Neon Soul: Robyn @punkrplus
Hey there Neon Fam, we are super excited for this month and the amazing creator that we are featuring as Neon Soul! We want to start-off with saying that we believe in empowering women, being a female-owned brand, and want to wish you all an inspiring Internaitonal Women's Day, whatever it may look like to you.
This month we chatted with Robyn, a super skillful makeup lover and creator who had some wonderful and very unique insight during their interview. We think you'll really love this one... So without further ado here's Robyn aka @punkrplus
Robyn wears their high-gloss lacquer in Bardot mixed with Jolie
HN: Hi Robyn can you please give us a brief intro into who you are on and off socials?
Robyn: Hi! I’m 27 years old, non-binary, and originally from Michigan but now live in Los Angeles, California. On social media, I go by the handle “PUNKRPLUS” and I’m a lover of dramatic makeup and alternative style. Nothing makes me happier than a dark, well-blended smokey eye with some sparkle on the lid! In my real life off social media, I am a propulsion development engineer at SpaceX. I work on the Raptor rocket engine, which propels the soon-to-be most powerful rocket in the world, Starship! It’s absolutely the coolest job in the world (in my opinion, of course).
Robyn wears The Easy Sell Velvet Liquid Lipstick.
HN: This month we will be celebrating International Women's Day, which we think is a great oppportunity to highlight the women in our lives that have inspired and shaped us into who we are. Who are some of those women for you and how do they inspire you?
Robyn: Although I identify as non-binary, I was socialized as “female” growing up and certainly understand the perspective and struggles of being a woman. There are so many women I appreciate in my life! My foremost female role model is of course my mother - as a retired math teacher, she definitely fostered my interest in STEM. Teachers are truly under- appreciated! Not only that, but she raised my 3 older siblings as a single mom, while working and going to school! That blows my mind, and inspires me to work just as hard and appreciate what I have in life.
Another important woman in my life is my big sister Becca. We’re 13 years apart, so we didn’t grow up like typical siblings do. But she has always been incredibly supportive to me, and I can really go to her with anything! Now that we’re both adults, and even though we live thousands of miles away, I feel like we’re closer than ever. Oh and she’s impressive too - she’s working on getting a doctorate in education!
Robyn wears their high-gloss lacquer in shade Bardot.
HN: At Hola Neon we are all about feeling confident in our skin and being true to
ourselves. How does your makeup style and overall vibe reflect who you are?
Robyn: I’m a very visual person, so I feel the most comfortable expressing myself via my personal style. My favorite thing about makeup is that it’s temporary! It lets you try out new colors, new techniques, or whatever you want to experiment with. My favorite colors seem to change all the time, so I love that I can switch up my style to match my feelings every day. I’m a lover of color and contrast, so applying a bright smokey eye or graphic liner is just so satisfying. I don’t know how to better express myself than wearing my own art on my face!
Robyn wears their Velvet Liquid Lipstick in shade The Easy Sell.
HN: Has makeup ever influenced your self-confidence? What would you say to young girls out there that are just starting to get into makeup and may be struggling with finding what they like?
Robyn: young people out there (not necessarily just girls) need to understand that makeup is fun, but not magic! We are in an age where FaceTune can make you feel like you’ll never look like the influencers you see online. But the truth is, they don’t look like that either! I think makeup is a wonderful tool for self expression, and not a tool to help you meet somebody else’s beauty standards. Like I said earlier, makeup is perfect for experimentation. I’d recommend testing out different trends on your own face, and don’t take it too seriously! It always gets washed off at the end of the day, and tomorrow you can try something else!
HN: Last but not least, which of your Hola Neon products had you feeling yourself the most?
Robyn: I love the Hola Neon lip products! The formulas are comfy and long lasting, and the color selection is gorgeous. I have tried every formula they currently have, but my favorites are the velvet liquid lipstick in “The Easy Sell” and the high gloss lacquer in “Jolie”.
Neon Soul: Veronica Meers
Veronica wears her Velvet Liquid Lipstick in shade DF topped with clear gloss for this futuristic glam.
HN: We think telling our gal-pals we love them and doing nice things for them should happen more often! What are some tips or ideas you can give our readers so they can celebrate galentines this year?
We hope you enjoyed our chat with Veronica! Don't forget to subcribe to our newsletter so you don't miss anything...
HN Team
Neon Souls: Alayne Kulp
Alayne wears her Velvet Liquid Lipstick in shade Winter Is Coming
We hope you enjoyed reading about Alayne as much as we loved interviewing her. Remember to subscribe to our newsletter so you don't miss out any of our blogposts, sales, and special announcements.
Until next time,
HN Team
Neon Holidays: Trends & Inspo for the season!
