From high fashion to horror, Chattanooga makeup artists showcase the colors of creative expression

Photo by Blake Blamalam of BLAM Photography / Artist Elea Xylem (right) styles Bruceann Gomez for a photo shoot — which Xylem says was born from pandemic boredom. "[My sister and I] are definitely artists with a compulsion to create," she says, referring to her twin sister, Blake Blamalam. Photo by Blake Blamalam of BLAM Photography / Artist Elea Xylem (right) styles Bruceann Gomez for a photo shoot — which Xylem says was born from pandemic boredom. "[My sister and I] are definitely artists with a compulsion to create," she says, referring to her twin sister, Blake Blamalam.

By Sunny Montgomery October 1, 2021 8 min read

Haute for color

Elea Xylem begins each day at her vanity, made from a repurposed church alter, affixed with a lighted mirror.

“You should always sit down to do your makeup,” says the 29-year-old artist and stylist at Elea Blake Cosmetics, a Chattanooga-based studio founded in 1997 by her mother, Darin Wright.

“Take the time to be intentional. It will improve your makeup 1,000%.”

Lately, she says, her look is blue eyeliner paired with hot pink lipstick.