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“Hi!!! I’m Yuri (@yuritachi). Currently I’m based in Brooklyn, but I grew up in Kyoto, Japan and on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. And my family lives in Tokyo, so I am always going back and forth. I’m a multimedia artist, and to pay the bills I do a lot of different things—I freelance as a costume designer, stylist, photographer, and model, and also work at a concept store in Bed-Stuy called Sincerely Tommy. It’s half coffee shop and half clothing boutique, two of my favorite things. I like not having a job-mandated dress code or limits to exploring beauty: I went through an intense nail art phase, I had eyelash extensions for a year or so, and my hair length has ranged from down to my butt to up to my chin. I’d love to try dramatic feather eyelashes and also think ombré lashes should be a thing. There’s nothing I’d never try.

My skincare lineup is always changing, but I always have a toner, a serum and a lotion. Right now I’m using Aesop’s Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Toner, which I stole from my mom the last time I was in Tokyo. It’s anti-inflammatory and hydrating, and a good place to start for any age or skin type. But usually I just use rosewater from The Heritage Store—it’s affordable, hydrating, and smells good. I also like to mix it with my eyeshadows to increase their saturation.

After my toner, I use a hydrating serum wherever my skin feels the most dry and cover my face and neck in lotion to seal it all in. I’m using a Moisturizing and Balancing serum and lotion from a Japanese brand called N Organic— I like them because they’re both liquid and absorb quickly. Once the lotion dries, my skin feels really smooth. If I have any acne, I spot treat with Etude House’s AC Clean Up After Balm. It has niacinamide, salicylic acid, tea tree, madecassoside (the active component of cica) and sulfur—so basically, it does everything. And, not only does it treat acne, but it also leaves a protective film on your skin to prevent future inflammation. Because it’s a Korean product and kind of difficult to get my hands on, I also keep tea tree oil around as an alternative. And then I use sunscreen. I love Image’s Prevention sunscreen with SPF 30 because it doesn’t have that sunscreen smell—actually, it smells amazing.

I don’t use much base makeup—I like Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in Medium under my eyes and on my eyelids to serve as an eyeshadow primer. It has good coverage and comes with a sponge, so it’s nice for on-the-go. And then I either use Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blush in Blushing Bride or Colourpop’s Super Shock Highlighter in Wisp on my cheeks. People are always asking how long I spend on my makeup because it looks intense, but an impactful beauty look can be fast and simple. It's fun to play with different shapes and frames for your eyes—I use Scotch tape to get clean lines, and experiment with putting it in different places. Sometimes I stick it at a diagonal from the outer corner of my eye to the end of my eyebrow for a sleek cat eye look, or I’ll stick the tape on vertically so the shadow creates a square frame for my eyes. I paint some shadow on, peel the tape off, and have a cool look in five minutes.

My brows are currently bleached, so I use L'Oréal Voluminous Lash Conditioning Primer, which is basically white mascara, to highlight and define them. It also conceals any natural dark hairs that are growing in between bleach sessions. Sometimes I fill them in with pink eyeshadow or blush, if I want them to have a little color to match my hair. I have lots of eyeshadow palettes. BH Cosmetics’ Rio Palette comes with 35 shimmery colors—they also make a version with mattes. I love Juvia’s Place palettes, because they celebrate inclusive beauty. The palettes are specifically made with darker skin tones in mind, which means they’re extra pigmented. I have the Saharan eyeshadow palette from them, and I love it. Sugabee Cosmetics is another up-and-coming makeup brand I discovered on a shoot, and they make really unique colors.

I love experimenting with hair styles—I found an amazing salon called Mizu, and they have an apprenticeship program where you can get cuts, treatments, and color for a fraction of the price. And the apprentices have been training to be on the floor for years, so they know what they’re doing. I get my roots bleached and gloss applied there professionally (right now it’s pink gloss), but for upkeep, I use Overtone’s Coloring Conditioner at home. I just use it in the shower as my conditioner, so there’s no hassle and no mess. To keep my scalp hydrated, I like to mask with coconut and tea tree oils. I just mix them together, massage it into my scalp, put a shower cap on, eat some snacks, and 20 minutes later my hair is nice and moisturized.

The last time I visited Kyoto to see my family, my hair was blue. When I walked to my grandparents’ house, my grandpa, who is a traditional Japanese potter, was sitting and painting a tea bowl. He just looked up from his work and said, “That’s a nice shade of blue.” I appreciated that his comment was on the beauty of color, and not about the color on my hair or his personal ideas of beauty. It was the most artist-y thing he could have said, but I think it speaks to my beauty philosophy, too.”

—as told to ITG

Photos via the author