Just a few years ago, I shared the stories of a few fellow travelistas who came across a $200 travel glitch to South Africa and Dubai. At the time, I remember thinking, I hope to one day get to travel to a foreign destination for a low price myself. I knew a handful of people who were able to snatch tickets at the below market value price, and each one came back with amazing stories to tell. So I followed the advice shared in my interviews, started following Twitter pages like The Flight Deal and Airfare Deal Alert, and prayed that one day, my moment would come.
And my day did come on New Year’s Day in 2023. I woke up to an email in my inbox about a “travel glitch” for a $400 round trip to Dakar, Senegal, from Scott's Cheap Flights (now Going), one of many sites that I subscribed to that sends out daily travel deals for destinations all around the globe. While I had heard of Dakar from friends who went, I admit it wasn’t initially high on my bucket list. I was determined to get to Cape Town, Ghana, or Egypt before venturing out to other countries in the Motherland.
But the thing about travel glitches is that you have little time to think. As I had learned from missing out on previous travel glitches, waiting more than a few hours could cost you a good deal. So after doing a quick Google search to see if Dakar would be a good solo travel destination (in case I couldn’t convince anyone else to come), I booked the trip and shared the news with friends and family to see if anyone else wanted to go.
At first, nobody seemed interested, so I mentally prepared myself to go on what I thought would be my first international solo trip. But a few days later, my best friend surprised me when she said, “I’m down to go with you, boo.” And those coveted words were the beginning of what would be one amazing trip with my ride-or-die bestie.
If Dakar wasn’t on your radar before, I hope that by the end of reading this, you get an idea of the magic of this gem nestled on the West Coast of Africa. From the rich and vibrant culture to fun day trips and beautiful beaches to take a dip, here are five reasons you need to book a flight to Senegal ASAP!
Gorée Island
Kiah McBride
1. The History is Rich
Writer Kiah at Gorée Island
Kiah McBride
Dakar is a place filled with history just as rich and colorful as its French colonial buildings. On a tour through the city of Dakar, we stopped by the Our Lady of Victories Cathedral, where we learned that 96% of Senegalese identify as Muslim, though the city is known for being extremely tolerant towards different religions. We wound our way through Marché Kermel, one of the most popular markets for food, spices, and souvenirs. As we made our way to Gorée Island, one of the largest slave-trading centers on the African coast from the 15th to 19th century, we felt the weight of our ancestors' pain as we walked through the eerily quiet streets of the island.
At each stop of the tour, we got a sense of where Dakar has been and where it’s going as the city continues to grow economically and modernize its infrastructure. For that reason, like any city, expect to see a mix of more humble and luxurious abodes as you ride through different areas.
African Renaissance Monument
Kiah McBride
2. The People are Kind and Offer Great Hospitality
Dakar Market
Kiah McBride
Whenever you travel to a new country, there’s always that question of whether or not you will feel accepted by the people there. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the people of Dakar are not only kind, but they actually pride themselves on their hospitality. In fact, they even have the word “terenga” in their local language, Wolof, to describe the warm welcome that they give visitors. Throughout my time there, I felt safe and even managed to stumble through my beginner French to connect and converse with some of the locals. If safety and hospitality are high on your list of travel needs, you will find yourself at home in Dakar.
Dakar Market
Kiah McBride
3. The Food is Phenomenal
Thieboudienne meal with bissap on Gorée Island
Kiah McBride
The amount of yassa fish (Filet de Lotte) and bissap (a sweet hibiscus drink similar to the Jamaican drink Sorrel) we consumed should be a sin. The food in Dakar was so fresh and flavorful that I found myself looking forward to every meal. Whether you indulge in more traditional cuisine such as thieboudienne—a seasoned fish simmered with vegetables in tomato paste and served over broken rice—or opt for more familiar dishes, Dakar has a restaurant to accommodate your taste buds. A bonus if you go to a place with a view just as beautiful as your plated dish!
Ngor Island
Kiah McBride
Kiah pictured at Ngor Island
Kiah McBride
4. There are Endless Activities and Attractions
Bandia Reserve
Kiah McBride
From the beautiful beaches of Plage de Yoff to the Bandia Reserve, where you can go on your own mini safari tour, there’s no shortage of things to do both in and outside of the city. We were in Dakar for nearly seven days and only managed to squeeze in enough time to tour the main sites and monuments, catch a small boat for an overnight stay on Ngor Island, and make our way to see the giraffes at the Bandia Reserve. That may sound like a full itinerary, but we probably would need at least a month in Senegal to really experience all that it has to offer. Be sure to do your research to best determine how to plan your itinerary, as some attractions like Lac Rose (a pink lake) and Lompoul Desert will require you to be gone for a full day or even overnight.
