LOGINA SALAH PROVES THAT ‘VITILIGO IS JUST A COLOR’

“Makeup is neither a treatment nor a solution. The treatment itself lies within the person’s acceptance of his appearance and reconciling with himself. Vitiligo is just a color.” said Logina Salah, a young Egyptian makeup artist who shattered all the stereotypes about how makeup artists should always look on point.

Credits: Henar Sherif & Adel Essam

Embracing her vitiligo and showing off her white patches, even though she is a makeup artist, Salah, a prominent inspirational figure on Instagram and other social media and news outlets, broke down stereotypes. She encourages women to embrace their natural beauty by sending a clear message of self-acceptance and inclusion. From shame and embarrassment to self-love and strength, Salah was featured in Identity Magazine as one of the most inspiring women in 2019.

Salah is a 28-year old makeup artist who grew up in Alexandria. As a little girl whose day centered around school and sports practices at the club, Salah said that one week, she found herself diagnosed by vitiligo, a condition that causes skin discoloration where white spots start to appear on the skin and has no cure.

Influencing and inspiring all women to accept their flaws, Salah became one of the most prominent Egyptian social media influencers. Even though she is a makeup artist, Salah started to share photos of herself on her Instagram without concealing her uneven skin tone. Her Instagram was met with a number of 57,368 likes and positive comments from her followers who stated in their comments that she is beautiful both with and without the makeup.

As white patches spread on her face and hands, Salah was susceptible to all forms of bullying incidents from a very young age. Not only did her friends at school and the sports club walk away from her, but also their parents would avoid interacting with her, fearing that her condition might be contagious. Yet, Salah’s family were much more educated. “Some parents keep their children from anyone who is different for any reason. That’s why awareness must come from the parents themselves.” Salah’s mother said.

Due to her skin condition and the bullying that followed, Salah lost a good chunk of her self-esteem. She was so insecure about how she looked and how the community would accept her. For this reason, she started hiding the white patches on her skin by mixing different shades of eyeshadow and foundation in order to blend into society. “I have experienced many difficulties trying to educate people on my vitiligo so that they can understand my skin condition. At first, I was really struggling. I used to have two looks one without makeup and another with makeup to hide my vitiligo.” she said.

By experimenting the best ways to use makeup to cover the white patches on her skin, Salah became interested in the field of makeup and beauty. After graduating from the Faculty of Commerce, Salah’s passion for beauty and makeup grew day by day, making her turn down jobs in finance and banking. Instead, she travelled to New York to attend Beverly International Beauty School Cosmetics, where she became a certified makeup artist and embarked on her journey into the professional makeup world.

At the beginning of her career, feeling ashamed and uncomfortable with her own skin, Salah would never allow wedding photographers to take photos of her while applying makeup for the brides. All until when one of Salah’s friends encouraged her to embrace her appearance and let photographers do their thing, assuring her that she has a unique look. Salah took the advice, and never looked back since that she even stopped using makeup to hide her vitiligo. “As a makeup artist, I see that the most challenging part is the stereotype about how makeup artists should be flawless and all made up all the time. Yet, that wasn’t my case.” Salah said.

Salah believed that people should be judged more on their personality and manners rather than on their appearance. Believing that all women are beautiful, she became an inspirational figure and was featured in Dubai news, giving skin tips. Not only did she talk to people about makeup techniques and self-expression, but also she encouraged them to accept themselves and embrace their natural beauty. “It is our inner beauty that makes our outward appearance beautiful.” Salah said.

Credits: Waleed Shah

“I appreciate my skin condition because it was the reason I made it that far in life as a professional makeup artist.” said Salah. With a YouTube channel and a number of magazine covers, Salah defied her vitiligo and made it to her dream job as a successful news reporter on Abu Dhabi TV. “It’s OK to hide what you believe to be an ‘imperfection’ sometimes, but just don’t let anyone get in and destroy your inner peace.” Salah said.

In the current time, Salah spends her time with her family and career. Yet, in the future, she hopes to start her own makeup line and aspires to become an international public speaker, worldwide beauty educator to encourage women to accept themselves and to boost their self-esteem.