4 Ways To Keep Your Makeup Fresh During Festival Season
Summer is coming, which means vacations, bae-cations, and festivals. This year, I will attend my eighth ESSENCE Festival. Honestly, where has the time gone?
My first adult trip to New Orleans was pretty hilarious for two reasons: I didn't pack flats (I ruined my stilettos) and my makeup melted off every single day. Even being an Atlanta native did not prepare me for the New Orleans' humidity. Walk outside at 8 am. Humid. Walk outside at 8 pm. Still humid.
Lucky for me, by year four, I got my shoe game and makeup routine just right for hitting the New Orleans streets. If this is your first year attending a festival, I hope these tips help you pack your beauty essentials, and if you're a vet like me, you're well aware of what expect. Either way, here are four ways to keep your melanin poppin' without the shine all festival season long.
1.Skip Heavy Moisturizer
When Beyoncé hit the stage for Coachella and flawlessly powered through her two-hour set, we all had the same question, "How in the world does one keep their makeup in place when the temperature rises or when you're getting your life on stage?" Beyoncé's makeup artist Sir John dropped this gem, "When it's hot, an emollient moisturizer is going to lift off your foundation." Seems like a pretty straight-forward tip, but your base is essential to the staying power of your makeup.
Emollient moisturizers are known to protect the skin's barrier with ingredients like glycerin, which is a great benefit for your nighttime routine but makes you look like an oil slick during the day, especially during warmer months. Opt for a The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Amazon, $13) or primer to prep the skin before applying your makeup. The key here is making sure you find a lightweight option that not only moisturizes but that will keep your favorite beauty products in place.
2.Keep It Light
I know that keeping your makeup application light can be easier said than done, especially for those of us with hyperpigmentation, dark circles, or anything else that makes us feel insecure. I can relate to all three. I am a tinted moisturizer lover, but even that can make you look shiny in hot humid temps, no matter how well you set it.
So, I apply a light layer of matte foundation with my fingers (Fenty Beauty is my current fave), and then apply MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer (Amazon, $30) to the spots I want to cover — again with my fingers. I find that I have more control over where I'm placing my makeup and how much I am putting on, which gives me a lighter application.
3.Blot Before Touching Up Powder
This may be common knowledge, but the key to retouching makeup without it looking cakey and shiny after a touch-up is blotting the oil off of the skin first. My go-to blotting paper is Starbucks napkins. I know this might sound a little extra, but their napkins have a 4.8 rating on Makeupalley. Since I'm not in the coffee chains' store much these days, I use blotting papers.
There are blotting paper that is on the low and high end, and I find that all blotting papers aren't created equal. My go-to's are TATCHA Aburatorigami Japanese Blotting Papers (Amazon, $12) because they're made with great ingredients like 100 percent natural abaca leaf and gold flakes, and every purchase supports girls' education around the world. I also love Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Facial Blotting Sheets (Amazon, $5) —they're cheap and get the job done.
4.Set Your Masterpiece
I have historically always skipped setting spray in my makeup routine, but after trying setting spray a few weeks ago, I now understand it is the real MVP. Not only does it help your makeup last longer, but the right spray can hydrate skin. While options like Urban Decay's Chill Cooling and Hydrating Makeup Setting Spray (Amazon, $32) has time-release Temperature Control Technology to cool the surface of your makeup. Yes, please!
Whether you're heading to ESSENCE Fest, hanging out at a cookout, or lounging by the pool — these tips and tricks should help you look fresh and dewy all day long.
Bianca Lambert is a proud Atlanta native soaking up the Los Angeles sun. She is the founder of Mae B: a stationery company for women of color and a digital content creator on a mission to elevate the voices of women of color everywhere.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Between the rise of the creator economy and the gig economy, the window of opportunity to leverage your creativity for long-term gain has never been more potent.
For the last four years, I’ve worked as a full-time freelance writer and content creator. A year into this journey, I knew that if I wanted to create a sense of structure around my life outside of a traditional 9-5, I would have to create it.
To my surprise, that came in the form of social media.
Now, you might be wondering how someone might be able to juggle their work in a creatively-dominant career like writing while still having the mental capacity to produce ideas for their own personal brand, and well, that answer didn’t come easily.
