Katrina Liza doesn’t have to speak to express herself. Her bold makeup, neon outfits and colorful hairstyles do the talking. The makeup artist can transform her style to match her moods, going from glamorous to edgy.
Today, she’s wearing a black graphic T-shirt and high-waisted jeans—taken up a notch by her makeup: mesmerizing blue eye shadow, sparkling highlighter on her cheekbones and a peach-colored lip paint. Her flawless face looks straight out of a makeup ad, but for Liza this is just a casual look.
Before diving into the influencer world in 2016, Liza was an established freelance makeup artist. She’s done makeup for magazines—including 225, where she even helped primp the social starsfor this shoot. She was a lead makeup artist at New York Fashion Week in 2015 and 2016 and also did weddings.
Today, her focus is Instagram, where she is known as “The Makeup Doll.” Her posts aren’t a hobby—they’re a lifestyle. She shares photos representing national brands like Fashion Nova, Fenty Beauty, NYX Cosmetics and Covergirl. Her feed is a mix of macro lip photos and street style shots.
She works mostly from home so she can make a living while still being involved in her 7-year-old daughter’s life. “It’s not always easy,” Liza says. “But at the end of the day, I have a job that wasn’t around five years ago. The options are truly endless.”
Hat, stud earrings, blazer, top, pants and shoes Stylist’s and model’s own
How often do you create new social media content? I typically try to do it in spurts. Me and my friend Jamie might go around town one day and take photos of four or five outfits, and that’ll get me through a week or two. The same thing with makeup looks. I might start out with a nude, chill look and then I can go right over that (instead of washing my face) and do a bold, dark, crazy look. It’s about working smarter, not harder.
How do you get paid as an influencer? For the most part, the brands have a really specific idea or way that they want their products portrayed. Together, the brand and I decide on what looks will work best and result in the most engagement on my page. I do a lot of lip swatches and outfit photo shoots. I create makeup videos, looks with new products and fun Instagram stories.
What are some of the challenges that come with being an influencer? Time management, for sure. When you’re talking about high dollar amounts, it can be stressful. It’s a lot of pressure to want to nail it and please these big brands who you’ve dreamt of working with.
What is one of your favorite parts about being an influencer? The support I got from the plus-sized community made me feel so much more confident in my body. I’m not a size 2, and I’ve never been. But just because I’m fat doesn’t mean I don’t want to be fly. It builds confidence for me and my followers when I get in front of the camera —which has been really empowering.
What do you hope to accomplish as an influencer? I hope that I can be somebody that people look up to, while still remaining approachable and influencing for the good. I want my page and my outlets to be composed of things that make others happy and inspired.
Click here to read more from our Social Stars cover story.
This article was originally published in the April 2019 issue of 225 Magazine.
