Words by Ayesha

When someone knows exactly what they want, they are going places. Maryam Hashma Hanim (Hashy) is a young woman who we know will go many places. A short conversation was all it took for us to get a sense of how she has the right attitude to pursue exciting adventures.

Daughter of a sports personality, Hashy got into sports, specifically tennis, at a young age. She picked up a racquet when she could just barely hold one properly. Hashy used to be on the national tennis team, where she has represented the Maldives in many international tournaments and won trophies.

Playing tennis is something she holds very dear to her heart. Her current goal is to win the national women’s championship.

“I used to be on the national team, but I have taken a short break from tennis. I took a break just to reset and come back stronger – physically and mentally.”

This did not limit her from pursuing her other passions, though. Hashy has chosen to express her artistic abilities through make-up, which she uses to showcase her cheerful personality through using a bright colour palette.

“I won’t necessarily put a name on the type of make-up I do. I just love bright colours. Abstract maybe? I mostly use face paint. I used to paint and draw at a young age, and I did henna artwork as well. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been into art, and I’m inspired by the make-up artists I see on social media. I see so many different looks and thought maybe I should express my art through make-up as well”.

Currently, Hashy is taking over TikTok and Instagram by storm, gaining popularity as a make-up artist who can create distinctive looks. One thing that keeps her going is the overwhelming support she gets from her social media followers.

Her social media posts do not do justice to the amount of hard work that goes into creating the looks, but she has shared an exclusive with us at KaLeo.

Hashy’s journey as a make-up artist began when her sister got her an eye shadow palette and she almost immediately started to showcase impressive designs. Soon, she became a full-fledged artist who used different kinds of face paint to create looks.

“I fell in love with it. I can express my art on my face using makeup. Normally if it’s a complex look it takes about two to three hours to complete a look. I take the pictures, do my TikTok, and wipe it off. It makes me happy that people enjoy watching me on TikTok. Feedback is quite good – people love my work, and the support I get is overwhelming”

Most of the videos posted start with her bare face with no make-up and it quickly transitions into a masterpiece which she creates so expertly. Last October was a big month for her as she created uniquely spooky looks for every day as a challenge for Halloween. Scrolling down through her Insta feed some looks she had created were so downright scary that it may give some of you nightmares. She draws inspiration from horror movies and characters she has come across over time to create the looks.

“I love doing different looks sometimes glamourous ones and sometimes fun or scary ones. It depends on my mood or if I have a certain look I have to be working on that particular day. I love vibrant colors and using them in my looks makes me super happy. I practice on myself all the time and make sure my skin is healthy and taken care of. Luckily, I don’t have sensitive skin so that’s a bonus.”

According to Hashy, some looks took her hours to create, and during the Halloween challenge, some of the looks were planned, while others were spontaneous and on-the-spot. She says that the lockdown last year gave her a lot of time to harness her creativity.

Some of her looks are fun and fabulous and some would just make you stare in awe for ages.

“By far my favorite look is a look I called ‘infected’. I love this look as this is something that came from my mind and I didn’t refer to anything when I did it. It was so much fun to complete and I loved the end result”

Hashy has had the opportunity to showcase her talent at the Top Model Maldives Show 2020. She says that the opportunity to work on a prestigious show was quite an experience for a rising make-up artist, and ever since, she has been getting appointments for bridal make-up and other kinds of makeovers. In the future, she hopes to do some work for a movie or an ad.

“I’ve done bridal work. Honestly speaking it hasn’t been too hard to do. It has not been a full year for this journey. But I would love to do make-up for films and music videos. I am quite new to the game, but I did get the opportunity to work for Top Model Maldives.”

Makeup done for Top Model Maldives 2020 by Hashy

Although she is a girl who loves doing make-up and creating new designs, she says she does not always wear make-up in her everyday life. She is a simple girl who wishes for everyone to keep following their passions and perhaps find their joy in life too.