Kristen Leanne scores first influencer collaboration with Urban Decay
YouTuber Kristen Leanne brings her bold, bright look to edgy cosmetics brand
For US make-up vlogger Kristen Leanne, her tie-up with Urban Decay is a dream come true.
The 29-year-old heavily-inked beauty influencer with the mermaid hair is best known for her love for bright colours, glitter, tattoos and her larger-than-life personality.
She has over 800,000 followers on Instagram and over 500,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel since posting her first make-up tutorial back in 2014.
The Urban Decay x Kristen Leanne collection is the edgy US cosmetics brand's first-ever collaboration with an influencer, making the gig even more special for her.
Leanne, who was in town last week to launch the range at Sephora stores, told The New Paper: "If I was a brand, I'd be Urban Decay."
It all started a few years ago, when she attended the launch of Urban Decay's collection with US pop star Gwen Stefani and "hit it off" with its founder Wende Zomnir.
Leanne, who also has a successful hair colour line Arctic Fox, was soon approached to craft her own range, which consists of two eyeshadow palettes, a highlighter palette and three matte lipsticks.
HUES
She is known for her bold, eye-popping looks and her influence can be seen in her collection.
"What I wanted was colour. I picked all the shades and how I narrowed the hues down was (to choose) just what I like and I'll use," she said.
The sparkly blues, purples and a bright swathe of green can be daunting for less experimental make-up fans, but Leanne has tips for introducing colour to your regimen.
She said: "Because picking several colours and blending can get complicated, I find that just picking one colour and putting it on your lower lash line is quite a foolproof way to experiment with colour.
"It's really easy to apply and it's a great way to find out whether you like that colour and if it works for you."
For women in Singapore who struggle to keep their carefully applied make-up intact in the humidity, Leanne suggests doing the full works using products that control oil.
She said: "I make sure that I start with a clean face before I put on make-up and then follow it up with an oil-free moisturiser.
"Then a good primer for my face and eyes before my foundation and eyeshadow.
"When I'm done, I set my make-up with setting spray and setting powder."
Leanne is also an animal lover who only uses cruelty-free cosmetics and recommends following the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals list of cruelty-free brands for those who want to start eliminating animal-testing in products they use.
Ultimately, she hopes her Urban Decay collection will encourage more people to feel free to be who they are, which is in line with her own philosophy.
She said: "I wanted all the colours of the rainbow because that's who I am. I want people to express themselves."
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