in her story. As a child, she remembers bursting into tears whenever someone looked her way. These days, her emotions are still very much a part of who she is, but their intensity has chilled out.

“There’s power in emotion, but there’s also power in controlling your vulnerability and who gets to see that vulnerability,” she says. It’s a lesson that easily applies to her beauty evolution, too.

Below, get to know Vanessa’s thoughts on skincare essentials, standing strong in herself, and beauty lessons everyone should know.

What’s your daily relationship with beauty?

I wanted to be a makeup influencer. I’ve always liked makeup; it’s been such a huge part of my family. My mom loved makeup, and I loved watching her do her makeup. Then it transitioned into my sister doing her makeup—she’s like the queen bee of makeup in my family. She was just amazing, she’s still so good at it. She’s not an influencer, but she totally could have been. I know that if she would have focused on it, she would have been an incredible makeup artist, influencer, all of it. She decided to do something else, but she was my inspiration for sure. So yeah, when I first started doing makeup, I went for it: full eye, a full lash strip, the eyebrow. I was contouring before it was a thing.

You were the original Euphoria teen.

I truly was in my high school. Once I started modeling, I realized I needed to tone it down a bit. The natural look is more popular in modeling and to be honest, it kind of freaked me out. I think I was becoming very dependent on makeup; I was starting to identify with my face with makeup on, like a full face. It’s really cool to identify yourself with makeup in that way, but I also feel like it made me a little insecure about my natural face, which is definitely what you don’t want.

So then I really switched my style and grew to love it. It’s honestly made me feel a lot more confident without any makeup on. Skin focused, just bringing out my natural beauty and those subtle details: making sure my skin looks really smooth and glowy and hydrated with a nice flush of color. That’s kind of how my style is now, and I love it. It’s also faster!

You starred in our summer beauty shoot! Which product stood out to you?

KUSH Mascara. It looks really good. It feels good. I haven’t seen any flaking, so I love that. You don’t want a flaky mess under your eye.

What does your beauty routine look like now? What are the essential products?

I make sure I have a really good sunscreen that has something to make my skin look fresh and glowy. Then I curl my lashes, do a little brow gel or something. And a cheek. I feel great, I feel gorgeous. It’s just the simple things.

What’s your favorite hobby?

I like to be with my friends—we do this hiking trail that’s really close to my apartment. We go hiking and try new food. We’re obsessed with boba.

What’s your star sign?

I’m a Pisces but you know what? I feel like I’m an evolved Pisces. There’s a lot of growth in my story. I was such a crybaby as a child; you’d just look at me, and I would cry. I’ve outgrown that. Still emotional, but definitely chilled out.

There’s power in emotion, but there’s also power in controlling your vulnerability and who gets to see that vulnerability at times. I learned not to take some things too personally. It’s ok if someone makes you feel bad to call them out on it, but it shouldn’t make you think of yourself differently. That’s what I had to learn.