Coming from Singapore, make-up artist Julie Lee explains the lack of expression and individuality when it comes to the art of beauty and make-up within Singaporean culture. However, Julia, creatively known as Radioactive Pigeon, thrives to go against the norm as she uses bright colours, alternative materials and a range of techniques to present her face to the world. Julie also expresses her artistic abilities though her drawings that explore sex and vulnerability as an aesthetic. She says herself “I absolutely love art that is strange, dark, and kind of rubbish” which is a theme that runs throughout all of her creative avenues. Radioactive Pigeon started sharing her weird and wonderful world of make-up on Instagram in 2018 which has grown in popularity ever since.

When did you begin using makeup as an artistic practice?

Contrary to most other people’s experience, I actually didn’t start out using make-up as means to beautify myself. I grew up a tomboy, so the idea of makeup as something girly and shameful really stuck. I started using make-up when I was 13, with eyeliner and black lipstick, in what would turn out to be a decade long Goth phase. I think my mother kept waiting for me to grow out of it, but it never happened haha! I started my Instagram account in 2018; the introduction of Instagram as a medium was really the catalyst for perceiving makeup as something that could really be ‘art’, and that was when I started using other props and objects on my face. Knowing that my art is perceived and framed by a digital screen influences the process and intention. It becomes very much about creating an interesting image, rather than beautifying myself as a person, and that's incredibly freeing.

What is probably most unique about your make-up is the use of alternative materials. Such as an onion used as an eye shadow or sesame seeds used as a lip shade - how did this concept come about?

I think I can credit accounts like @gandalfsandwich, @makeupbrutalism, and @calebdoesmakeup with being my first influences when it comes to using non make-up objects. I started out with using small flowers to frame my eyes, but after a while, something about the femininity and conventional beauty of flowers began to frustrate me. It felt predictable. That was when I started to use objects that were uglier, or more mundane. I didn’t want pretty things to frame my face, I wanted to use the context of my face to frame the objects instead. I’ve always felt that mundane objects were aesthetically fascinating when decontextualised from their utility, and putting them on the face is my way of encouraging others to see them in that light.

To those adventurous beauty advocates, can you talk us through some of your make-up hacks, such as what techniques and products you use?

A lot of such hacks are really only feasible for executing a photograph, they wouldn’t work well if you tried to wear them in public. One of the best hacks I’ve found is to use lube in place of gloss, when a large amount of gloss is needed. Lube is far easier to get out of the container, and also more cost-effective. Of course, the downside is that it doesn’t have as much grip. Another thing that I have recently fallen in love with is face paints. You can use them as anything, from lipstick, to eyeliner, to mascara (if you’re careful). I’ve invested in a set of primary colours that I can use to mix up any other colours I need, and it saves quite a lot of money. Again, I don’t think these would be good to wear out in public because it might accidently get in your mouth or eyes over time. Another thing I often get questions about is what I use to stick objects to my face. I use a lot of cheap lash glue from dollar stores. They’re not very good for lashes, but are cost-effective and work well for other small objects.

What is the meaning behind the name Radioactive Pigeon?

My friends often call me a pigeon because my head is kind of small in comparison to my body haha! I also like the idea of pigeons – they’re trash doves. They’re just these rubbish pest creatures that are everywhere, yet are incredibly beautiful and iridescent when you really look at them. I think the style of make-up that I enjoy wearing out in public can be described as ‘radioactive’. I love bright contrasting colours and aspire to invest in a bunch of neon products soon.

The content posted on your second Instagram account; Pigeon Heckler shows your own illustrations. Can you tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind these drawings?

I’m surprised and delighted that you noticed my drawings! I don’t draw very often anymore, but it’s something that I keep meaning to return to. I absolutely love art that is strange, dark, and kind of rubbish. David Shrigley and @futschiblond are some of my biggest inspirations. A lot of my favourite work that I’ve done revolves around sexual themes, and I’ve been drawing these ever since I was a child. I don’t know how or why, but I was fascinated by sex as an aesthetic, and all the strange psychological messes that can reveal themselves in the moments when we are most vulnerable and naked. This one drawing (pictured below) is my current favourite, and it was inspired by the lack of secure identity that I experienced when I was going through puberty.
I also very much enjoy absurdist art that doesn’t take itself seriously at all. Although a lot of art that falls into this category appears to have required zero effort or thought, I’ve come to really appreciate that mind space – in a world with so many distractions and stressors, it’s truly become elusive for me.

How do you take artistic inspiration from living in Singapore?

I spent the first 12 years of my life overseas, moving countries because of my father’s job. Returning to Singapore, I struggled quite a bit with issues of pride, identity, and belonging. There was a lot of internalised western supremacy that made me ashamed to be back here, or reluctant to assimilate. I think a lot of us fall into this bulls**t trap as well. I felt neither Singaporean, nor different enough to count as not Singaporean. A lot of my artistic expression carries a simmering frustration beneath the surface. The high level of conformity in Singaporean society makes me want to push back against it.

The beauty industry in the UK has dramatically changed in recent years becoming a more positive space for people to express themselves. Would you say Singapore also encourages this movement?

Natural and feminine beauty is the prevailing ideal in most of the marketing campaigns that are launched here. I’m seeing a rise in creative individuals who take inspiration from online international beauty circles, but mainstream beauty here remains rather uninspiring. The smoky eye is a staple in the west, but I doubt you could wear it in public here without getting weird looks from strangers. This is particularly frustrating to me because in terms of buying make-up in stores, we lack the colour options that are available in the US. For example, NYX has closed its stores island wide, and they were one of the only places we could buy colourful make-up from. The blue KVD lipsticks have also been dropped from Sephora shelves. Socially, nobody is really stopping us from expressing ourselves creatively, but I can’t say that we’re being encouraged, either.