For this week’s Spotlight On feature, we spoke to makeup artist and social media star Niall Casey.
The fashion student shot to fame after appearing on the first season of RTÉ’s Glow Up Ireland last year, where he came in second place.
Before his TV debut, the Kerry native was already making major moves in the beauty industry by growing a huge online following on Instagram and TikTok.
Niall has a whopping 1.3million followers on TikTok, and an incredible 85.9k followers on Instagram.
The talented MUA uses the social media platforms to show off his impressive skills, creating both stunning and spooky makeup looks.
Check out our full exclusive interview with Niall below:
What was it like growing up in rural Ireland and being interested in makeup? Were people supportive of it?
I must say growing up in rural Ireland and being a young queer kid definitely had its pros and cons. I always ask myself how I ended up here but guess I wouldn’t change it for the world either. You could say it was character development!
Growing up I hid most of who I was. I think I was protecting myself. I knew how judged I would be if I did come out, because that’s the way society was. As a kid it’s hard not to feel like there’s something wrong with you when you hear the all the negative terminology about gay people etc.
Thankfully in my teenage years I decided I really didn’t care. I had been through enough in terms of judgement from other people and I was like whatever. The less I cared the better my life became. I started posting on Instagram in fifth and sixth year. Brace face and acne era but iconic all the same.
How did you first become interested in makeup?
I was always a creative person. As a kid, I drew pictures of female faces like all the time. I had an obsession with bone structure and the anatomy of the face. In my early teenage years, I even drew family portraits for people… I finally decided I wanted to move onto something more 3D, so I started doing makeup on myself and fell in love.
@nialllcaseyOMG I CANT SPEAK finish the lip sync for me 🥲🥲🥲♬ original sound – vann
You appeared on the first season of Glow Up and finished in second place – which is amazing! What made you decide to sign up for the show and how did you feel about appearing on national television?
I appeared on Glow Up Ireland last year. I wasn’t actually approached but I remember one of my friends sending me the application quite early on and encouraging me to apply. I was apprehensive because at the time I was just starting to grow on TikTok and didn’t know if it would interfere with how much I could post etc. I ultimately decided to do it because I knew that I could make the most of it and benefit in the long run.
Honestly, I just had fun with it. I got to meet some great people and make friends for life. Appearing on TV every week was such an amazing, surreal experience. I feel like many people think you’re made as soon as you come off these shows but that’s not always the case. It’s really about the work you put in afterwards.
The show definitely had it’s pros and cons. Looking back it helped me a lot with my confidence. It was also extremely stressful and creatively demanding. It was filmed over a very short period of time and we were put under a lot of pressure.
If I could go back I’d definitely be more diva about certain things, I feel like when you’re there you think you should just keep quiet because you’re lucky to be there. That’s the reality of showbiz I guess!
You worked alongside Maura Higgins on the show. What was that like? Do you still keep in touch?
Yes I did work alongside Maura. I am not in contact with her still but to be fair she is a busy girl! I get on well with Maura, we always had fun and just didn’t take things too seriously around each other.
She texted me after our first day filming encouraging me and telling me not to be nervous, which meant a lot. She is very real and supportive both on and off camera and what you see is what you get really. She’s an icon.
You have a massive following on TikTok. What are the pros and cons of the app? Have you ever experienced online trolling?
There definitely are pros and cons. In terms of trolling, you kind of just get used to it. At the end of the day, the bad comes with the good. Usually though there is more good than bad.
People will try call you anything and everything, but what really matters is that you love you and you are staying true to you. It’s really not about the numbers, and the less you obsess over them the better I think.
At the start you might feel hurt by the hate comments and that’s ok we’re only human, but I promise you it’s definitely more of a them problem than a you problem. Projection is real honey.
Your creations are incredible! How long do you usually spend on a look?Â
Thank you so much. It really depends but altogether it takes several hours. Some of my longest looks have taken 8-10 hours. Of course if you’re filming, you have to do that at the same time, which can add on more time.
Who do you look up to in the makeup industry?
Definitely some of my main ones would be Nikkietutorials, Sarah New, and Keilidh Cashell.
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What advice would you give your younger self?
Honestly I always ask myself this question and constantly come up with different answers. There’s no simple answer really. I feel like baby Niall was so insecure and shy they needed a LOT of advice.
I’d just tell him to love himself more. I know it can be hard because you feel like you’re carrying so much already that the last thing you want to do is turn inward and focus on self love, but I promise it will help a lot!
What can we expect to see from you in the coming months? Have you any makeup collabs in the works or goals you’d love to achieve this year?
Honestly, I really am taking it day by day. I’m grateful to be able to work with brands regularly and hopefully collab with some more content creators in the coming months.
Also may or may not be moving away from Kerry in the near future so it’s all very exciting. Definitely it’ll be all about staying high vibe and making sure to be grateful for everything.
