Shooting For the Stars: The Legacy of Alijah Storm Cosmetics
12 questions with the owner himself and the inspiration of creativity in the shoot
Written by Savannah Bryant
Photos by Hailey Lesue
Models: Jessica Campbell, Colby Allen, and Sofia Debbaut
With a discovery of a love for cosmetics that led to research and innovation, Alijah Storm created a makeup line to inspire creativity in everyone. On March 8, 2019, the colorful brand released their first post on instagram which followed up with the launch of the brand's first palette release, ICONIC. The brand has since then expanded their line to face makeup, eye shadows, lip products, and even a skin care line. The brand seeks to make effective and ethical products available in the market with a concept behind a cruelty free makeup brand and believing everyone is perfect.
Alijah Storm has been working in the cosmetics industry for a while now and has been very passionate about cosmetological research to bring forth items his consumers will love.
The brand has a huge focus on the support of the LGBTQ Community and its approach to market to everyone. When looking into the beauty industry as a whole, it has made great strides in recent years to be more inclusive. These efforts are set apart in this company due to a lack in the industry's consistency of only featuring celebrities and influncers identifying as LGBTQ. Those who seek out beauty products want to see small business owners and their models show a representation of people who they can relate to.
When browsing the website, one can find gender-neutral products that address biological or cosmetic needs/desires irrespective of their race, gender or orientation. The brand expands their definition of inclusivity. The packaging and advertisements aren’t associated with traditional gender stereotypes. The pallets were created to tell a story while the rest of his line has a sleek and fresh look with a focus on the product itself.
The big picture anyone can take away from this cosmetic line is to encourage everyone to follow their own beauty dreams, not how society views it. At Alijah Storm Cosmetics, they are inspired but not driven by trends in the industry. They create high-quality products that bring out the artist in everyone.
Where are you from and where do you see yourself living in the future? Do you plan on staying local or moving elsewhere?
I am from Billings Missouri, which is a small town with only one stop light. I honestly don't know, I have been contemplating moving to Arizona or Dallas Texas.
How did you personally discover a love for makeup and cosmetics?
I was living with one of my closest friends at the time. She owned so much makeup it was honestly an insane amount. One day I just started to play with her makeup and had decided to do YouTube tutorials putting makeup on my friends. I always wanted to own a business. Then I started researching how makeup is created... Then one day I just got the thought that I want my own brand. I told all my friends half of them believed in me then the other half honestly laughed.
What are some of your favorite character traits that could be used to describe yourself?
I would say stubborn, but like in a good way. If my mind is set on something then I am so stubborn that I will follow the plan completely through. I guess determination would be a better one to use.
How did Alijah Storm Cosmetics start and what motivated you to create your next product line?
I had a friend who started her own cosmetic line and she kinda showed me a lot. I also did so much research and you have to come up with a good formula on your own. I always wanted something more for myself and being a manager at Starbucks for so long I knew I could run my own business. I started the company with all of my own money and in the beginning I sold Pop Sockets and then moved on to my first palette. But what motivated me would be seeing what people create with beauty products. It can make anyone feel confident in their own skin. So if I could do that for other people one day (when my brand is bigger) and give them a platform to use would be amazing.
Do you have your own personal favorites among your products?
I think the eyeshadow palettes I create are my favorite. You get to come up with an entire concept, design, layout. But creating the theme for them would also be one of my favorite things I get to do. It honestly is just so fun for me it doesn't even seem like a job.
Can you share with us some of the things you take into consideration when creating new products?
One of the biggest things to take into consideration is if the formula is good or bad. You do not want to push something that just isn't good quality because that will set the mood for your entire brand.
What makes your brand stand out from others?
This is a hard question. I think my brand stands out by the formula in our products that we create. The countless messages of "I was scared to try your brand because it's new. But I was so glad to try it because of the payoff of these shadows." I have gotten this message so many times from friends to strangers across the world.
Will there be new product launches from Alijah Storm Cosmetics that we should look forward to?
Yes I plan to do a big launch in June for pride month.
What is your proudest moment throughout the process of this brand?
I think the proudest moment would be that I got to donate makeup to a movie with Adam Sandler and also to a LA fashion show in 2019. I even had tickets to go to the fashion show and I could bring a plus one but the dates conflicted with a trip that was already planned. But I received photos and my brand Logo was on the red carpet wall where everyone takes pictures in front of. Which I think was the coolest thing ever.
To follow up the previous question, as a cosmetic brand owner, what advice can you give to those who are interested in makeup or possibly pursuing a career in it?
I would say go out there and do it. But if you're going to do it then please do your research because the quality is what will matter the most. They will have a lot of trial runs also before even settling on a formula. Just test out all your products before you order a big supply of it. You don't want to see something and be like "Yeah that looks great, let's order 500 units” then they get this big inventory without even seeing if it’s going to pay off good. Quality over Quantity But always ask the question "Will this sell?" because if it doesn't you just wasted money on something. Starting a new business every penny really counts.
MY INSPIRATION BEHIND THE PHOTOSHOOT AND MY TAKE ON THE MAKEUP ITSELF:
I went into the concept of this shoot with the theme of “Galaxy in the eyes, a universe in the mind.” I have always loved the idea of fashion and makeup and how it can be used to express oneself and show off someone's individuality, self-expression, and confidence. Not only that, but it is art in itself which makes us all artists on the outside.
I started to experiment with makeup more than ever this year trying out more playful and creative looks to align with my outfits. Makeup has a story-telling concept in a person and when I met Alijah at the beginning of the year, I was impressed by how he created his line and what he continues to do with it.
Galaxy and all things universe has been my theme over the last few months. It has inspired a lot of my projects, outfits, and social media posts. To me it is a concept of believing in the brightest stars coming after the darkest nights. This makeup brand was a shining star that has a lot to offer to the world and the collaboration combined every concept into one shoot.
One of the pallets that was used was Inspired by the “Charmed” series and the sisters’ book of spells that appeared in the episodes that contained a magical component. The shadows, names, and design of the palette is heavily inspired by all aspects of the series and book of spells. The show has a supernatural theme, which aligned perfectly with the theme of the shoot. Supernatural has a theme surrounding going above or beyond what is natural, to stand out and be different. The Book of Shadows palette was used in a few of the looks and is currently available for $29.00. It includes 18 Pan Eyeshadows full of mattes, color, and shiny shades.
Next up was ICONIC, a rich buttery pigmented shade palette that has every color of the rainbow with some sparkle and fun mixed in. This palette heavily inspired this shoot due to the colors fitting perfectly with the colors of space and the pride flag. The shades themselves have a strong and long lasting pigment that were used to create the eye looks as well as the planets, sun, stars, and moon on the models faces.
This shoot was finally inspired by the WGSN trend colors of Spring/Summer 2021. The colors include AI Aqua: Color of the Year 2021, Lemon Sherbert, Quiet Wave, Good Gray, and Oxy fire. Accents of representations of these colors were used in the outfits and makeup. This led to an inspiration to find eyeshadow singles in Alijah Storm Cosmetics line that represented the trend colors. If I was to create my own galaxy palette that incorporated these trend colors, I would include the shadows; Creamy Green, Canary Yellow, Turquoise, Steel Metallic and lastly, Rose Gold. All are available on the website and run for $12 each. Alijah Storm Cosmetics is an online website that offers Afterpay, a reward system, and has social media platforms available on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.