Wheat flour, turmeric; secret to 'Slay by Mona's' creative looks

Monalisa Wambui [Njambi Gaitho, Standard]

When you stumble upon Monalisa Wambui's TikTok videos for the first time, your first instinct is to run to the comment section to see if everyone else shares your thoughts, and sure enough, they do.

However, when you have the chance to meet her in person, you understand she's just bolder, braver and amazingly unique. Monalisa Wambui, also known as Slay by Mona, is a self-taught "makeup hackist" who has been the talk of the town for her makeup tutorials, or as she calls them, makeup hacks. Her creations are far from the ordinary; she ventures into the realms of bold, creative, and adventurous makeup looks.

In a recent interview with Standard Digital, slay by Mona elaborated on why she chooses to express her glamour in this unconventional way.

"What I try to achieve is new ways of doing make-up. Don't just wear your lipstick the normal way, it's boring. Try out new stuff, do a chess board like me." And true to her words, she had painted a chess board on her lips and her eyebrows were nude! "When I started doing the creative look, people were 50/50 about it, some like it, but some not too much."

You might be wondering about the term "makeup hackist" she uses to describe herself. Slay by Mona explains;

"A makeup hackist specializes in makeup hacks. For instance, did you know that if you run out of setting powder, you can use all-purpose flour or corn flour to set your makeup? Did you know that adding a bit of water to your foundation before applying it can make it last longer? That's what I teach - hacks on how to effortlessly do your makeup and slay while doing it."

When she casually mentioned using wheat or corn flour on her face in one of her videos, it left everyone baffled. How? Here's her explanation:

"One day, I was halfway through my makeup when I realized I'd run out of setting powder. I tried using regular baby powder, but it left me with a white cast. Surprisingly, the flour worked perfectly. You can even mix turmeric with the flour to create a different shade."

In a world where clout-chasing has become the norm, Monalisa is often mistaken for seeking attention on a daily basis. Some people believe her makeup is outrageous, and she's just doing it for views. But for Mona, her art is genuine and sincere. She states,

"People ask me if I actually go out wearing this makeup. They wonder if I'm chasing clout. As you can see, this is how I came for this interview. I wear this kind of makeup every day, even when running errands. People turn heads, they whisper, but you have to be bold to pull off these looks. I don't chase clout. If I wanted to, I would have done it a long time ago, not now!"

As previously mentioned, her comment section is a battleground for both haters and fans. Mona openly admits she doesn't take the negative comments to heart, but her interactions with her audience speak volumes.

"I love that people engage with my content. I have to engage back. Most of the hate comments end with laughing emojis, so I'm often unsure if they're genuine hate or just jokes," she shares. "However, the most hurtful comment I've received is 'unaboo sasa' - 'You are now boring.' That one felt real and got to me."

Slay by Mona [Instagram]