Chinq Pink Talks Beauty, Confidence And Making It Out Of 2018 Alive

Unless you’ve had your eyes closed this year between Yeezy’s Kimmy Klone campaign, Namilia’s Paris Hilton and Teyana Taylor extravaganza and GCDS’s triple tit sitch, you’ve probably noticed a little pink stealing the limelight from these heavyweights. Born, raised and still living in Oahu, Hawaii, Jaychelle A. Vannatta (aka @chinqpink) has gone from casually @-ing Juicy Couture for gigs to sliding straight into the aforementioned moments of psycho pop culture greatness. Built with brains on top of her brawn, she’s got hopes of a future involving not just the glam stuff — film, fashion and music — but also the truly beautiful, like producing a make-up line and saving the world’s coral reefs.

Hayley Morgan: What came first, the name or the colour?
Jaychelle Vannatta: I had my hair died pink for half a year before I called myself Chinq Pink.

Would you ever go blue?
That’s like asking a vegan if they’d ever eat meat. It’s a lifestyle [laughs].

Aside from yourself, who do you think has an iconic sense of style, and why?
Paris Hilton. Where would fashion be without her?

What or who influences your beauty routine?
Travelling all the time makes it hard to put your health as number one priority so when I do my beauty and makeup routine I make sure my health comes first. Such as overdosing on water, vitamin E, biotin. Skin is everything.

What are your go-to beauty products?
I use the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil every day for my eyebrows. I love the Too Faced Hangover Face Primer and Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation.

Any tricks or tips for helping your colour survive?
There’s no escaping bleaching your roots, but I enjoy dyeing my hair often and mixing different types of pinks from different brands. There’s no special trick to help your colour survive.

Do you see make-up, hair colour and beauty treatments as a way to change yourself or enhance what you’re already proud of?
You can never really change yourself, you can only bring out what’s inside.

What’s your definition of beauty?
Beauty is confidence in every perfection and flaw.

Have you always felt beautiful?
No I haven’t and sometimes I don’t now. We live in this generation where your appearance is constantly on display for the world to criticise, and we are our worst critics.

If you could give one piece of advice to the younger you, what would it be?
Dye your hair pink. Love yourself. Drink water. Create when you’re mad, sad and happy.

Who or what have you got to thank for you being where you are now in terms of success?
My family. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am now.

And how did the Yeezy gig come through?
Basically, I got a DM on Instagram asking me if I could do the shoot. And I turned down, like, five flights before I actually believed that it was legit and not a scam.

Everyone else went blonde for it. How’d you convince them to let you stay pink?
I didn’t have to convince them at all. They wanted me to keep the pink. They wanted me because I’m me… Ask Kanye.

How do you feel about the Kardashian effect and the brand of Insta girls who mimic the look?
I don’t really have any feeling towards it. I think it’s cool that people find beauty in themselves through them.

Do you think social media and the perfection it portrays is dangerous in terms of beauty standards?
Most beauty standards were created from the male perspective and as a feminist, I do what makes me feel beautiful. For me, social media isn’t 24/7, so when I’m not feeling myself, I don’t go on it at all. It’s important to take breaks and live your life. If you put your phone down, live your life and do things that make you happy, you won’t be hung up on portraying a perfect life.

What personal beliefs and values are meaningful to you?
Feminism. Equality of the sexes. Body positivity. It’s important to change the standards of beauty and I feel like it’s possible to change it through modelling. Changing education paradigms — school is a struggle for most people — why is that? We need to change that. I could go on… this world is so imperfect.

Best piece of advice you ever received?
Don’t have a boyfriend.

Finally, what’s next for you? Hopes/dreams/desires?
Work more. Travel more. I wanna do it all — I want to become a multi-faceted business woman. I’m interested in everything from saving corals from coral bleaching, to having my own make-up line, designing my own clothing line, directing music videos, owning my own car wash — anything you think I can make pink, I will [laughs]!

Oh, and any advice for making it out of 2018 alive?
Remember who loves you, love yourself, make goals, drink water, enjoy all the simple things for one may not have it as good as you.