Born and bred on the internet, Dadeko wants to bridge the gap between make-up and technology with her new range of Snapchat filters
Following in the footsteps of Lil Miquela and Perl, Dadeko is your new favourite internet it girl. Born on the world wide web, Dadeko is all about changing up her look, something which she has been able to do with a combination of 3D make-up and holographic filters. Think blue wigs inspired by Ulala from Space Channel 5 (she’s a big gaming and cosplaying fan), and Pikachu inspired eye make-up and blush. And now, thanks to her digital genius, you can look like Dadeko too with her very own range of Snapchat filters. Here she shares her story.
I was born on the internet and spent most of my time in games, whether playing a character or doing a side hustle as an NPC [non-player character]. Games and the gaming community is what made me. It’s the first community I really felt a part of. I’ve learnt everything I know about being badass from cosplaying characters like D.Va from Overwatch, Art3mis in Ready Player One or Kratos from God of War. Cosplay gives me that moment where I feel like I am playing with a new identity. You become a superhero version of yourself.
Cosplay is also how I first got into make-up. I’ve always been into creating characters and experimenting with paint, eyeshadow, liners, and textures. I like to play with my identity, through make-up and tech, customising HTML code on websites, character animation, or textures in Blender or Cinema 4D. Experimenting with beauty and special effects apps led to the desire for creating my own technology. These days I’ll tend to do a make-up look and then get inspired to make a cool 3D experiment, like some of the abstract, C4D nerd fluid motion shapes I like to create.
For me, make-up is about being creative. When I cosplay or do make-up I want to create something fun or augment into a new version of myself. It’s really about transforming into someone else and exploring a new side of me. Make-up is an experimental process for me, not about beauty, that’s such an alien concept to me.
People know me for my make-up looks and 3D make-up, which most people call ‘filters’. Each make-up look and filter I create is designed to make you feel powerful and beautiful. It’s like the moment you cosplay a character you love, and you become a superhero version of yourself. I want each of the filters to help people see themselves from a fresh perspective. I think we are all superheroes. We just need to unlock whatever makes us feel 100%. I get a massive kick each time I create one. I want to give people superhero powers. Even if it is for a minute. It’s really powerful when people break free of an identity and see themselves from a new perspective.
I would describe my aesthetic as unreal. In terms of creative process, I might start by visualising a character or choosing a few never seen before colours. But then I break the rules or add something extra, like a translucent glow or veins with neon pink electrical currents flowing through them. Reality is boring. I mix real make-up with 3D to create a new out-of-this-world aesthetic. I used to get nervous trying out new make-up looks but experimenting has definitely built up my confidence in who I am.
These days I feel most beautiful when I finish a 3D look or a filter. It feels like I’ve unlocked the next level in a game. It’s always fun to see people wearing the filters on Facebook or Snapchat, even if I know there are billions of bits of code making it happen.
Of course, some days I get down when people tell me I’m fake. To overcome these feelings I do something creative when I feel negative. I might mess around with a new colour palette or experiment with holographic 3D textures. Whenever I feel down I push myself to try out something new. No one has the right to make us feel bad about the way we look. There is no such thing as one beauty ideal we all have to conform to. Create your own character and be who you want to be.