Psychology student Dawn Elrhorba has been making waves in the makeup community this semester, taking on several students and community members as clients. Her culturally diverse past has cultivated a strong young woman with the power to make anyone who graces her chair feel beautiful. 

Elrhorba has been artistically inclined since she was a child, drawing from the many creatives in her life. Her mother has always been big into the art scene, and both her uncles made careers in the field. The spark for her joy in makeup came specifically from her mother.

“My mom would watch makeup tutorials,” Elrhorba said. “Since my mom was the primary person who raised me as a kid, she would just let me watch them and didn’t really think anything of it. Then I was like ‘oh wait, this looks fun,’ and then I would play with my mom’s makeup as a kid.” 

As a transgender Moroccan woman, Elrhorba’s interest in the stereotypically feminine art practice did not go unchallenged. She found unlikely methods to accumulate mediums for honing her skill. As a painter, as well, she has garnered a greater understanding of color theory and how to work with the many different undertones in a person’s skin tone. 

“8th grade is when I started taking it really seriously,” Elrhorba shared. “I used acrylic paint as eyeliner and as makeup because that’s what I had. I didn’t really have access to cosmetics as a kid because my parents were really religious and really strict, so I had my outlet, which was my art supplies. I would take the chalk pastels, and I would grind them up into a powder and use them as eyeshadow.” 

Disclaimer: While the use of art supplies had no lasting or negative effects on Elrhorba’s skin, one should refrain from copying her early methods. 

Elrhorba’s now vast and impressive makeup collection didn’t take shape until her senior year of high school, when a friend was kind enough to share some products. 

“Senior year, Liz [Garcia] gave me a bunch of travel-sized makeup that her sister didn’t use anymore, and then I came to Oakland, and I was like, ‘you know, I’m not in my parents house anymore, and I have my own money. I can go and get stuff,’ and gradually my makeup collection grew.” Elrhorba is now a senior and shared that her current collection is worth around $4875. 

Nowadays, Elrhorba draws inspiration from the people around her and from her culture, both as a black, Moroccan woman and as a transgender woman. She cites her art as a love letter to women of color. 

Elrhorba is a psychology major, and said she would love to make a career out of her passion for makeup and making people feel beautiful. When asked what she would tell a potential client, she raved about her cleanliness and focus on her clients as her priority. 

“Clients can expect cleanliness,” Elrhorba asserted. “I will never put a dirty makeup product on your face. Know that I sanitize everything. I make cleanliness one of my top priorities.”

Her focus on cleanliness can be drawn directly from her Moroccan heritage. The country produces a number of different products designed for hygiene and highlighting natural beauty. 

“Morocco is known for self-care,” Elrhorba said. “I guess you could say that we kind of originated the ‘everything shower’ because in Morocco, we are known for our public hamams. We’ll bring blue nila powder, which is basically indigo powder, but it’s used for brightening the skin and evening skin tone.”

She also spoke at length about Aker Fassi, a skin stain made from pomegranate seeds and poppy petals, which is stored on a small terracotta pot. The stain is meant to create the visual effect of a natural and consistent blush and has been gaining popularity on the western side of the world as well. 

Much of the technique that goes into modern makeup application can be credited directly to queer culture, namely black transgender women and drag queens. The rich history surrounding these minorities has rooted itself deeply within the makeup community. 

“There’s a lot of techniques and makeup that were popularized by trans women,” Elrhorba emphasized. “Like contouring, you wouldn’t have contouring without trans women or drag queens. You wouldn’t have proper blush placement or know how to do your eyebrows.”

“There was a cross-dressing law,” Elrhorba mentioned. “If you go outside, you have to be wearing at least three articles of clothing that were specifically made for the gender you were assigned at birth. Trans women had to work a little extra to feminize their faces to go outside and be passable. I have a love for my queer history, too.” 

Elrhorba is currently taking new clients at a price ranging from $45 to over $100, depending on the complexity of the look. She prides herself on having the skill to accomplish any look a client might want, from natural-looking, soft-glam to bold, colorful looks one might lovingly call ‘man-repellent.’ The bold looks are her favorites.

“When you are in my chair, you are my priority,” Elrhorba stated. “If you don’t like something, we will sit there, and we will fix it until you like it.”

Each look is handled with care, and clients are sure to leave happy and gorgeous regardless of the look they choose. 

Potential clients should know that Elrhorba has a zero-tolerance policy for hate and maintains the right to turn away clients who actively disrespect the beliefs that she stands for. 

Thus far, every client and model has left with absolute satisfaction, both in their selected look and in the pampering provided by Elrhorba. People gush over her kindness, skill set and wittiness in conversation. Getting makeup done by another can feel a lot like the notoriously chatty nature of going to a hair salon. None can attest better than that of Garcia, a fellow Oakland University student.

“As a long-term friend of Dawn’s, I love seeing her grow,” Garcia shared. “Her growth from high school to now, not only with her art, but her as a person, she’s just the best person on Earth.”

To see more of Elrhorba’s work and to follow along on her makeup journey, follow her on TikTok and Instagram @face.on_until.dawn.