As a female founded brand, BELLA's mission is to celebrate our female trailblazers to empower and inspire you along your journey. That’s why we’ve started our Monday Muse series. Each Monday, to start your week on a high, we will highlight one woman who’s paving the way in their own field and in life. Here, they’ll answer questions on everything, from how they started out to challenges and highlights, plus beauty advice they think everyone should know, along with their favourite top trick. What's better is that you can ask them anything via the comment section below!
This week: Mona Leanne, fashion and celebrity Makeup Artist and the Founder of The Makeup Monster
Who are you, what do you do?
My name is Mona Leanne, I am a fashion and celebrity Makeup Artist and the Founder of The Makeup Monster.
Show us your best beauty hack?
I love to use my skincare, either a shiny moisturiser or an oil and tap it on all the high points of the face for the healthiest skin glow.
What is your go to make up look?
A graphic liner all day, every day - I can't grow out of it!
What has been your biggest challenge in your career?
Dealing with rejection! It's a tough element of the industry but the more it happens, the better you get at handling it, so I always try to put that positive spin on it.
What has been the highlight of your journey?
Launching my platform - The Makeup Monster. Sharing my knowledge with other Makeup Artists truly brings me the most amount of joy.
Being an MUA can be very intense, how do you unwind and keep balance?
I love watching makeup videos on YouTube, particularly - it's a productive wind down haha, i learn and wind down. I've also started teaching myself how to do my own nail extensions which is a fun self care ritual I do with myself. Other than that I love a magnesium bath in the evening and a good 8 hour sleep!
What is your daily motto?
I don't really live by motto's but I try to practice gratitude every day and always strive to put my best foot forward.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
Probably my partner, he inspires me to think outside the box in a way that I naturally wouldn't myself which brings out a side of me i really love and that's resulted in some of my proudest achievements.
What is beauty to you?
Beauty to me is loving the skin that you're in and embracing the parts that make you uniquely you. It's easier said than done but to me there's nothing more beautiful than that!
What advice would you give to yourself if you were starting all over again?
Great question!! Probably that a career in makeup truly takes time to build and that you have to fall in love with the process of building it rather than be fixated on where you want and think you 'should' be.
What’s something that people would be surprised to know about you?
That I am half Egyptian, I always get asked my ethnicity but no one ever guesses Egyptian.
You can invite any 3 people to dinner, who has made the guestlist and why?
They're all going to be Makeup Artist's because my ideal dinner is one where that is the topic of discussion because I am a makeup nerd. Raven the drag queen, Erin Parsons and Nikkie Tutorials - all very different Makeup Artists but all flawless at their craft and artists whose careers i admire in different sectors of the industry.
Tell us about your platform, Makeup Monster.
It was actually a lock down project that started as a way to teach and keep Makeup Artists inspired over that difficult time!
Fast forward 2 and a half years later there's over 100 pre-recorded tutorials, masterclasses and videos inside the membership. I cover everything from teaching practical and creative makeup techniques, share industry knowledge that can help artists elevate their career progress and I also give lessons on how to maintain a healthy mindset through all the obstacles that a makeup career can throw at you!
I love it so much, I have built an incredible community there and have members that tune in from all over the world. I upload a new piece of content each week so it keeps getting bigger and bigger - I have big plans for it in the future!
