Indian Country Today features Native Americans across the country during the month of November with #NativeIn2019

Tiffany Black, Diné, is a makeup artist and beauty influencer. She has received recognition from major brands including Anastasia Beverly Hills, Morphe and Kylie Skin.

Black grew up on the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona. She says her life was like that of any typical teenager on the rez ... travelling long distances to compete in sports and visiting her great-grandma at sheep camp.

It was a little bit after this time that she began creating makeup “looks.” She started with a single eyeshadow palette. As she gained skill, she realized the importance of showing her looks to the world in a high-quality way. After this, she taught herself video production.

This paid off. Black has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram alone. “I never thought it [her talent and following] would be what it has grown into today,” she says.

Black says a large motivation for her is to encourage people (which she says includes girls, boys, women and men) in Native communities to have someone in the beauty industry to look up to. She says when she was looking for Native inspiration, she did not have much luck. “I did not see other influencers in the beauty industry who looked like me or had my skin color.”

The makeup artist says she hopes to expand her platform in the future to bring awareness to issues happening in Native communities. “I have several projects and ideas for that and hope to build on them soon to share with everyone.”

About Native American Heritage Month and Native American Heritage Day

President George H.W. Bush signed a joint resolution in 1990 designating November as Native American Heritage Month. Each year the president has proclaimed the day after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day.

Aliyah Chavez, Kewa Pueblo, is a reporter-producer at Indian Country Today's Phoenix Bureau. Follow her on Twitter: @aliyahjchavez or email her at achavez@indiancountrytoday.com

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