For Mayra “Breezy” Ramirez (aka Hella Breezy), “the higher the wing, the closer to God” isn’t just a saying, it’s a mantra. In fact, for the 38-year-old multi-genre vinyl DJ and creative, a fierce cat eye is part of her signature look as well as her essence.
“Black liquid eyeliner, or what us homegirls like to call our ‘war paint,’ is the single most significant beauty product for me,” Ramirez tells REMEZCLA. (Her go-to is the KVD Beauty Tattoo Liner.) A look that was once mainly associated with cholas and “bad girls” has gradually made its way into the pop culture zeitgeist over the years, and is now one of today’s most popular beauty trends. Nevertheless, no matter how mainstream the beauty look becomes, it would be negligent to overlook its roots (and Ramirez would be happy to remind you of them).
From her music mixes to her look, Ramirez’s cultural background and community have always been a major influence. (She’s an LA-based Mexican–American and self-proclaimed “chola gone hyphy.”) Her first and biggest beauty inspirations were the women she saw in her neighborhood growing up. “I remember thinking how cool and beautiful my friends’ older sisters were with their long, flowy hair, intense and precise eyeliner, the gold jewelry they wore and the graceful way they moved,” recounts Ramirez. Her earliest makeup memory is competing with her middle school classmates (girls who also wanted to emulate the older sisters Ramirez was infatuated with) on the school bus to see who could do their eyeliner the best. “It got competitive,” Ramirez reminisces, “as we all tried to be crowned the eyeliner queen!”
While she’s now developed a signature look and style of her own, at the same time, Ramirez tries to pay homage to the Latinas (“women with sharp edges and brown skin”) who paved the way for women like her, while still staying true to herself. She carries herself with the same grace as the women who came before her in hopes that her confidence will inspire confidence in the young girls whose shoes she once stood in. “When people like myself have the opportunity to create, I always keep in mind how somewhere someone is looking at me and thinking, ‘that could be me’ or ‘I can do this’ because they see themselves in me. At the same time, I see myself in them because I was once that little girl looking up to women who so fiercely represented our Latine beauty and talent with so much pride,” Ramirez tells REMEZCLA.
Outside of her signature black liquid eyeliner, other products that make up Ramirez’s “war paint” include the NYX Professional Makeup Pore Filler Blurring Face Primer, NARS Afterglow Cheek Palette, Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW Waterproof, Smudge Proof Brow Pomade in Medium Brown, and Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Polish.
For Ramirez, beauty is everything. Not only is it the tool that allows her to show up as the most authentic and unapologetic version of herself, it’s also what helps energize her during low periods. “To me, beauty is finding the strength to be who I want to be, beauty is mindfulness, beauty is resilience, beauty is confidence in the face of adversity, so I find that I feel the most beautiful when I take the time to care for myself.”
Belleza Remix is a Remezcla platform presented by Ulta Beauty that celebrates Latine beauty through the diverse cultures, countries and rituals that make us all unique. Mayra’s story is just one of many perspectives of Latine beauty. Shop Mayra’s Beauty Picks below.
