In preparation for Amaterasu’s tenth year next month, we decided to commemorate this milestone with a photoshoot to represent the movement from Geisha to Goddess.

At this transformational photoshoot, we also got to sit down and chat with Amaterasu Founder and Creator, Sara Au Yeong.

Sara was able to answer a few questions about the meaning behind Geisha to Goddess and the transition from Geisha Ink to Amaterasu Beauty.

Question: Firstly, how did the idea of this photoshoot come to be?

Sara: The idea came about because it’s our ten year anniversary, so it makes me think about the business from day one and how we’ve come so far. A few years ago we went from Geisha Ink to Amaterasu and I wanted to illustrate that change within this photoshoot.

Question: What is the meaning behind Geisha to Goddess?

Sara: To me, from Geisha to Goddess is about transformation. It’s a journey for a woman who, from the very beginning of time, let’s say as a teenager, her view on life is very different.

You head into your 20’s and in your 20’s you think, “I think I’ve got this, I have the answers for everything. Why are my parents telling me all these things? I know what I’m doing.”

Then you head into your 30’s and things get even more clearer and then you realize, oh my goodness, the last 20 years I was so confused and so lost! I was still finding myself and I think this journey keeps going.

Sometimes it takes a little longer for some people. They might not find themselves until they’re in their 50’s, but some people might find themselves a lot earlier. I’ve met many young girls who are very, very mature and then I also have met someone even in their 60’s that’s said “I’m lost, I need to start all over again.”

This journey is a never ending journey.

You know, there’s that saying “you take a few steps forward and then you take a step back” and I think the transformation from Geisha to Goddess, personally for me, that’s certainly how it felt.

Question: What do you think makes Amaterasu products different and unique from anything out on the market right now?

Sara: Good question! When I created the line I know that I said to myself, ’cause the first product was the Liquid Eyeliner, I said I want a liquid eyeliner that will not smudge, but what else?

Because other brands could make the same...in the past I have located eyeliners that won’t smudge, but what I found was that there are very hazardous chemicals in there that could potentially alter your hormones.

There’s tar, there are things that are so, so dreadful and I would not want that on my skin. So I said I’m just going to up the bar in my formulations.

If I won’t use it personally, I won’t want anyone else to either.

No smudge, paraben free, what else can I knock down in terms of the ingredients to use? To make it as clean as possible.

Because for me, I live a very clean lifestyle. To make something that will not match my lifestyle, you know, it’s the integrity of believing in “you walk the walk, you talk the talk.”

And my labs would say to me “Oh you know Sara, if you use this ingredient rather than the one you really wanted, it would save you this much per unit.”

And I said right, but for me, and I know profit margin for any business is very important, but for me the big picture is that I want to be able to create a product that a woman is going to go use it and say “Wow! I have the most sensitive skin and I didn’t react to it, so whatever they did, they did it right!”

We are different because we truly care how our products will make a difference in your life. Makeup should be stress free and easy to use. In addition, we love to share empowering blogs in hope to provide the support you may need that very moment you read our blog.

On another important note, you can’t have a Geisha to Goddess photoshoot without a kimono! The vintage silk kimonos for this project were ordered in from Japan and each of the three models, including our lovely makeup artist Aine Plunkett, wore them beautifully.

Each look was completed with handcrafted kanzashi hair pins that were made by artists from Japan, Hong Kong, and even Canada. Each pin was carefully placed onto the elaborate Geisha hair created by Silky Sohanpaul, our dedicated hair stylist for the day.

Aside from her masterful creations, Silky also lent a hand with sharing her exquisite makeup skills and helped transform our model Siena into a stunning Geisha.

Together, Silky and Aine captured the Geisha and Goddess looks exactly how they needed to be. Don’t forget to look out for more fun stuff with Silky and Aine on our blog in the near future!

And thanks to everyone on the team who worked seamlessly to embody the Geisha to Goddess vision.

Like Sara said, this journey is never ending and we can make it through our own transitions in life by fully expressing ourselves and who we want to be.

We hope you enjoyed our interview with Sara and learned a bit more about the transformation from Geisha to Goddess!

Learn more about our popular Geisha makeup products

Our best selling 24 hour liquid eyeliner, the highly reviewed best liquid eyeliner on the market, non-smudge eye pencils.  Our sweatproof vegan makeup line is effective for filling in lengthening eye lashed and smoothing out eyebrows to create a dramatic look.  The shimmer eyeliner will make your eyes pop! 

Our flake proof Mascara is not only a smudge proof mascara, and consumer reviews continue to show that this is one of the best waterproof mascara on the market.  This lengthening mascara and volume mascara is designed to help women everywhere feel more confident.

Watch the video-how to apply eyeliner and mascara

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