Kiah at Ngor Island
Kiah McBride
5. The Nightlife is a Vibe
Hitting the late-night streets may not be everyone’s preference, but if you do find yourself curious about the evening festivities of the city, then Dakar certainly will not disappoint. We were surprised to discover that Dakar has a vibrant nightlife and that many of the clubs and late-night eating spots don’t close until the sun comes up. While I normally wouldn’t emphasize the party life as being the reason to travel, there’s just something about listening to Afrobeats in Africa on a beautiful summer night that’s a magical experience. If nightclubs aren’t your thing, consider enjoying live music at a local spot or nearby hotel, such as Hotel Boma, for a more chill vibe.
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Featured image by Kiah McBride
RELATED
During the Los Angeles tour stop, which spanned three dates on May 21, May 23, with the finale on May 24, xoNecole had the opportunity to test out the glosses included in this soft launch, as SZA revealed in a statement that "this is just the start of other lip products, including plans to launch stains, liners, and creams all inspired by SZA's “infamous layered lip combinations.”
Courtesy
So, what is included in the first Not Beauty launch?
The current Not Beauty products available are lip glosses that come in three shades: In the Flesh, Strawberry Jelly, and Quartz.
During my visit to the first LA Not Beauty pop-up activation, I not only had the chance to purchase all three glosses but also took a peek inside the blow-up log tent. Inside, fans got to experience SZA’s love for nature and her fascination with bugs, which are prominently featured in her performances for this tour. At one point, she even had human preying mantis prancing across the stage y'all.
There were blow-up photos of the beauty that is SZA for fans (myself included) to take photos, but in wooden-like tree trunks were a deeper dive into some of the ingredients featured in her products and their benefits.
For example, the glosses feature Hi-Shine Lip Jelly and Shea Butter as key ingredients and some of the listed benefits included are:
- Shea Butter - “A powerhouse ingredient, offering both functional and nourishing benefits.”
- Hi-Shine Lip Jelly (featured in the In the Flesh shade) - “Formula glides on with perfect adhesion to the lips without stickiness).
Courtesy
What are in the products?
Featured in an orange package, with images of a bug and flower on the side, the back of the box reads: “It’s NOT BEAUTY, it just works. Developed by Solána “SZA” Rowe.
As someone who never leaves home without a good lip gloss, I loved how compact the wood panel packaging is. Perfect to slip into my purse, or in the case of the show at SoFi Stadium, into my pocket when I’m not carrying a bag.
Because I’m a sucker for a good black and brown lip liner and clear gloss combo, I decided to wear the Quartz flavor on night one of the Grand National Tour LA stop, and it did not disappoint. I’ll admit, it’s light weight feel made me nervous because it felt like there was nothing on my lips. However, when I checked my lips in my compact mirror several times throughout the night, I was shocked to find that my gloss was still intact. I only reapplied once out of the habit of looking cute and applying my gloss, but not necessity.
Here are some of the ingredients featured, but not limited to, in the Quartz flavor.
- Polyisoubutene
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea)Butter
- Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
- Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
- Tocopherol
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Lip prep
I’m a simple girl who loves to stay true to her roots. So ahead of the show, I stopped by a local Inglewood Beauty Supply store and grabbed a Black and Brown shade lip pencil for just under $2 a piece.
Shading the outline of my lips with the black pencil first, I used the brown to lightly fill the inside of my lips before applying my Quartz Not Beauty shade gloss.
How to apply
There’s truly no right or wrong way to apply lip gloss (in my opinion), with this being a brush applicator sort of product, I simply untwisted the top and swiped the gloss around my top and bottom lip generously.
Courtesy
Results
Again, my Not Beauty Quartz product stayed on my lips from the start of the show, which began with a fire DJ set from LA’s very own, Mustard, to the conclusion when Kendrick and SZA reunited on stage to send us home to their duet, “luther,” featured on the rapper's GNX album.
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Feature image courtesy
“I think for me, an all-American girl, for some reason, brings me back to when I was younger, and just like playing at my grandma’s house and just being outside,” Kennedy told xoNecole ahead of her attendance at the 2025 BET Awards.
“I just feel like when I was younger, you know, you don’t have as many responsibilities. There’s not as much weighing you down, and so I kind of go back to that mindset. Like, even now, being 27, I’m trying to get back to that younger girl.”
The 2025 BET Awards, hosted by Kevin Hart, took place in Los Angeles at the Peacock Theater on Monday night (June 9). The star-studded event was filled with tons of surprises, including a trip down memory lane with a 106 & Park reunion, coupled with performances by artists that dominated the top spots during the music video countdown show’s reign from 2000 to 2014.
