Tori Evans: Flawless Face and Friendship That Sparkles

How would you describe your signature look? "Flawless face." Now that, is our kinda lady! We sat down with local Columbia, SC makeup artist and beauty blogger, Tori Evans to talk makeup, femininity, friendship and more. Her delightful and quirky blog, Inconspicuous Glamour, explores the ins and outs of makeup and the makeup industry, and showcases her unique line of cosmetic glitters named after each of her best friends - talk about making friendship sparkle! Her bright personality and dazzling smile left us swooning over more than just her perfect winged liner.

Where are you from?

Columbia, SC, born and raised my whole life. I went to AC Flora High School and the University of South Carolina. I majored in women and gender studies.

How did you get started in the makeup industry?

I’ve always had an interest in beauty, but a trip to Sephora with a girlfriend is what did it for me. She bought this $40 tinted moisturizer. And I was like, “What are you doing?!?” And she said, “No! Trust me. It’s great.” So, I picked up some mascara that day, and from that point on, it was an addiction. It was a slow progression, but it got to a point when my collection got out of hand, and I realized I wanted to do something more with my hobby.

Who are your favorite makeup artists?

Jackie Aina and Alissa Ashley. Jackie is hilarious. She’ll dance in her Snapchats and rip off her wig. It’s great. Also, I will buy anything she tells me to buy. If she told me to buy Donald Trump’s self-tanner, I’d be like, “OH YES! That’ll look good on me!” Alissa is so fun and goofy.

If you weren’t a makeup artist, what would you do?

I went to school for women and gender studies, so I’d probably do something in that realm. Unfortunately, there’s not a ton of true feminist organizations in Columbia. More recently, I’ve been wrestling with the idea of working with transgender teens and children, but I’m not sure how to do that without invading someone’s space, you know? I cannot speak directly to their experience, but I want to be able to help. For a while, I also wanted to work with sex workers. The thing of it is, I get very emotional about people; I get so connected to people’s stories. I wonder how to be helpful for people and still be happy at the end of the day. So I’ve been looking at how to dip my toe in.

What do you love most about makeup?

This is going to sound arrogant, but I don’t really have confidence issues. I don’t feel bad about loving myself to the extent that I do. Makeup is a freeing activity for me. I didn’t really tap into my creative side until I started doing makeup. Also, I am a goon. I think I’m hilarious. Makeup channels that "goonness" in me -- on my face! I’ll be by myself, in my room, being weird, putting makeup on. I love to take weird selfies and send them to friends. Makeup makes me feel more like myself.

How would you describe your signature look?

Flawless face. Matte foundation. No blush. A little highlighter. BRIGHT lips.

What is your most important piece of beauty advice?

Do your eyebrows!

[editor's note: YAS! she speaks my language!]

What are the most common beauty mistakes you see?

Not blending foundation. Not blending contour. Whenever the contour is patchy or just a dark line straight down the cheek. My advice is to curve it under the cheekbone, instead of doing a straight, angled line. That, and when people use any variation of black on their eyebrows. Why are you putting that sharpie on your face?!

What products should a staple in every person’s makeup bag?

If you’re going to splurge on anything, splurge on your base. High-end foundation and high-end concealer. Get a good one. And setting powder!

What is your favorite makeup right now?

I am playing with a lot of new, different concealers. I’ve been trying to find the balance between a super highlighted undereye and a medium highlighted undereye. My favorite concealer right now is Nars Radiant Concealer.

What is your favorite makeup brand of all time?

Bobbi Brown. Her shade range is so extensive. She’s said before that her sales team tried to get her to discontinue her lightest and darkest shades, because people wouldn’t need them. But she knew there’s a need for them. She was a makeup artist for years before she started her brand. Bobbi Brown is super expensive, but I will pay that for her products. They are that good. She is all about people and carrying products that work for everyone.

What is a product you cannot live without?