Welcome back Neon Fam! We are super excited this holiday season to share with you some of out favorite looks of 2022 which we are sure will give you all the inspo you need for your social soirees this season. We love a bold red lip & a classic winged liner, but there are so many ways to glam ourselves-up there will surely be a look for each one of you to take inspiration from, so keep reading and grab your favorite products before the year ends!
Cherry red lips to attract love into 2023:
Karla wears her Lipstick Balm in shade Love Me over lip liner and pairs it with natural feathered eyebrows and a super fun and colorful eye moment.
A little bit of sparkle and a little bit of mystery:
Evangeline wears her velvet liquid lipstick in shade Lavender Soul and pairs it with a metallic eyeshadow with purple tones to bring a little mystery to the table.
Walking into 2023 full of shine:
Erika gives us a dewey and editorial glam moment wearing her high gloss lacquer in shade Kahlo paired with a sparkly golden winged shadow.
Green and red for the ultimate Christmas moment:
Jas pairs her high gloss lacquer in shade Williams with a green and gold eyeshadow look. She's giving us all the holidays vibes!
Champagne on our lips and our lids:
Tyanna wears her velvet liquid lipstick in shade BOOM! topped with clear gloss, pairs it with a champagne-brown eye moment, and brings the whole look together with blush over nose and cheeks.
A classic glam with a modern twist:
Jules wears her velvet liquid lipstick in shade Hola, Lover, pairs it with a classic black wing and blush on cheekbones.
We hope you all have a wonderful holidays season and a happy new year! We will see you all very soon...
HN Team
Neon Souls: Evangeline Molly @evangelinemolly
The witching hour is near... and that means all the moody, sultry, femme-fatale shades are here! We love fall, halloween, and the mystique that comes with October. We can't help but feel like our energy shifts and gives way for a more sexy and sultry vibe to take over our makeup and our mindset. This month we caught up with Evangeline Molly and she let us in on her witchy side both as a person and as a beauty creator. Make sure to read all the way through to check out her must-have Hola Neon shades and her gorgeous makeup looks!
Starting off Evangeline gives us this beautiful moody moment wearing her Velvet Liquid Lipstick in shade Lavender Soul
Evangeline: Hi! I’m a Toronto-based beauty creator with a focus on bold yet wearable makeup looks. I have a penchant for all things autumnal, shimmery, and witchy! I’ve dabbled in several creative industries over the years, from visual art to creative writing to music (I was in a feminist rock band for 10 years!) and now I find myself passionately delving into makeup and self-portrait photography. I share my own content on Instagram and TikTok but I also have a YouTube channel with my mom where we have fun playing with makeup and doing chatty GRWMs.
This glowy moment is achieved with Kahlo on lipsHN: Women across the globe are actively using the word ‘witch’ as a way to describe themselves beacuse it has taken over a sense of empowerment and mystique that comes with being a woman. So we would love to know if you would ever call yourself a witch and if so which kind of witch would you be?
And all that to say… yes, I would call myself a witch! I love owning that word and all the weight it holds. I’m an eclectic witch in my personal practice and a glamour/makeup witch in front of the camera!
Evangeline wears shade BOOM! on lips
For my own makeup ritual, I like to check in with how I’m feeling that day and what energy I want to channel into my look. I find this is often influenced by the season at the time. As you can imagine, autumn is my favourite season for makeup and I find myself really inspired by all the moody colours and vibes. So every day is basically engaging in a bit of colour magic, honouring where I am that day, and connecting with the outer world. And of course, skin care and sun protection are a must.
HN: We know there is more than one way to be a woman, just like there has to be more than one way to connect with our inner witch; in the sense that there must be more than one way to connect to the passion, fire, and mystical energy within all of us. Is there a specific way you are able to harness that energy in your daily life? What do you do in times when that energy seems to feel lost?
Evangeline wears her Evangeline: Definitely the liquid lip in the shade Lavender Soul… there’s just something about purple that feels ultra witchy and mystical!
We hope you loved this witchy inspo from Evangeline and that you loved reading about her as much as we did!
Until next time,
Hola Neon Team
Neon Souls: Erika Sandoval @erikasbeautycorner
Hey Neon Fam, we have been obsessing with the red carpets from festival season... the gorgeous dresses, incredible glam, and iconic attendees have us in an inspo-frenzy, so this time we around we want to talk about; the directors, actresses and movies that have inspired makeup as an industry and an art form. To get us going with our "Ready For My Close Up Miss Director" theme we have the lovely Erika from @erikasbeautycorner who chatted with us about who would play her in the movie of her life, some of the gorgeous actresses she draws inspiration for her makeup, and her advice for any new creators out there reading about her.
