Rowi Singh is not your average makeup artist.
The Sydney-based creative has built a global following for her kaleidoscopic approach to beauty, blurring the line between art, identity and self-expression. Known for her larger-than-life looks, she transforms the face into a living canvas where colour, shape and texture take on new meaning.
Her inspirations span far and wide: flora and fauna bloom across her features in vivid detail; iconic film characters—like Kill Bill’s Elle Driver—are reimagined through a maximalist lens; and her viral “Man Repellent Makeup” series reframes femininity as a bold act of empowerment rather than appeasement.
“Makeup became my creative outlet while I was studying at university,” Singh recalls. “It was an escape into a boundless art form where I had zero restrictions.”
What began as a hobby soon became a means of cultural connection. Drawing from retro Bollywood aesthetics and the ornate details of her Punjabi heritage, Singh found herself reimagining beauty through her own lens. “I was never nurtured to embrace my creativity or sense of individual style during my adolescence,” she adds. “So it was very freeing—an experiment in my artistic capabilities.”
Singh’s work thrives on curiosity. “Anything and everything is inspiration,” she says. “Simply existing is my drawing board—walking through a park, on a train, lying on the beach, travelling to another country.” Each look starts with a moment of observation: a colour, a texture, a fleeting thought.
When the ideas run dry—which, she admits, is rare—Pinterest serves as a digital muse. Her maximalist eye has yielded some truly intricate creations. “Anything that requires an immense amount of detailing and line work challenges me,” she says.
One recent favourite: a beetle-inspired look combining graphic liner, 3D lashes, negative space and rhinestones. “It was tough trying to pull together all my references into a singular look that didn’t feel too busy,” she says. But that tension—between chaos and cohesion—is part of the thrill.
That same energy guided her recent collaboration with pop sensation Chappell Roan, for whom Singh crafted a shimmering blue chrome look for the artist’s New York City tour stop. “Chappell was incredible to work with—she’s the perfect canvas,” Singh says. “We had last-minute changes to the vision, but I knew from the beginning that I wanted the rhinestones on her lower lashes and blue chrome on the cheeks to be the standout elements.” With the clock ticking and adrenaline high backstage, she brought the concept to life in record time. “It was so rewarding to see it come alive on stage,” she says.
In her everyday life, however, Singh’s approach is refreshingly pared-back. “It’s so incredibly simple,” she laughs. A touch of Hourglass concealer, Patrick Ta blush in She’s Blushing, Rhode Peptide Lip Tint in Espresso and a curled lash are her go-tos. “I love the look of no mascara on a simple makeup day.”
Her one essential? “Lip balm, always,” she says. “I’m a dry-lip girl, so I never go anywhere without my Aquaphor stick.” Over time, her relationship with beauty has shifted from performance to personal expression.
“I used to think I needed to step into a separate persona to create a look—to become something else entirely,” she reflects. “But now, I see it as an extension of myself. Makeup is bits of my personality manifested.”
These days, she prefers lighter skin finishes with bold eyes that showcase her signature flair. “I like letting natural skin texture shine with my maximalist eyes,” she says. That philosophy also drives her brand, Embellish by Rowi, which launched to meet a need Singh couldn’t find elsewhere. “I really wanted high-quality, self-adhesive glass face adornments in unique colours that could elevate a makeup look,” she says. “I created it for myself, and it resonated with my audience.” The brand’s success is, for Singh, also cultural affirmation: “It’s a nice nod to my heritage—no look is ever complete without a face accessory.”
For Singh, community is everything. “I would simply not have a career if it weren’t for my engaged community,” she says. “We are makeup lovers; we are people of colour. I love being able to speak to people who resonate with my art and my identity as a brown woman.” Her workshops and behind-the-scenes tutorials have created a global network of creatives who see themselves in her. “Community is about finding like-minded people who understand and connect with your ideas and viewpoints,” she adds. “There’s truly nothing more special—or powerful—than that.”
When it comes to the beauty industry at large, Singh is candid about what still needs to change. “More representation, always,” she insists. “But more importantly, representation that goes deeper than a smattering of South Asian faces in campaigns and on runways. People of colour are still an afterthought, not something integral to the industry.”
Her vision of the future is clear: “I want to see more people of colour creativedirecting, on PR teams and in boardrooms making important decisions.” Because for Rowi Singh, makeup is—and always will be—more than colour on skin.
It’s a language of identity, culture and courage. And she’s rewriting its rules, one rhinestone at a time.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Singapore.
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