Marc Jacobs lipstick. I have one that I’ve worn, maybe, four times, but it’s so moisturizing, smooth, and pigmented. If I was on a desert island without anything, this lipstick would make me look good and keep my lips moisturized.

Why is makeup a form of artistry/creative outlet for you?

I never considered myself a “writer” until I started my blog, Inconspicuous Glamour. I’ve really managed to find my voice, and learn to enjoy the writing aspect. Besides writing, makeup is important to me as a creative outlet because there’s not enough brown girls doing it. And not everyone has the same attitude that I do. I’m here for other women. I’m not here to badmouth anyone. It’s not my place to comment on anyone’s makeup or what they’ve got going on. I just want to be a supportive voice for other women and brown girls out there.

What do you say to the naysayers—the people who think makeup is vain, selfish, girly, or not feminist?

Literally, f*ck off! It’s none of your business. I didn’t ask you. Even if makeup was a vain activity for me, that should be okay. If I needed to build my self-esteem, who are you to tell me that’s inappropriate? Why can’t I do something healthy that makes me feel better? Who is anyone to say, “Oh, you’re wearing makeup to make yourself feel better. That’s bad.” If I put on makeup, look in the mirror, and am happy with what I see, that is all that matters. That I’m happy. I do it for me, not anyone else. For example, this one day, I was in such a good mood, so I put on this extra bright lipstick. I was walking down the road, and this man told me “Your lips look so inviting!” No! I literally was just like, “GOODBYE.” No one gets to make commentary on my life or body or makeup.

What are some common problematic stereotypes you see in the makeup industry?

A common issue I notice is cultural appropriation in the beauty world. By way of example: lip injections. If you’re the type of person who would get lip injections, but look at a black woman or woman of color and judge them for how they look or for having big lips, then why did you copy it? It’s not just with makeup. It’s with hair too. Cosmopolitan just published an article about how cornrows are the new “summer trend.” I don’t know if I can just call it “on trend” and that make everything okay. A week ago, people were telling Leslie Jones she looked like a monkey. Like, you don’t get to pick and choose what you want to “accept” from an entire group of people.

Why do you think femininity is not inferior?

I don’t feel like my femininity is tied up into my makeup. I am a disgusting person. I am not whatsoever feminine. I don’t feel like shaving my legs all the time. Sometimes it’s too much. A lot of things that are stereotypically feminine, I don’t subscribe to. It’s not because I am knocking feminine ideals; you do you, boo! I’ma be over here. Hairy. Because I think I’m equal. I don’t think of myself as anything less than anyone else. If we just all acknowledged everyone’s equality as human beings, there would be no need for “inferior.”

When do you feel the most beautiful?

After I take a shower, wash my face, put my headscarf on, and I’m going to bed. I’m usually watching Netflix or watching YouTube videos. I’ll pick up my phone, put on one of those gross-ass snapchat filters, and send them to one of my friends, like “AM I GORGEOUS?!”

Who are some of the women in your life you lean on?

My sister Tristan, and my girlfriends, Alexis, and Kristin. After I started my blog, Inconspicuous Glamour, she started one of her own about being a teacher and self-care. I like to think that we gave each other that extra oomph—that extra push—to make our blogs. Alexis has been my first, real, true female friend. Watching our friendship grow has been really interesting. We are weird together. We are serious together. I used to have friends, but I didn’t have that deep connection like I do with her. Kristin is my makeup friend, but I can also tell her anything without judgment. If I tell her something embarrassing, she’s like “Ah, it’s cool. I did that last week.”

Do your girlfriends have any effect on your makeup artistry?

Alexis pushes me to do more. Sometimes I’ll be like, “Man, should I just not wear this color? I don’t want people to look at me.” These moments are, honestly, rare, but we all have them. Alexis will tell me “DO IT! What is wrong with you? It looks good!” And she’s right! And I’ll do it.

For those interested in booking an appointment with this goddess you can contact her HERE. She takes clients in NC, SC, GA.