About Iza — The Person Behind the Brushes

Chapter 1: Memories

I have been in love with makeup since I was a little girl.

I have a vivid memory of my grandmother applying her cerise pink lipstick and bright blue eye pencil. I can still remember the scent of my Tinkerbell makeup set at five years old.

The first time I wore makeup to church, my mom said it was “too much” for a 14-year-old — even though it was just a little shimmer eyeshadow applied by my older sister. But to me, it felt magical. Makeup made me feel grown-up. It made me feel beautiful.

The first piece of makeup that was truly mine was a frosty pink MAC lip gloss. It was the 90s, after all. My sister brought it back from London, long before South Africa had MAC stores.

When I wore it, I felt confident. I imagined people turning their heads — even if they weren’t. It made me feel seen. It made me feel good.

I always envisioned myself doing makeup. I just never imagined it as a career.

Beauty therapy felt like the natural path. During those years working as a beauty therapist, I became completely immersed in the world of beauty.

I was fascinated by sparkle, beautiful clothes, perfectly styled hair, and the idea of looking “just right.” I never left the house without makeup. My naturally curly, frizzy hair was always sleek and straightened with a GHD.

“Jy kon my deur ‘n ring trek.”

I loved the transformation.
I loved the confidence it gave me.

Makeup became my confidence boost.

At the time, I believed beauty was something you created.
I did not yet realise it was something you revealed.

Chapter 2: Growing Up (And Growing Out of It)

As I got older, life started shaping me in ways makeup never could.

I met Riekert — now my husband, and a Cape Town wedding photographer.

He saw me without the polished hair, without the “perfect” makeup, without everything being just right — and he loved me exactly the same.

That was new for me.

Slowly, my obsession with looking flawless started softening. I began realising that confidence does not come from how perfectly you present yourself. It comes from how comfortable you feel in your own skin.

Marriage, motherhood, real life — it all changes you.

You start caring less about being perfectly styled and more about being present.

I stopped trying to transform myself.

And that changed how I worked.

I began focusing on enhancing instead of covering. Softening instead of sculpting. Refining instead of reshaping.

Beauty no longer felt like something I had to create.

It felt like something that was already there.

There is such a wonderful feeling of “being at home” when you meet the person you are meant to be with. Marrying him was the best decision of my life. I felt safe. I felt secure. I felt at home with who I was.

He told me I was beautiful many times when I was not wearing a drop of makeup — when my hair looked like I had stepped off the set of The Lion King. The best part is, I actually started to believe him.

As I grew into being a wife – and eventually a mother – my perception of beauty shifted even more. I started wearing less makeup. Most days, no makeup at all. I embraced my curly, frizzy hair, my blotchy skin, and the little wrinkles that slowly started to appear.

Chapter 3 – Where I am now

I am a mother to two ridiculously gorgeous, blue-eyed little boys. They are my absolute pride and joy.

When my five-year-old looks into my eyes and tells me, “Mamma jy is mooi” (you are pretty), he does not say it because I have makeup on or because my hair is perfectly in place. He says it because, to him, I am beautiful just the way I am.

It took me a while to truly believe that.

But now that I do, I am so much happier — and I see beauty in other women more clearly.

My relationship with makeup has changed dramatically over the last 15 years. I no longer use it to cover who I am, but rather to enhance what is already there.

Makeup should never be applied in a way that people compliment the makeup itself.

When they compliment your skin, your smile, or your beautiful eyes — then you know you’ve done it right.

It should never take away from your natural beauty.

It should enhance

Chapter 4: Your Story

Every bride who sits in my chair has her own story.

My role is not to change you or transform you into someone else.
As a bridal hair and makeup artist in Cape Town, my focus is always on enhancing what is already there.

It is to enhance what is already there — and to create a calm, steady space where you feel confident and completely yourself.

Because I no longer believe beauty is something you create.

I believe it is something you reveal.

And that is what I aim to do for every woman I work with.

You can explore real brides and wedding days in my Bridal Portfolio.

Beyond bridal work, I also create looks for photoshoots and lifestyle sessions and corporate clients across Cape Town and the Winelands.

Tell me about

Your story