This time, we’re focusing onBismuth Arsenide.
And this is just the beginning.
Bismuth is my favorite element on the periodic table.
Courtesy of Bismuth Arsenide
It has a refractive nature and the ability to look different, depending on the lighting.
I would like to think that I channel that iridescence.
I grew up in a small suburb outside of Boston without much diversity.
Courtesy of Bismuth Arsenide
Seeing other people like me was rare.
I didn’t really know the bounds that makeup had.
I’m kind of an introvert.
Courtesy of Bismuth Arsenide
Makeup, as well as self-portrait photography, has helped me communicate what I’m feeling and my ideas.
I saw makeup could be so much more than an everyday glam moment.
It could be art on my face.
Im obsessed with [makeup artists]Pat McGrath,Isamaya Ffrench, andDaniel Sallstrom.
Lately, Ive been looking toVal Garlandand early 2000s Alexander McQueen shows.
I saw makeup could be so much more than an everyday glam moment.
It could be art on my face.
I love a dewy moment, and red is my favorite color.
Ive always been drawn to it, both emotionally and culturally.
Growing up part Chinese, red has always been super significant to me.
For my hair, Id slick it back.
No, I’d do mybowl cut.
I’ve always been inspired by retro styles, particularly ’60s mod and geometrical shapes, especially in hair.
I’ve never truly been confident in my hair.
My creative process is pretty spontaneous, though.
I don’t usually plan things out when I do them and rarely make face charts.
I do photo shoots whenever I want.
Thats cool for me.
Some of my favorite images are more experimental.
That exploratory process is really what I’m drawn to.
I take a lot of inspiration from the British photographerNick Knight.
He does a lot of cool New Age stuff and always pushes the boundaries.
I want to see morequeer Asian art.
TikTok has really been a creative outlet for me.
I never really thought I was the funny pop in until I started postingon TikTok.
And then, people were like, “Oh, this bitch is funny.”
I just put my phone down and film myself saying random crap and post it.
TikTok has allowed me to be more myself.
When I do self-portraits, I’m constrained to the click and shoot.
It’s the concrete expression of the fluidity I’ve explored throughout my life.
I’m happy that I got to where I am today.
In the future, I would love to be on the cover ofVogueChina.
That’s something that’s really special to me.
And then also this is so random I would like love to start a bakery one day.
A version of this story originally appeared in the October 2022 issue of Allure.
