By Yvonne Marquez
Spotted in Lockhart, Texas, just outside of Austin, is an otherworldly being shopping at H-E-B. Jeannette Celine, known as Gayylien, is a non-binary, Xicanx femme makeup artist who seeks to transform themself into a “freak” using makeup and body paint. “I just want to be an art piece,” Gayylien, who uses they/them pronouns, says. “I want to be a freak. I want to challenge people’s notions of gender, sexuality, and normality. I have the ability to transform myself into anything that I want, and that’s power to me.”
Gayylien, a self-taught freelance makeup artist originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, is heavily involved in queer and trans art spaces in San Antonio and Austin. They recently launched a “Glam & Go” pop-up makeup station, where they aim to provide affordable and quick makeup looks to community members in Central Texas. At their station, they offer makeup, basic skincare, and face paint services. They also encourage clients to incorporate bright colors, rhinestones, and glitter into their makeup look.
Gayylien’s recently launched “Glam & Go” pop-up makeup station provides affordable and quick makeup looks to community members in Central Texas. Photo courtesy Gayylien.
Gayylien first began experimenting with makeup in college as a form of self-expression in 2014. At the time, however, Gayylien was in a toxic relationship with a partner who policed their femme identity and did not allow them to wear certain colors of lipstick or types of makeup. But when Gayylien ended the relationship, they began to find power in makeup. They wore colorful lip shades and started watching YouTube tutorials to learn how to manipulate cosmetic products. Makeup simultaneously boosted their self-esteem and helped them fully come into their queer identity.
It wasn’t until they graduated from college in 2017 that they really amped up their makeup game by playing with bright colors and creating more “bold” looks. Gayylien explains that their makeup journey began with purple lipstick as a subtle form of nonconformity. Now, however, they describe their makeup as “full on alien.” They’ve also expanded to using body paint, decorating their face with different colors, textures, and shapes to try and look as “otherworldly as possible.”
Their name, Gayylien, came to them naturally, they say. They’ve always felt misunderstood as a non-binary femme, so the name helps them to feel less gendered. “I’ve always felt different and connected to space and connected to the moon and the stars and the land,” Gayylien says. “And I mean, that also ties into my connection to my indigeneity and I’ve had an awareness of that from a very young age.”
For Gayylien, makeup isn’t just an artistic medium—it has helped them to survive depression and anxiety. Makeup provides Gayylien with an avenue to just sit down and create something for themself. “At first, it was like putting a mask on and kind of faking it,” they say. “But now it’s like, okay, this is who I am. It’s really helped over the years of really working on myself. It’s really helped me get to a better place than where I have been in the past.”
Gayylien draws their inspiration from their emotions, what’s going on in the world, and from fellow queer creatives, femmes, and women of color on Instagram. Their favorites include @raisaflowers, @danessa_myricks, @landoncider, and “anyone who’s down to look like a freak.” They’re also inspired by The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, a TV drag competition that features dark themes and creepy looks.
In addition to makeup and body painting, Gayylien has ventured into the performance realm, both drag and playing the flute in front of audiences. “I’ve always been a creative and very artistic,” they share. “I’m an Aquarius with a million Pisces placements. So Aquarius and Pisces, those are both creative, imaginative—like, I’m basically living on another planet at all times.”
Gayylien encourages their clients to incorporate bright colors, rhinestones, and glitter into their makeup looks. Photo courtesy Gayylien.
Community support has been integral to Gayylien’s growth in their makeup artistry and performance art. Gayylien is part of a queer artist collective called the Plastik Factory, which has consistently encouraged them to embrace being on stage. Plus, their partner, Veronica Villegas, is a professional photographer who captures their makeup creations.
By the end of the year, Gayylien hopes to sustain themself financially as a full-time freelance makeup artist. In many ways, though, Gayylien says they’re already living the dream—collaborating with artists and musicians they love and working on fashion photoshoots. “The amount of growth that I’m going through right now, it’s not always pretty,” they say. “Growth is not beautiful. It’s growing pain and it just hurts. But at the end of the day, you’re changing and learning, so that’s really great.”
Keep up with Gayylien’s out-of-this-world makeup looks on Instagram.
