nand K Photography.
Tauranga social media sensation Alyshia Jones-Mathie hasn’t always been the confident beauty that she is now.
Creating Halloween-worthy special-effects makeup looks online has earned her more than 200,000 followers worldwide, but the self-taught artist, 29, has struggled with self-esteem issues and, until recently, she’s felt too nervous to pursue a career as a model and actress.
“I’ve struggled with acne for the longest time,” she shares, adding that the condition has contributed to her anxiety. “I still have bad skin days and I’m nearly 30. You just can’t tell if I’ve got makeup on.”
It was her skin issues that first got Alyshia into makeup as a schoolgirl. She bought “orange foundation” from The $2 Shop to cover her acne, before experimenting with eyeshadow.
Since then, she’s tried everything to fix it, from going on birth control at 15, to micro-needling, facials, expensive skincare, topical ointments and changing her diet.
But eventually, Alyshia overcame her insecurity about her skin problems by building confidence with makeup and pushing herself outside her comfort zone.
Eighteen months ago, she left her job as an early childhood teacher to become a full-time makeup content creator.
Then, this year, Alyshia signed with a talent agency in Auckland. Despite having no experience, she’s branched into modelling for clothing, lingerie and makeup brands, and has appeared as an extra on Shortland Street, in TV ads and two international films, including a top-secret horror sequel she’s not allowed to talk about.
Alyshia says it’s hard to believe how far she’s come because, in the past, her anxiety has physically stopped her from doing things, such as driving to acting auditions in Auckland.
“I’m learning that if I say yes and just do it, it’s never as bad as I thought it would be. That’s been training me to do more things.”
Last year, Alyshia stepped out of her comfort zone by travelling to Turkey for cosmetic surgery, which removed the hump and droopy tip from her nose, and also improved her breathing.
“I felt so much more confident when I got that,” she shares. “When you have an issue with something on your face, you feel like it’s always there.”
Describing herself as “gentle” and “spiritual”, Alyshia says many people who see her online assume she’s “stuck up or overly girly” and they’re pleasantly surprised when they meet her in real life or see her special-effects makeup looks.
The influencer suspects her talents come from her “arty” family. As a child, before she found cosmetics, she was always drawing.
Alyshia’s transition from teacher to content creator took 10 years. While working with preschool children in her hometown of Waihi, she filmed makeup tutorials on YouTube on weekends.
Growing an audience led to working with big-name brands, participating in international competitions and appearing on the reality show Glow Up NZ.
Alyshia loves horror films and fans respond most to her scary characters. Her biggest following is on YouTube, where she shares vlogs, life advice and tutorials on makeup and special effects.
Her style is to use a minimum of products, including eyeshadow, liquid eyeliner and contact lenses, only occasionally opting for body paint and prosthetics. In the lead-up to Halloween, Alyshia shares spooky transformations and skits.
“It’s my biggest time of year on social media,” she tells, saying her ritual is to listen to R&B, hip-hop or podcasts while creating scary fantasy or Disney characters. Some can take up to eight hours to paint.
Alyshia “melts” her makeup off with cleansing balm and a microfibre towel, but admits her bathroom sink and shower are stained, and her “beauty room” carpet features dried fake blood and liquid latex.
Laughing, she recalls the eye-popping look a courier driver gave her when she opened her door in full Halloween makeup recently. She needed to sign for a package but had fake body cuts and was wearing white contact lenses.
“I had to warn him before opening the door,” Alyshia grins. “I felt so uncomfortable.”
When talk turns to the future, the influencer says she will celebrate her 30th birthday in Bali with her husband and biggest supporter, Matthew, 31, whom she met as a teenager.
She is career-focused but won’t lend her makeup talents to film or TV, saying she is content with being her own canvas.
“I’m so much more confident now and what makes it so worth it is that I can advise others. I know what other people are going through because I’ve been on the other side of low self-esteem.”
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