Erika La’ Pearl, the genius behind the superstar Cardi B’s enigmatic makeup looks, did not have a smooth sailing ride to where she is today. Her determination to break all the gender barriers and make her name in the shining lights indeed became a reality, an ode to her hard work.
The star opened up with TZR about her challenging journey to this success and talked about why she hesitated to reveal her trans identity.
Make-Up Gives Her Confidence
Talking to TZR, the makeup mogul revealed her deepest insecurity. She expressed her fear of not being accepted as a trans woman, which made her keep her identity hidden for a long time.
Pearl used to do some music videos for small artists back in the days and said to TZR that she wouldn’t tell them her real identity, fearing she would not be hired anymore.
Further mentioned, often when she did talk about her gender, she used to be treated differently.
There were times the men who hired me would get uncomfortable if I was on set. I could feel it.
But makeup gave her the power to do her best. The artist mentioned make-up as an essential part of who she is. Having gone through the difficulties of being unaccepted and judged simply based on one’s gender, Pearl believes in using her platform and being a voice to those who share the same story as her’s.
‘Real beauty is confidence, strength, integrity, personality, and kindness,’ she said.
What Pushed Her To Become An Aspiring Make-Up Artist?
It was after she moved to Atlanta, her career began taking its shape. Her passion for make-up was rooted in her after she saw her friend do makeup.
At the time, she was working on a 9 to 5 job which she loathed. After leaving the job, she utilized her free time, practicing makeup by herself. Soon she decided to join a make-up school, where she learned different make-up styles such as make-up for photoshoots and fashion shows.
That was the kick start to her incredible journey as an artist, which landed her to become the make-up artist for the rap star Cardi B.
However, she mentioned that she only imagined working as a salon makeup artist but never thought she would come this far. As an inspiration, she looks up to Pat McGrath, the most celebrated makeup artist, and sincerely wishes to collab with her in the future.
Pearl Before Transition
Talking to Pop Sugar, Pearl mentioned loving makeup since she was a kid. The lovely pigmented makeup stuff of her mother's used to excite her as a kid.
However, she was too scared to express herself when she was young and used to hide her love for makeup. The artist came out as a transgender person when she was 18 and was technically a boy during high school. However, nothing apart from this is yet known about her transition.
Although in one of her Instagram posts, she mentioned going through a successful surgery, from the doctor Emil Kohan, who is reputed for transforming body features. And, this suggests she might have referred to her plastic surgery.
