While struggling to find her place in the arts industry after graduating with a degree in music, Greta has learned to be comfortable with her insecurities and just be herself, and encourages others to do the same.
IN CONVERSATION WITH
GRETA
WHO I AM AND WHO I'LL BEWHEN I HAD BABY BANGS — EVERYONE HATED THEM, AND WHEN I BLEACHED MY BROWS — EVERYONE THOUGHT IT LOOKED REALLY WEIRD. BUT I LIKED THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T LIKE HOW I LOOKED BECAUSE I REALLY LIKED HOW I LOOKED SO THAT WAS COOL.
19/99 Take us through your daily beauty routine, morning & night.
Greta Pylypczak So in the morning I wake up, I wash my face with water. Then I put on moisturizer and makeup, I brush my teeth, of course. I use Glossier’s moisturizer, I don’t even know what it is called — I’ve used it forever.
For makeup I start with concealer, I don’t really wear foundation unless my skin is bad but it has been pretty good for the past few years. I use Glossier’s Stretch Concealer. I put that under my eyes and any little red patches. Depending on my mood I will either wear not a lot of makeup, or do something kind of crazy & fun with colour; some colour under my eyes, some eyeshadow. I fill in my brows after that, which is my least favourite part because I don’t have many brow hairs so it is really hard. That is pretty much it. I haven’t been wearing much on my lips, maybe some Chapstick or a tint. I used to wear a lot of red lipstick.
19/99 Why do you think you stopped wearing red lipstick?
GP Because I work an office job now, I’d feel like I’d always have to re-apply. It is too annoying, and I don’t want to be checking myself all the time.
19/99 Your eye makeup stays put more?
GP Yeah, except when I forget I have eye makeup on and rub my eyes. I like wearing crazy colours on my eyes now. And I feel like not that many people wear that kind of stuff.
19/99 When did you start experimenting with colours on your eyes?
GP All through university I did the same thing because I was comfortable with it; I’d do a wing liner and bright lipstick, or no lipstick. But I always felt just the same. When I graduated I started to feel more comfortable with how I looked so I started doing more fun colours, or sparkles. I love wearing sparkles on my eyes. I got more comfortable with not wearing liner, so now I alternate which is really fun. I love doing stuff with the eyes because with my complexion I don’t have that much definition so when I get to play with my eyes they look way bigger than they actually are.
19/99 What is your nighttime routine like?
GP I take off all of my makeup, I wash my face with water, and then I have pat on Glossier’s Solution. I brush my teeth while it is sinking in, then I put on Glossier’s moisturizer. Honestly the Solution has saved my skin. I used to break out a lot, but now I barely get any pimples.
19/99 How has your beauty routine changed over the years?
GP Growing up we weren’t really allowed to wear makeup at school, but I’ve always loved it. I would always wear red lipstick when I could. My mum always wore red lipstick so I thought it was really cool. And I really like my lips so I liked to highlight them. When I got to university I was like ‘I can do whatever I want’. But I was boring and would only wear really chunky winged liner; I liked how I looked in it though, because it was the first time I really wore eye makeup. Then I went through a phase where I was colouring in my brows really dark — that was a bad time. I look back at photos now and I just had these two bars — I am still trying to figure it out. Now I wear more fun colours on my eyes and try to experiment with makeup. I don’t wear that much lipstick anymore, even though I love lipstick. It depends on the day — I’ve been having a lot of fun putting stuff on my eyes.
PEOPLE SAY TO ME ‘OH I LOVE THAT, BUT I COULD NEVER PULL IT OFF’, AND I HATE THAT BECAUSE ANYONE CAN PULL ANYTHING OFF; THE ONLY REASON I CAN PULL THINGS OFF IS BECAUSE I JUST DO IT, AND I OWN IT.
19/99 Do you feel pressure to look a certain way?
GP Not really. I have always felt that people know me to have my own personal style, so when people see me they think it is just me so anything goes. People say to me ‘Oh I love that, but I could never pull it off’, and I hate that because anyone can pull anything off; the only reason I can pull things off is because I just do it, and I own it. I always want to look pretty but I also want to look fun. So I don’t feel pressure to look a certain way; I just want to look how I want to look.
19/99 Have you always been that way?
GP I really came into my own once I left high school. But I always felt like I had a certain look or style for myself, that I always just kind of loved. I would try things that people would be weirded out by, but I never took it personally because I thought it looked really cool. For example when I had baby bangs - everyone hated them, and when I bleached my brows - everyone thought it looked really weird. But I liked that people didn’t like how I looked because I really liked how I looked so that was cool.
19/99 As you’ve gotten older have you felt pressure to hit certain milestones or achievements?
GP Oh my god, oh my god. Yes. Totally. I work in the arts industry, but have friends who don’t, and they are making so much money, they know what they are doing, and even know their path. For so long I didn’t know my path, I still don’t really. But now that I have a 9 to 5 I feel way more secure and happy. But yeah I feel so much pressure to know what I am doing, and I have no idea. But right now I am really happy where I am.
19/99 Does the term ‘age appropriate’ mean anything to you?
GP It sounds so stupid: age appropriate. The word appropriate sounds stupid. You should be able to wear whatever you want at any age, it doesn’t matter.
19/99 And maybe it isn’t just age, but circumstance.
GP It is crazy the idea that there are things you can wear only at certain times. As long as you look like yourself, your personality reflects in what you wear, that’s the most important thing. Things are really changing now, especially the work environment; things are becoming much more casual, which I really love. I can wear what I want instead of having to wear high heels or a suit. I don’t know if I should say this, but I know my mum won’t wear certain colours because she thinks they are “too young”. She won’t wear red and it is her favourite colour; I am trying to force her to because no one really gives a shit. If you just own it and do it, it is fine.
19/99 I guess red especially, because it is associated with sensuality…
GP But it is a colour, isn’t that crazy? It is just a colour. I love colours, I also wear a lot of black but I love wearing colours and I think that has absolutely nothing to do with age.
19/99 If you could share advice with your younger self, what would it be?
GP Don’t colour in your eyebrows so dark…
19/99 It doesn’t have to be specific to beauty.
GP You will grow out of the eczema, don’t worry. You will grow into your forehead. Just insecurities; don’t worry about your weight, you look amazing. Your dimples are really cute. Don’t worry that you have no eyebrows. You are great, people like you…for the most part.
19/99 What makes you feel beautiful?
GP Oh god, I don’t know. I feel most beautiful when I am really elegant; when I dress up and dress like a lady. The word beautiful sounds like something very sophisticated. So when I have a great pair of heels, an awesome outfit, when I love my hair and my make up, I feel really beautiful. Whereas other times…I feel like a big potato.
19/99 Is there anything that scares you about aging?
GP Not really. I worry about the things that are really far down the line; healthcare, where am I going to retire, how am I going to retire, I don’t want to lose my spouse and be alone, that kind of stuff. I don’t worry about stuff like wrinkles, or my body changing. My body is changing all the time, so I don’t worry about. I worry more about the depressing stuff.
19/99 If you could ask the older generation one questions what would it be?
GP How do you retire?! How do you afford it?! What do you do in your spare time? I have no idea what my 92 year old Grandma does in her spare time, but she says she is really busy. How did you get there? How did you live so long? Just like ‘How did you do it?!’ Because I don't’ know how to do it, and I don’t know where I’m going to be in 50 years, but I’m going to be somewhere, hopefully.
19/99 Do you think there is a point where we stop growing and learning?
GP No, no way. We are always growing and learning. Even just seeing something like a movie, or reading an article, you learn something, so you are always learning.