Kennedy, who received her first nomination alongside Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, and Beyoncè in the BET Her category for “Blackbiird,” the reimagination of the original The Beatles of the same title (minus the extra i), invited xoNecole to get ready with her as she prepared for her first-ever BET Awards.
Beauty Rituals Inherited From Her Mother.
Rather than booking her makeup artist ahead of the big night, Kennedy decided to go on a budget and do the task herself, something that isn’t too out of her norm. She noted how she incorporates some of the things she witnessed her mother do while growing up in her routine.
“I remember being younger and seeing all the makeup laid out on my mom’s counter,” the “I Look Good In That Truck” singer recalled. “I don’t even think she knows this, but there were moments where I would like to go and steal her makeup. She would have Mac. I think it was some kind of foundation powder, and I would go in there and I would put it on, and I’m like I hope she doesn’t see.”
She added, “My mom is very natural with her makeup, so even though I’ve got these big lashes on, I always gravitate towards just neutral looks… I don’t do anything too fancy.”
Tiera Kennedy’s Holy Grail of Products.
Kennedy took it upon herself to take a class to ensure that she’s prepared for nights like these, where she’s the one responsible for bringing her glam look to life.
“We are independent,” she said, reminding us that she is no longer tied to a big machine when it comes to her work as an artist. “We ball on a budget. I have to do my makeup for award shows, events, all the things, and so my makeup artist that taught me how to do all of this, Hailee Clark, she put me on to Nars, the foundation. I don’t know exactly what the name of it is, but I love it.”
“I don’t know all the fancy technicals, but I know that it makes me just look kind of airbrushed, and so I love it. Then, I always use this Laura Mercier [setting] powder because I get real shiny, so I’ve gotta reapply that quite often.”
“We are independent. We ball on a budget. I have to do my makeup for award shows, events, all the things, and so my makeup artist that taught me how to do all of this, Hailee Clark, she put me on."
Her Decision To Wear Hanifa For The Big Night.
Intentionality is essential for Kennedy, which is why she jumped at the opportunity to support Black designer Anifa Mvuemba with a dress from her fashion brand, Hanifa.
“Takirra on my team helped me pick out the dress. I really like to represent in country music, and being in Nashville, I like to represent Black culture through the things that I wear, and I was excited to get to wear a Black brand to the BET Awards,” said Kennedy.
“She was telling me about this brand, Hanifa, and we were on FaceTime just scrolling through the website, and she was like this looks like you. This feels very rooted, like fits those natural tones, and so she bought the dress and was like, ‘This is what you’re wearing.’”
The look was a Raven Knit Dress in Eggplant/Dark Brown Mesh from Hanifa.
Tiera Kennedy in her younger years.
Courtesy
Kennedy also nurtured her inner child for the look, taking it back to her roots with one small detail in her hair that she had her mother carry out before she hopped on the flight to LA.
“I had this vision of wearing beads in my hair because when I was younger, my mom would always do that, and I didn’t love it, but now I’m like, it would be really beautiful to tie all of that together, and the Hanifa dress just fit perfectly.”
“Just even in the past couple of days, I’ve had to take a second, and just look back at all of the awesome things we’ve gotten to do,” said Kennedy when asked what baby Tiera is feeling in this moment.
“I had this vision of wearing beads in my hair, because when I was younger, my mom would always do that, and I didn’t love it, but now I’m like, it would be really beautiful to tie all of that together, and the Hanifa dress just fit perfectly.”
“I dreamed of having a record and having this team that was doing all of these things for me, and now, being an independent artist, and being in control of my career, I’ve gotten to build an awesome team behind me that helps me get to where I am. It’s been a lot of hard work, and I think when I was younger, I would have never imagined that I could do all of these things, and so, yeah, to be here, I don’t even think I would believe it.”
Although “Blackbiird” didn’t win in the BET Her category during Monday night’s show, Kennedy’s future is brighter than ever, which she attests to her faith playing a huge role in guiding her next steps as she continues to rise to stardom.
“Thinking about the next thing, I think that can be really daunting when you’re an independent artist. It’s like you have to be thinking of what’s coming next, to prepare for that, but I think the way that I like to walk through life in general is letting the Lord lead,” Kennedy said.
“I know that a lot of time when I have a vision of what I want things to look like in my head, He always exceed my expectations. So, I think the plan is to continue to release music, and continue to show up as my authentic self. Getting to have these moments like the BET Awards is so awesome, but also, at the same time, that’s not what I do this for. I do it for the humans that are listening to my music, that are [having] fun and healing through my music, so I hope that I can just continue to do that.”
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Feature image by Rob Latour/Shutterstock