The super talented SFX makeup artist in Dubai, Alicia Goveas aka @dubai_faceandbodyartist, turned us into Marvel superheroes for the day… and of course, the first thing we did was drive to the insydo office to surprise the team!
Meet Alicia: Give her a paintbrush and she will literally paint on anything… humans included! Born and raised in Dubai, Alicia has always had a creative mind, and now has a full-time job as a special effects (SFX) makeup artist.
Her makeup career started back in college when she was asked to do face painting for a kids birthday party – which she totally loved! She then started watching face painting tutorials on Instagram and YouTube to learn more – which led to her interest in body painting and SFX too.
Still obsessing over the Avengers: Infinity War movie, we asked Alicia to transform us into two kickass Marvel characters – Gamora and Nebula! And that’s exactly what she did..
Check out Alicia’s Instagram page and you’ll see hundreds of videos of her trying out new SFX makeup looks on herself, and occasionally her mum. Besides being a creative genius, Alicia is also a musician, a true green tea aficionado and a hugeee fan of boy bands – especially Backstreet Boys. Yep, she still wears the wristband from the Backstreet Boys concert in Dubai!
FAQs
What inspires you to create? Everything – I’m constantly thinking of new ideas and getting inspired by random objects. My mind is always working, I just look at a shape and get loads of ideas from it.
What’s the coolest project you’ve worked on? So many! Although I did do a Halloween makeup tutorial with Huda Beauty back in 2015! I turned her into Maleficent and her daughter was Aurora – it was sooo cool.
What are your plans for the future? Hollywood! My plan is to join the Cinema Makeup School and do SFX makeup for Hollywood films. And of course, work with the Backstreet Boys.
Any words of wisdom for budding artists? Anything you do, no matter what it is, requires dedication, practice, patience and constant learning!
insydo verdict
“Alicia is so talented and she’s super fun to work with. We loved how effortless she made the whole process seem. She recreated the entire Gamora look in under 30 minutes, and the intricate details on Nebula’s look were incredible! Yep, we’re definitely going back to her for Halloween.”
To get in touch with Alicia, follow her on Instagram at @dubai_faceandbodyartist or email her at aliciagoveas5@gmail.com.
Know someone in Dubai who deserves a #60SecondSpotlight moment? We recently covered a talented hip-hop troop, a mind-blowing street magician, a calisthenics pro and more! We’ve been searching the city for talented individuals (from all walks of life) – so if you know someone who should be part of this series, let us know! You can follow us on Instagram and tag us on their profile.