In 2021, I hit a wall with writing and content creation.
With the stress and uncertainty that came as a result of the pandemic, to being burned out from having to live off my creativity, I reached a breaking point. For me, writing was always a space to explore my thoughts, process heavy topics, and express concepts that only words could bring reason to. However, when I didn’t have the brainpower to write or create content, I knew it was time to set parameters around my hobby of content creation and my passion for storytelling.
In this case, the biggest challenge was finding the balance between the two by releasing the guilt and shame of taking a break from both in order to reconnect with them.
Through years of trial and error, the fog finally cleared, and I was able to hit my stride in 2023. From garnering over 10K followers on TikTok, building an Instagram community around lifestyle and creative encouragement, along with my wellness collective, Black Girl Playground, and writing for xoNecole as a lifestyle contributor, the creative juices have been flowing steadily.
And it all happened by creating a strategy that allowed space for planning, resting, and creating. Today, I’ll be sharing my top tips to help you find your balance between your side hustle and passions.
On staying inspired and motivated when working on various content creation and freelancing projects:
Early this year, I came to the bright conclusion that I needed to shorten the gap between ideation and execution — and it completely changed how I create.
Oftentimes, when we have an idea come to us, we let it sit for too long, and then before we know it, we’ve either lost the enthusiasm to put it into action, or someone else grabs it. If you want to stay in a flow of creativity, whether side projects or full-time work, it’s important to not get slowed down by self-doubt, procrastination, or perfectionism.
Give yourself permission to act on your ideas as they come to you. Even if they’re a little muddy or not “perfect,” you can always fine-tune them later.
@yagirlaley shrinking the gap between [ideation] + [execution] 🧠💡#fyp #creativeadvice
On the importance of choosing a niche:
If there’s one thing that has helped me balance my work as a writer and content creator, it’s putting each in its own niche (or category). By definition, a niche is a specialized segment of the market or a specific area of expertise.
When you are creating in the same niche that you’re also making a living in, that’s an easy way to get your wires crossed. And at times, this could lead to feeling as if you don’t have any ideas for yourself because you’ve given them to the other area you're juggling.
When balancing two, you want to have enough fresh ideas to give to your personal projects and your full-time work to avoid any overlap. This ensures that your personal creative vision isn’t compromised when working on client projects while still having some for yourself.
On the strategies that have helped to maintain a consistent workflow in both areas:
I can’t stress enough how important it is to create a workflow and structure for yourself as a freelancer — this applies to those with a 9-5 in the day and a 5-9 at night, too.
As someone who admittedly has ADHD tendencies, object permanence can sometimes create a block in time and project management. That’s why I encourage creatives and professionals to create systems that allow you to see the work that’s ahead of you.
Personally, I can’t live without having multiple calendars going at once. My Google calendar keeps track of interviews for articles and events, while my physical calendar helps me keep track of important dates. I also work out of an Excel sheet where I can log in ongoing stories and track their status from drafting to submission. I’ve also heard great things about the Notion app for planning and tracking.
When it comes to creating content, spending time doing bulk content days has been an asset to my creative workflow. When I complete the videos, I save them to my drafts and upload them as needed.
Credit: Amberita
Courtesy of the writer
On the best advice for someone who is considering pursuing both content creation and freelancing simultaneously:
Don’t be ashamed of taking a break and resting — because both are essential to the life of a creative. Last month, I returned to Instagram after taking 6 months off from posting. During that time, I worked on growing my TikTok page, using the platform to practice vulnerability and allowing myself to put the fun back into creating content. Without the time, I can’t say I’d be able to approach Instagram with the same ease and playfulness; but thanks to that time away, it was possible.
Resting, letting our minds wander, or simply doing nothing are all just as productive as creating. No one can produce at all times, we have to allow ourselves the space for new concepts and ideas to flow to us. In addition to that, when we take breaks from social media, it allows us to stop the wheel of comparison and consume more than we create. So if you feel like you’re in a creative rut with all you want to balance, it may be time to take a step back, unapologetically.
Your creativity will thank you for it.
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Featured image by Sir Taylor