The Power of Makeup

We all know the struggle of finding the right foundation or lipstick. Whether it’s to impress on a first date, to feel and look good when going out with our girlfriends, or to just boost our own self-confidence. What’s even harder to find, is a foundation that is going to last us all day.  Everybody wants to look and feel their best, and makeup definitely has the power to transform us, but typically these moments of transformation only last a few hours. 

Being a performing athlete for 18 years, I’m no stranger to foundations and eyeshadows. I remember my mum spending about 30 minutes applying my makeup for competitions when I was a kid. I was always mesmerized by the different colours, and couldn’t wait to put on makeup myself. What I didn’t realize at the time was how hard my mum was working to make me look great for my performances. She’d spend such a long time trying to make everything look right, to then just have most of her efforts disappear after 10 minutes because I would sweat all of my makeup off. My mum and I tried hard to find a foundation that was able to outlast my entire figure skating routine, but we were never able to find a product that fully satisfied us. I started to wonder if there was even such a thing as a perfect foundation or lipstick.

18 years later, I’m now writing this article (and sending my mum an email at the same time) to talk about this new makeup line I discovered, because ladies and gentlemen (for those of you who love makeup as much as I do), I think our prayers have been answered. 

Meet founder of BYDANILEA, Danielle Houston.

Danielle fell in love with makeup when she started her career as a competitive dancer, and decided to turn her passion into a career. Not too long ago she launched her first makeup line called STAGE.

“My passion for makeup and beauty definitely stems from my dance background. Being exposed to makeup at such a young age allowed me to play with makeup while I was younger and as I got older, understand the important role it plays in the performance industry and the missing link between makeup and performers. I also was given freedom with makeup on a daily basis and was allowed to wear makeup to school at a young age.” ~ Danielle Houston

While Danielle’s makeup line mainly focuses on providing quality makeup kits for stage performers, BYDANILEA brand is a high quality line of products that of course can be used by non-performers as well. Her stage kits include HD foundations, primers, star crystals, glitter adhesives and lashes (to name a few) that are designed to stay on all day while performers are breaking a sweat! However, Danielle also creates custom bridal kits that include lighter products, like bb creams, shadow palettes and lipsticks. They key for Danielle is to make sure that her products can last throughout the entire day of competitions, as well as ensuring that the ingredients of each product are of high quality. Thus, the entire line is hypo-allergenic, allergy tested, paraben free, fragrance free, non-comedogenic and cruelty free. The backbone of Danielle’s brand is that it is a customizable line and service based on the needs of a team. No kit looks the same and even within a team there may be multiple options based on age groups. It stands out in the beauty industry as it is a tailored makeup line specifically for performance teams. This means they offer a service that is unique and meets the needs of their clients. Along with this, they provide the tools to empower parents and performers to feel confident with their application techniques and to look and feel their best. This is achieved through their tailored makeup tutorials. They are currently the sole provider of tailored makeup solutions for performance teams in Canada. 

Along with Danielle’s amazing makeup line STAGE, she has a vibrant lip line called LIPS. Danielle has always been obsessed with lipstick. She felt that a single swipe of colour had the power to change her mood and self confidence. 

“My lipstick choice is, and always has been, a daily decision based on my outfit and mood. I never stick to one staple shade! One day I’ll be in a light pink and the next a popping purple or orange. With these lipstick change ups came the daily comments by friends and family wishing they could pull off that colour but unfortunately they can’t. LIPS is a line focused on empowering you to wear the lipstick shade you want to wear but think you can’t. Because guess what? You can.”~ Danielle Houston                           

Danielle’s goal is to empower her audience to feel confident in their makeup choices and to express their beauty creativity in their most authentic form. This means encouraging #unapologeticallybold beauties to wear the shades of lipstick they desire without feeling isolated or labelled, but rather beautiful, bold and unapologetic. Danielle believes that beauty is not gendered and focuses on encouraging all people, men and women alike, to celebrate their beauty their way. Her company also strives to breakdown the ‘skin tone’ barrier. They don’t believe that skin tone is a guide to choosing the perfect lipstick. It is the BYDANILEA philosophy that lipstick looks amazingly different across skin tones, and that choosing a lipstick is based on how we feel in it, not our preconceived notion of what colour should look good. LIPS is locally made in Toronto, Canada, and all products (just as her STAGE line) are fragrance free, paraben free and cruelty free. LIPS is also made with coconut oil and antioxidant vitamin E to provide the most hydrating product possible. 

While makeup can (and should) be exciting, it can also be the total opposite. Sometimes we find ourselves struggling with makeup, and other times we find ourselves rocking a certain look. But whatever your current makeup situation may be, remember that we are all unique and beautiful no matter what. Be beautiful. Be Bold. Be unapologetic.