We had the opportunity to chat with one of our favorite makeup artists, Sammie Kolk, about her clean beauty journey, the importance of balance and how to look polished and presentable in less than ten minutes!
Keep scrolling for her incredible wisdom.
What attracted you to becoming a makeup artist?
I always had an affinity to makeup, skincare...beauty in general. I'm pretty sure there's a home video of me in the kitchen playing with my "faux" toy lipstick. I LOVED watching my mum apply her makeup, seeing her transform before me. I loved seeing not only the physical transformation, but the transformation of a person's confidence when applying their favourite lipstick or achieving that perfect cat-eye! I watched countless beauty makeover shows, Youtube MUA's (Lisa Edlridge is one of my biggest influences) and I slowly ended up gravitating more and more toward makeup artistry! It honestly was such an organic process!
Have you always been passionate about clean or green beauty? Can you share your clean beauty journey?
Actually, no, I wasn't always this ingredient aware. However, my whole life, I had countless allergies and sensitivities to food and other products (beauty, skincare, hair etc). It seems like a recurring theme in the green beauty world, but I had a health scare and was all of a sudden so aware of what I was applying on my body. (Let alone ingesting!) I started using more natural skincare products and got rid of artificial and synthetic fragrance (I'm so sensitive to it, throughout my whole life) and eventually, decided it was time to clean up my act with makeup! As I often share, bio-individuality is everything. Everyone's different and has a unique "journey". No one should ever feel ashamed about their progress or on what products they're using vs. which they should or shouldn't use. BABY STEPS, always. Do what's best for you and make your own well-informed decision. Life's too short to stress it all, plus, that's actually worse on our health!
We love how simple and effortless your looks are, but how would you define your beauty philosophy?
Thank you! I'm honestly all about that effortless, no makeup makeup. My philosophy is that you can rock any makeup look with confidence...also feeling like your best self is important. Don't wear a look just cus it's "IN", wear what you feel comfortable in, your confidence will shine through! ALSO, for me, skin is the primary focus...always. Your (very important) canvas! If your skin is healthy (drinking your water, taking your vitamins, eating your greens, etc) then it sets up your makeup to be easy peasy effortless! I love a real skin, I love to see the natural texture. Personally I'm not a fan of covering up every last bit of my face. I spot conceal and sometimes use foundation as spot coverage! No need to cover your whole face if you have incredible skin - even when I'm broken out (cus that does happen), I cover what I need to and leave the good areas lighter coverage or just spot concealed! You can have the most glam eye makeup and red lip, and if your skin is glowing and luminous, you're going to look balanced and naturally effortless!
Source: https://www.instagram.com/hullosam/
Most of our readers only have a few minutes to get ready. Where do you start when you have little to no time to spend on a beauty routine?
I never skip washing my face with lukewarm water in the morning, I don't cleanse most mornings in the cooler months because I'm combo leaning dry in certain areas and feel like it might strip my skin a bit. (Again, this is per my aesthetician who knows my skin and my personal experience with this - always do what's best for your skin!) I quickly apply a face mist, serum (if needed), face moisturiser and then go in with spot concealing, under eye concealing (always) and a good lash curl. I sometimes don't even do mascara if I get a good curl!! I brush my brows up and if they need a tad filling in, I'll do that with a brow gel. Sometimes I'll add a cream cheek colour and then maybe I do a nice lip balm or gloss! Takes me 5-10 minutes for all of this! You could do more of course, but this is moreso for my "no makeup makeup" days! Polished and presentable.
You love playing with color. Do you have any tips for someone who’s curious to mix things up, but hasn’t yet made the move?
Start off with a lip colour, it can easily be sheered down, you can use it as a blush...you can even mix a bit of concealer with it to tone it down. If you're wanting to experiment with colour and really make the leap -- sit down in front of a mirror and play around. Test out different shades and see what you like or don't like! It's just makeup at the end of the day, it comes off! Have fun and don't sweat it if you're just like wow, I'm not a colour person, you don't need to be! :)
You seem to take a well-rounded approach to beauty that is more than skincare and makeup. How important is taking care of your mind and body?
I am very intentional with overall health and wellness. This is so important to me! Eating nourishing foods, taking your supplements and wellness tinctures, finding a ritual that allows you to slow down and breathe, getting a massage or facial every now and then, having that antioxidant-filled matcha latte (haha)... When you're taking care of your mind and body, it truly shows in your countenance! Felt fancy using that word...but basically it shows in your face and overall spirit/energy you give off!
Source: https://www.instagram.com/hullosam/
Last question, do you have any rituals that have helped you find balance?
I love a good Gua Sha routine, as well as stepping or sitting outside (in the warmer months) for a few minutes of grounding and Vitamin D! A facial every couple of months is also a big bonus if I can fit it in!
For amazing makeup inspo and all-around great content, make sure to follow Sammie on Instagram.