Erika wears her High-Gloss Lacquer in Kahlo
HN: Hi Erika, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some of our questions! Please tell us who you are in a nut-shell:
Erika: Hi I’m Erika! Im obsessed with coffee, my dogs, and makeup. I’m all about natural looking makeup but making it fun and adding a bit of glam into the mix. I LOVE natural skin without filters and makeup that looks good in real life. That’s what you’ll see on my page :)
Erika wears her Velvet Liquid Lipstick in the shade The Easy Sell patted lightly over lip liner
Erika gives us a super juicy pout wearing her Glass-Shine-Gloss in Winfrey
HN: Now we want to talk about the goodies we sent you recently, we've just been dying to know which one of your Hola Neon products has been your favorite so far?
Erika wears Kahlo
Neon Souls: Annie @anns.glam
Annie wears The Easy Sell
Hola Neon: Hi Annie, we're so excited to feature you this month as our Neon Soul! Can you give us a brief introduction to who you are?
Annie: My Name is Annie and I'm a beauty content creator on various platforms. Makeup is my passion as well as a way I express myself. Since I struggle so much with my mental health, doing my makeup is a nice way to get my mind off of things. I am a strong advocate for mental health and love to express that there is no shame in struggling. I decided to start sharing my makeup with people in hopes that I could brighten people's day and make new friends!
Annie: I stay colourful and true to myself in my daily life by wearing what makes me happy. My makeup isn't always extra but I like to make sure at least one part of my outfit is. The feeling of wearing what makes me happy despite what others think gives me so much confidence and makes me truly feel like myself.
Annie wears Winter Is ComingHola Neon: Love that! How did you find your unique and creative style?
Annie: I found my style through a lot of trial and error. I used to do a lot of plain eyeshadow looks and I even tried doing creative full face painting looks.But when I got sent my first set of graphic eyeliners I instantly fell in love. I found that I love the challenge of doing the most detailed graphic liner looks I can find because the feeling of satisfaction I get in the end when I see how well it turned out is one that will always leave me coming back to try some more detailed looks.
Annie: I was never scared to incorporate color into my looks! My first posts on Instagram were actually really bright and colorful! I also do not tend to worry about what others will think about my makeup. I know I do makeup for me and me only! So if other people have a problem with it I brush it off and continue with my day!
Annie: Some advice I would give to someone just starting out as a content creator is to find what style works for you and to never give up. There's lots of different ways to be a content creator. There's humor, beauty, sports, etc. Even as a beauty content creator I see lots of different content styles. You don't always have to show your face. Some people just take eye pictures, some just take pictures of their favorite products and post them as recommendations. There are a lot of different ways to post content, you just have to find the one that works for you. Once you find that style, don't give up on posting if it doesn't do well! Starting out it will be really hard to grow and it gets hard to stay positive. But if you keep working hard it will pay off! But don't forget content creation is supposed to be fun, so if it starts to feel too overwhelming, step back, take a break, then come back if you want!
Rocking the Y2K trend with Hola Neon
Up next we want to share some ideas to get your Y2K vibe on while using your favorite Hola Neon products.
Melissa wears her Glass-Shine Gloss in shade Bardot
1. All About the Pout:
To get the perfect glossy pout try out our Glass-Shine Gloss. With its super long-lasting and hydrating formula, you’ll get the perfect 2000's lip without the stickiness from the time.
Until next time,
Hola Neon
Neon Souls: A.J. Guyony + Mona Peng for Pride
A.J: I started my account when the U.S. first shut down, back in April 2020. The beauty space has grown a lot in the wake of the pandemic because many people, myself included, found makeup and the beauty community to be a welcome escape and wonderful creative outlet. I had always wanted the opportunity to share my art, but never found the time - when I found myself stuck at home, doing online school, starting my account was the perfect way to connect with other creators and grow as an artist!
A.J: I do think that as someone with a platform, I have a responsibility to spread awareness about social justice issues - I just always make sure to do my own individual research first so as to not spread misinformation. I also have a degree in Political Science and Criminology, so I am incredibly passionate about human and civil rights and want to share that with my audience.
Mona: I'm really glad to see that voter registration has spiked in recent years and young adults my age have been particularly active on all social platforms and in protests. Many queer Youtuber's, Instagrammer's, and Tiktoker's are taking up space and acting as role models for the youths who may not have the support in their immediate communities. Even in the college scene, it always warms my heart a bit when professors have their pronouns up so that my non-binary peers feel safe. I'm also really hoping that the Equality Act gets passed soon! A big opponent to this crucial legislation has been homophobes, transphobes, and trans-exclusionary radical feminists which is ironically rooted in cognitive bias and misogyny. I just want to see legal protection for our citizens but it's sadly been 46 years in the making.
