“Say So” singer Doja Cat has always loved, as she calls it, doodling on her face that she is rarely seen in her au naturel, no makeup look. Of course, some have grown curious – that includes you (and us, too) – about what she looks like beneath the layers of cosmetic products she applies on her face.
Long Before She Was Doja
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Doja, who was born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini on October 21, 1995, in Los Angeles, California, came from a line of artists. Her grandmother and mother, whom she described as ‘full-on hippie from the ’60s,’ are both painters. Growing up with them inspired her not just to be creative but also to take control of her own style.
In a video with Vogue titled “Beauty Secrets,” Doja shared that she started her makeup journey at 13. She was a Pinterest girl but on the other end of the spectrum.
Instead of the pastels, florals, and everything nice, she was into the Tumblr E-girls, who loved to wear a lot of makeup. That is where she learned a lot of different makeup tricks.
At 14, she bought her first rainbow eye shadow palette from BH Cosmetics. “It was every color of the rainbow and more. I couldn’t do makeup, but I just kept on going; it was the one palette I could experiment and have fun with.”
She also experimented a lot with liners, and one of the first looks she tried was brown smoky eyes with black winged liners. There were times when her liner swallowed her whole lid and spiked upward toward her eyebrows.
Essentially, her perspective on makeup was that it was just like doodling. “I used to doodle and draw in school and that’s why I didn’t graduate, but it was one of my favorite pastimes. I really just look at it in that way: I draw on my own face.”
As she grew up, she also explored ’90s rockers’ styles and looked into adult film stars for inspiration.
From there, her makeup style also evolved. She went blue from go-to blacks for eyeliners and then dipped into more colors like reds, purples, and yellows. Doja confessed that she thought she looked cute when she first tried color.
Looking back at it, though, made her cringe. The thing was, despite it not looking the best, she felt beautiful. It was also when she started to learn more about her face.
Doja Cat On Her Style Today
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Doja still hasn’t quite figured out what her beauty aesthetic really is until now. Some days it’s 500 gallons of makeup splashed all over her face with ‘unpredictable, in-your-face rainbow colors’ and lots of intricate designs paired with long, thick lashes. Some days it’s just regular cat eyes and no lashes. But there are days when she just lets her stylists take over.
One thing is certain: her experimental, loud, and bold style earned her a place in the beauty industry. In fact, she has gone full circle after she collaborated with BH Cosmetics for her first-ever makeup collection.
The line featured her two signature items: the 36-pan eyeshadow palette and felt-tip eyeliner in green, white, and black. She also added tinted and clear lip balms and a set of 10 brushes in hot pink.
Doja Cat Without Makeup
— DOJA CAT (@DojaCat) June 16, 2022
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Doja Cat has a reputation for creating elaborate and impressive makeup looks. However, occasionally, she takes a day off from all the products and just bares it all.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, she uploaded a bare selfie, wearing a shower cap and looking unamused as she looked down. The caption said, “My face when I’m looking at Instagram comments.”
Even though no one should really expect anyone to look exactly like they are with makeup, especially with the level of style that Doja rocks, many were still surprised. Nevertheless, Doja was unbothered.
In June 2022, the singer shared a series of bare-faced photos of herself. This time, she made kissy poses and peace signs while wearing a hospital gown and dextrose. As the story went, she had undergone emergency tonsil surgery.
In a tweet, she said that the doctor cut her left tonsil because she had an abscess. It happened during her tour with The Weeknd and the festival season, so she had to recover from the post-surgery swelling and eventually cancel shows. But she assured fans she would be back to make music and create an experience for everyone.
Ultimately, even with no makeup, Doja Cat is still definitely serving looks.
