Maddie Lies is a nineteen-year-old sophomore here at Emerson. She is a Theater Studies Non-Acting Major with an intense love for makeup, biology, and dark twisted things. To you, these passions may seem to be completely separate from each other (a love for science probably seems separate from everything in your life around here) but for Maddie they all are within the same realm of interests.
Maddie grew up in Duxbury, Massachusetts, which is about 45 minutes away from Emerson. Her life reached a turning point in the 8th grade when she bought a tube of blue mascara. For Maddie, this was a game changer. She became fascinated by the world of makeup and the concept that she could alter her appearance and look completely different. Unlike most middle school girls, she wasn’t concerned with using makeup to look “pretty,” rather to look interesting or unique. Using makeup tutorials on YouTube, she began teaching herself how to apply special effects makeup.
As a Theater Studies Non-Acting Major, Maddie is free to dabble in the world of makeup at school. Her freshman year she spent a lot of time marketing herself and working on film shoots as a makeup artist. This year Maddie has joined an acapella group on campus and is investing a lot of time in singing as well. “I’m still really into makeup, I just want to refine as many skills as I can and hope that opportunities come,” she explains. Maddie has many interests and because she isn’t sure what she wants to do when she graduates, she is focusing on doing things she enjoys.
A unique trait of Maddie’s within the Emerson community is her love for science. It is this passion that influences a lot of her makeup skill. “I really like gore makeup, and I know that sounds really twisted and awful but the thing is, I think that there’s something really fascinating in trying to create a realism effect.” Her interest in biology drives her to experiment with gore makeup using things like Kleenex, clay, and silicone. Maddie loves to alter the proportions and bone structure of a body using special effects makeup, not only because she likes to apply the makeup but the anatomy and academia of it interests her as well. “There’s only so many ways you can do eyeliner or apply mascara, but gore transforms an appearance completely.”
Halloween is an especially exciting time for Maddie due to her passion for gore makeup. “Halloween is the one time a year its socially acceptable to go out in the makeup I do on myself a few times a month,” she explains. Her typical Halloween costume consists of everyday clothing along with wounds applied on her face and body. Last year she dressed in all black and made it look like her throat was slit. This year she plans to go as a female Edward Scissorhands, complete with glaslow smile. So definitely keep an eye out for her this Halloween (or any day of the week), because she is a great addition to our Campus Cuties! Also check out her Facebook page to see some of her talented pieces!