For makeup artist and beauty entrepreneur Camara AUnique, working with celebrity clients is just another part of her job. But it doesn’t cease to inspire her or the work she strives to do in the industry. It’s part of the reason she names her eyelash collaborations after the dynamic women in fashion, beauty, entertainment, and more, who continue to teach her lessons daily.
For her latest lash collaboration the beauty expert really wanted to honor a glamorous woman who tells all of our stories with grace. So naturally, she named her newest lash after her client, friend and Hollywood heavyweight, Ava DuVernay.
With the Ava lash now available, we caught up with Camara to get the tea on how she came to work with the director, how to apply false eyelashes like a pro, and what it’s like to have Ava DuVernay as an ally.
How did the Ava lash come about?
Ava had hit me up and said, ‘We’ve got to do something together with your lashes, where you could teach me how to apply them.’ But she’s in LA and I’m here. And then an article came out [about me] in ESSENCE, I sent it to her and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing, I got to help you. I have to help make you a mogul.’
And then the lash was born?
I named it after her and then we set up a meeting for me to do her makeup. We had 15 minutes to shoot this video because her schedule is insane. And we did the how-to video of me teaching her how to apply it. She didn’t think she would ever get it. But my technique on how to apply your lashes actually works, my technique is really good.
I understand her because I’m trash at applying falsies.
You have to take a handheld mirror and put it to your chest, and look down at it. And when you do that, you can see your lash line. Or to put [lashes] on in your bathroom, tilt your head up and then work your way from out and then tilt your head over to the inner corner. As long as you can see the lash line you get to play.
This is a glamorous lash, but Ava’s known to be very natural.
Not on the carpet. On the carpet her face is always beat, she’s always looking glamorous. She has a more natural makeup look that’s from light technique and very polished technique. But her eyes always look intense. Her eyes are always giving you that sultry beauty. And so I wanted the lash to speak to that. I wanted to go for more of a va-va-voom kind of lash with this one. This is one of my most glamorous lashes.
What is it about her personality that pairs so well with it?
Ava’s always present, even when she has 50 other things going on. And so I wanted to have a lash that spoke to someone just feeling present and just being in the room like ‘there’s a story about me that you should know and that’s why I’m wearing this.’
It sounds to me like she’s just genuinely a strong Black woman who is looking to help and empower other Black women.
She’s literally the definition of Black girl magic. She’s not just saying it just to say it. It’s actually like, ‘how can I help you, and how can I make this happen, and what do you need?’ And then she follows through. She’s a standup woman.