Make-up has been integral to human expression for millenia. Whether it’s the spiritually-led, kohl-lined eyes of ancient Egypt and Babylon — to the pigments made of natural minerals that have accentuated the faces of people throughout history, make-up is a transformative and intimate artform. As Shakirah Sithole will share in this conversation, make-up is an accessible artistic practice in which one can work with a professional kit or experimenting with home style products, to extract fantasy and build characters that allow us all to dream, and to dare to exist beyond the confines of what society might prescribe to us.

Shakirah Sithole is a make-up and cosplay artist for whom fantasy and reality exist as part of her everyday life and with a portfolio that spans Uncles Waffles, Tyla, adidas and more, and armed with brushes and master-level techniques; Shakirah is as comfortable shooting for Vogue as she is hosting annual conversations at Comic Con. Between fashion and performance, make-up and community; Shakirah is wholly herself, no matter the character she transforms herself into. 

As Shakirah shares, make-up was a necessity — and gave her the first sense of confidence and self-expression that would come to write the rest of her story; “I started doing makeup at a really young age. I never used to have any eyebrows, and kids would bully me for it. That’s when I started filling them in— now, eyebrows are one of my strongest abilities, if I can say so myself.” It was around 13 or 14 years old that Shakriah received her first makeup palette, and although “it was just shades of brown, it became my whole world. During the holidays, it was just me, my palette, and my eyebrows against the world.”

Cosplay Selfies by Shakirah

As a self-taught make-up artist, Shakirah credits every face she’s ever worked on as her testing ground and site of learning — and that Joburg’s China Mall scene was instrumental in offering her the kinds of products that allowed her to dream. “I didn’t have Wi-Fi for tutorials, so I learned everything through experimenting. I’d practice on myself or my younger sister, and that’s how I built my skills. Then, I started getting into special effects and sometimes I’d make my own prosthetics with flour, Vaseline, and foundation. I didn’t have the proper tools, but I figured it out and kept experimenting.”

Shakirah was a high-achiever at school with a demanding schedule, and thought she went onto study law, Shakirah’s first and true love is make-up artistry. It always has been and always will be. “In between all the school programs, sports and academics I did, makeup was the most fun hobby I had. I’d spend hours experimenting with colors and creating new looks—it felt like I was painting on a canvas. In high school, I started contouring with concealers and brightening pigments. I didn’t fear experimenting. I just went for it. By 2019, I started doing makeup professionally. It began with family and friends, but soon I was taking on clients.”

As both muse and subject, Shakirah channels her passion for cosplay and anime into continual personal projects, that serve as her own self-expression and drive to continually push new ideas and techniques. “My first public cosplay was at an anime-themed thrift and picnic event in 2020,” she recalls. “I went as No Face from Spirited Away— using my hijab as the covering, with purple markings on my face. and I won ‘Best Outfit.’” As a proud Muslim creative, Shakirah notes that “what I like about cosplay is that it doesn’t have to be 100% accurate. You can interpret it in a way that’s comfortable for you, like using a hijab as hair or adapting a short skirt into something more modest. Especially in South Africa, we’ve managed to interpret cosplay in our own way. It’s a space where I don’t feel judged.”

I ask Shakirah what precisely it is about make-up that she adores, to which she shares that, to which she says that “makeup is so complex, and people don’t really recognise that. You use it both as an art form with your face as the canvas, and also to highlight the beauty of others. The one thing that excites me about makeup is the transformation. Being able to enhance someone’s natural beauty is my favorite thing and I mostly enjoy the clients who ask me for something that makes them still look like themselves. It’s actually the biggest challenge as a make-up artist.”

Shakirah’s long standing relationship with Comic Con has been instrumental for her path, “Comic-Con is such an eye-opener. Everyone is dressed up, and no one looks at you funny. It’s a place where people can properly be themselves,” and that “people would take eight months or even a year to make their outfits. I have never  left any place feeling more inspired than the first time I went.” Now a key voice in South Africa’s Comic-Con community, Shakirah leads conversation at the yearly event, dispelling any myths around resources and encouraging creativity in those who look up to Shakirah as a leading cosplayer and artist. “My usual topics at events are makeup and incorporating it into cosplay, cosplaying on a budget, and gaming everything I’m about,” Shakirah notes, “and I share how to start in your closet—if you don’t have something, go to your parents’ closet. You’d be surprised what you can put together.” 

Shakirah Sithole for Vogue Portugal, captured by @dickeranddane

For Shakirah, the pressures of studying law became overwhelming, forcing her to reevaluate her priorities and well-being. “By the end of 2023, I was in a bad place,” she shares candidly, “I felt so numb that even makeup didn’t make me happy. I decided to take a gap year in 2024 to focus on myself, and it’s been the best decision ever. 2024 has been such a great year. I discovered so much in 2023, but this year I’ve been pursuing it all—makeup, modeling, social media, everything I love.”  This year, Shakirah’s absolute highlight is the recently released, utterly magnificent Vogue Portugal editorial that she created in collaboration with one of South Africa’s most powerful sartorial duos, Dicker & Dane. Titled ‘The Muse’, the editorial is a love-letter between Ant, Armand and Shakirah on the veritable pursuit of self-expression — to be unabashedly and fully oneself. As Shakirah reflects, “I had full creative control—Ant and Armand said, ‘Do what you want.’ It was the best feeling ever. That shoot ended up on Vogue Portugal. I’ll never forget that day it dropped. My phone was going crazy all day! It wasn’t my first time on Vogue, but this time was so special because I was fully myself.”

With a skillset that is highly articulated and developed, and an insatiable curiosity for learning, community and realising her dreams — I ask Shakirah to share what she hopes her journey might mean for someone questioning their path or self-expression? Shakirah tells it precisely like it is; “never forget to be yourself. If I can’t be myself in a space, I’m not going. Life’s too short—just do what makes you happy. At the end of the day, it’s about you. You came to this earth alone, and you’ll leave it alone. Do what makes you happy, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Everything comes back—the money, the blessings. God will fill your cup, and what’s meant for you will always find you.” 

Written by: Holly Beaton

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