Andrew Dahling’s beauty awakening began at age 8, when he was left home alone for the first time: He snuck into his mom’s makeup bag, and later got caught trying (unsuccessfully) to rub off waterproof mascara. While his parents were “gagged and shocked” when they found him, Dahling remembers that moment as the beginning of his beauty path.”When I was a kid, I went through this era where all I drew were women with tons of makeup and big lips and big eyes,” he tells Fashionista. “Glamour and women always fascinated me, and I was enamored by the world of makeup, hair and fashion from an early age.” Andrew Dahling.Photo: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images But small-town Kentucky wasn’t exactly the most creatively inspiring environment growing up. “There weren’t any real weirdos,” Dahling says. “The emo kids were the most avant-garde…but they were just sad and chainsmoking all day.” So he turned to the internet: He found community within various online subcultures and on Tumblr. He watched documentaries about Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, club kid culture and London’s ’80s punk scene. Lady Gaga was another formative figure in Dahling’s upbringing: “I remember being screamed at by my family all the time because I would watch the same music video for ‘Marry the Night’ over and over and over,” he laughs. Susanne Bartsch at the Center Gala 2024. Makeup by Dahling. (Photo: Manny Carabel/Getty Images) Pop culture not only helped Dahling escape into other worlds, but it also helped shape his love for beauty. “I…
