Meet Selai Spriggs | Special Effects Makeup Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Selai Spriggs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Selai, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
One of the most important decisions that I made is taking a risk and giving special effects makeup a try. Special effects makeup was something I was always curious about doing but I never had the confidence to do it. I use to think “I cannot do that. That is too hard and I do not have any proper training for it.’ One day I woke up and I was tired of keeping all of the creative ideas to myself so I took a leap on faith, bought supplies, created something and put it out for the world to see. What I didn’t know is how well the world would love my work and encourage me to create more.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am so proud to be African American women in the special effects community. Representation is key and we all deserve to have a role model that may look like us, act like us or speak like us. One thing I peeped when I first started researching SFX is that I did not see enough people of color. When I go to YouTube it is usually not a person of color appearing in my search, so trying to understand what products to get that will match my complexion or darker complexions was a challenge. I did find a few representations through Instagram and Tik Tok eventually but it would be nice to find more.

One thing I am proud about is how quick I learned SFX. I have so much to learn still but I think I am doing wonderful for only being in this field for 3 months. I hear all of the time that it looks like I have been doing this for a while when in reality, I haven’t. What sets my experience apart is my hunger to learn. I always want to know how to do things or make things better. I have been curious on how to sculpt items to take my gore to another height.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE gore! Horror movies are my favorite genre next to animation. The more bloody the look, the better for me. The process requires a lot of clean up but to see peoples reactions, gives me a thrill! If I can scare someone with one of my looks then I am satisfied. It fuels my soul lol

Learning makeup alone has not been easy for me. I use to battle with myself mentally that I wasn’t good enough because I did not go to cosmetology school and opted for a bachelors degree 10 years ago in communications instead. I had to sit with myself for years that I chose a path that didn’t work out in my favor and that makeup was something I naturally loved and was good at. I had to stop the self doubt and once I did, I was able to fully fall in love with makeup and just accept it is what it is. I am here and this lane naturally came to me and that was okay. I had to stop comparing myself to other MUA’s and accept my own timeline. Wherever god was pushing me, I had to learn to roll with the punches and learn to better my craft along the way.

I have learned to love what I do and not think too much into it. I stopped forcing this lane to bring me money. I stopped forcing makeup to remove me from my day job (which I dislike but hey it pays the bills). I had to learn to love learning something new about SFX. I learned to love SFX all around and not what it could do for me but more so what I could do with it. It is important for me to be me and put my personality into my work, which I believe I am doing well at. I can only be Selai and radiate Selai through my work.

I want the world to know I am here and I am not going away! I may be a person who gets distracted with life, planning a wedding, and battling depression but I am not giving up. I refuse to fade into the background and not push myself to do more.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First things first I am going to ask if they like brunch lol Brunch is one of favorite meals. I am here for a unlimited mimosa! lol A brunch spot I would recommend it Nouveau Bar & Grill or Hob Knob. Both places have really good food selections and good mimosas. If you want different flavors of mimosas, Nouveau is the wave. Another good restaurant is Breakfast at Barney’s. They do not offer endless mimosas but it is a nice place to grab food and some drinks.

If it is beautiful warm day I would recommend a walk on the beltline where you can rent bikes and scooters. I would ride the beltline down to Ponce City Market and go to the rooftop amusement park. It is 21+, serves food, drinks, and has games such as mini golf, a giant slide and carnival games. They also play music while you vibe out and peep the view of Atlanta from above. Another warm day vibe is Piedmont Park. A lot of people go there for picnics, walk their dogs, ride the bikes and scooters, or to just be outside and walk around.

I love food and a few places I enjoy visiting is Hattie B’s, Big Dave’s, Killer Burger, and when I am feeling fancy, my fiancé and I like to hit The Capital Grille, The Melting Pot, AG Steakhouse or Korean BBQ. My favorite is The Melting Pot. It is a 4 course meal with cheese and chocolate, which are my two favorites.

I am not much of a club person anymore thanks to good ole covid but a lounge to go to is Boogalou. That place is JUMPING. they have great music that will keep you dancing. I recommend to grab a booth with your friends, order some drinks and a hookah and have a great time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My first big shout out goes to my Fiancé Leon. He is such a supportive and amazing partner who pushed me to into SFX makeup. I have always shared my ideas with him and he encouraged me to put those ideas out into the world. Even now I still show him looks that I want to do next and he helps me map out my looks! He speaks positive affirmations into my makeup career by letting me know how talented I am and that I can do anything that I set my mind too. If it was not for his support I most likely would have never stepped outside of my “pretty makeup” to do gory special effects.

Another shout out goes to my family & friends. When I share my work on social media, they always like, comment and share my work on their feed. It is a amazing feeling to see people believe in you and your dreams. My family & friends have been saying that Tyler Perry needs to hire me lol and I respond “from your mouth to gods ears” lol

Instagram: Slayedbyselai

Twitter: Slayedbyselai

Facebook: Slayed by Selai

Youtube: Slayed by Selai

Other: Follow me on Tik Tok as well at Slayedbyselai

Image Credits
Selai Spriggs