Mona: To some degree, yes. I may have started this account for fun, but I don't take that as an excuse to stay silent. It's my responsibility as much as anyone's to educate themselves/spread awareness to harmful social issues. I think social media serves as a wonderful tool to increase the efficacy of social movements since it's not hard to reach even an international audience these days. And if I can reach even 1-100 people, then I'll use my platform for that. I also think that if someone claims politics isn't for them, it just means they're in a place of privilege to not have to care. But I say to some degree because it's not my place to take up space for certain voices. I have a philosophy degree so I can say that I genuinely think moral knowledge is situated. That is, oppressed individuals are more likely to have the most accurate picture of the social injustice carried out against them. So while I do speak out for the AAPI/LGBTQIA+ communities as I identify with them, I do choose to listen and uplift the voices of my fellow creators when it's more appropriate.
Mona: First, it's okay to not put a label on it. Or if you do, you could always take on an umbrella term. I think the process of discovering who you are takes time, especially if you grew up in environments lacking the hermeneutical resources to fully understand what you're feeling. It honestly took a few years for me to process the concept of heteronormativity and allosexuality. You may feel like you're not "normal", but that's a social construct to oppress the queer community. Your self-identity is not delegitimized just because the systems and biases in place frame you as different. And remember that no two experiences will be identical. I've realized that identities are intersectional and often on a spectrum. For example, I might be ace but I'm also grey-romantic and biromantic. It is confusing but you don't need to have everything figured out and there's no pressure to explain yourself if you're not ready to. Lastly, just find a good/safe support system. I think befriending compassionate and understanding individuals created the space for me to truly embrace who I was when it seemed like society rejected me most.
We hope you loved getting to know our two incredible Neon Souls of the month, A.J and Mona and that the conversation sparked you to ask the important questions that we need to ask in order to continue moving forward towards a world where everyone feels safe and uplifted to be themselves.
The Neon Souls project is so important to us because we love exploring the personal side of social media and getting to know the person behind a picture. If you love this project and think that you would be a great creator to be featured in future editions, send us an email to hola@holaneon.com to introduce yourself and explain why you'd be an amazing Neon Soul. We can't wait to get to know all of you.
Neon Souls: Mackenzi Straub
We’ve all been there. Hitting the back arrow over and over on a new song (so much so that we end up never being able to listen to that song again without our eyes twitching). The thrill of Spotify’s Discover Weekly being the only thing that makes Mondays exciting. Going to a concert or music festival and feeling so alive thanks to the beats per minute on the loud speaker rising our heartbeats…. music connects us. It connects us to ourselves, to friends, to our culture, to the artists singing, composing and playing and to the strangers next to us dancing to the same beat. Everything has been different since the pandemic started but creativity and innovation have helped in keeping us as connected as possible through live streams, digital events and in the world of music, digital concerts. Empowering lyrics, inspiring artists and unique beats have been a source of inspiration for us since the beginning and so this month we shift our focus towards these bonding moments that we can all share and rejoice in. Who better for this month’s Neon Soul edition than Mackenzi Straub? (@satinsilkskin). Mackenzi loves to create eye-catching looks inspired by popular TV characters, fashion runway looks and, you guessed it, popstars! Mackenzi reminds us that makeup can be daring and outside of the box while keeping it sophisticated and classy. Join us as we catch up with Mackenzi on all things beauty, music and inspiration.
Mackenzi Straub
Mackenzi has been in the makeup industry for about 3 years now. She started when she was 17 years old. Mackenzi first got into the makeup industry in order to express her creative side and to represent people that have “imperfect” skin — such as acne and large pores. For Mackenzi, being unfiltered and showcasing her so called imperfections is really important and making others feel beautiful no matter wether they fit a box or not is the reason why she does not filter any of her tutorials. It is refreshing to see that Mackenzi uses her platform to inspire others to be authentic and to keep it real in a time where so much (or probably even all) of what we see in the digital world is altered.
Mackenzi wears the Tinted Lip Balm 'Call Me'
HN: How have you been staying connected (digitally) with friends and family?
Mackenzi wear the Liquid Lipstick 'The Easy Sell'
HN: What makes you get out of bed every morning - what is your motivation?
HN: What is the most important beauty advice that you can give to women?
Mackenzi: The most important beauty advice I can give to someone is to not compare the way your makeup turns out to some makeup you see online. One thing that always puzzled me growing up was, why does my foundation not look airbrushed? Why does it look like foundation, not skin? It’s because it’s makeup! It’s not meant to look like a second layer of skin or completely smooth! It’s important to know that sometimes not everything is as it seems on social media!
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The Neon Souls project is so important to us because we love exploring the personal side of social media and getting to know the person behind a picture. If you love this project and think that you would be a good match, send us an email to hola@holaneon.com, introduce yourself and explain why you'd be an amazing Neon Soul.
Keep it neon,
Team HN
International Women's Day: Womanspiration Spotlight
