Abby Wright: Putting Her Best Face Forward

For Abby Wright, beauty is found in authenticity. “To me, beauty is being exactly who you are and letting that shine through on the outside,” Wright noted. Wright presently serves as beauty director for Strike Magazine, a student-led, fashion-geared publication that features both digital and physical copies, while showcasing a runway with curated looks once a semester. 

Wright plays a large part in the aesthetics of the publication. She explained, “As beauty director, I am in charge of our entire beauty team, which is comprised of 8 staff members. Our team creates all of the hair and makeup looks that go into the print issues of Strike Magazine, as well as on the digital posts that go up on our website.”

Aside from doing beauty, Wright also brainstorms and creates her own shoot ideas. Most recently, Wright led her team through a shoot that was personal to her, titled “Prom Night.” She said, “It featured three LGBTQ+ and/or gender non-conforming couples celebrating their ‘prom.’ As a queer woman, I definitely feel like a piece of my heart is in there and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.” When she isn’t drawing inspiration from her life, she looks to the world around her. “I am a firm believer in the fact that you can draw creative inspiration from anything,” Wright said.

As beauty director, Wright is tasked with prepping models for photoshoot days. These days start early, but Wright brightens the mood with sugary treats. Wright explained, “At 6 a.m., I got up and got donuts for my staff and models. Our call time was at 7 a.m., so I then met our six models and seven staff members at one of their houses to get beauty started.” Wright and her team toiled away to make their “Prom Night” vision a reality. Wright said, “We worked on all of the models’ hair, makeup and styling until 10 a.m., and then we all drove to Studio 715 to shoot for two hours.” Sometimes photoshoots require a little more than what the basic job description entails, and this one brought forth a unique task. She said, “I had my staff help me inflate around 100 balloons for our set pieces.”

For Wright, even a “normal” day is anything but. She explained, “When I’m not working for Strike, I also serve as the Head Personal Editor for Her Campus at Florida State University (FSU) and as a Staff Writer for The Eggplant.” Wright’s responsibilities don’t end there. She noted, “I also have a ‘real person’ job as a copywriter.” 

Recently, Wright broke the internet with a bold new beauty look. Wright said, “The idea came from the amazing mind of digital director Lily Fox; I truly just went with her vision. She was like, ‘Aliens. Pink. Watermelons,’ and I said ‘say no more.’” Wright faced her most ambitious look yet. “I had no idea how to paint someone’s entire body, but thankfully, we made it work,” Wright said.

Wright credits her model for being a trooper through the process. Wright said, “Massive shout out to our model, Jasmin Martinez, who was somehow okay with me painting her entire body with pink paint.” Wright finds joy in transforming the people in her chair. Wright said, “It’s so amazing to be able to help people see themselves in an entirely new way.” 

Wright, a true Libra, doesn’t favor one look in her portfolio over the other. “I feel like every makeup look I do becomes one of my many children,” she said. Her beauty journey started with herself. Wright’s best advice is to be your own canvas and that “before you go to bed at night and wash off your normal makeup, start trying fun things out in the mirror.”

She looks back on her time with Strike with grace. She said, “Working with Strike was a trial by fire from the very beginning, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” When it comes to acknowledging mistakes, Wright has a foolproof approach. She explained, “What’s more important than f*cking up is knowing how to fix it when you f*ck up.” Wright credits those around her for keeping her going and is “especially inspired by my Strike team (shout out to Helen Trawick, Lily Fox, and Tabitha Labrato).” Wright is set to graduate this semester, but her future is sure to be as beauty-filled as her present. 

For a follow-along video with Wright featuring a short biography, click here.

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