The rap industry looks a lot different than it did a decade ago, and thanks to women like Rico Nasty, it'll never be the same again. After being expelled from her affluent boarding school for smoking weed and becoming a teen mom at only 18 years old, Rico had no clue what was in store for her life. Little did she know, her life would one-day be comprised of NYFW runways, mosh pits, and a whole lot of empowerment. Rico Nasty, born Maria Kelly, is the epitome of electric and her makeup routine keeps that same energy.
For Rico, there are no limits, and this is a mantra that is consistently reflected in both her music and her electrifying beauty regime. In a makeup tutorial for Vogue, the punk rock rapper revealed that she only became interested in the makeup world after becoming a mom at only 18 years old:
"I started doing my own makeup when I found out that I was pregnant. My son used to give me these really, really, real bad red blotches. I would never want to go anywhere, so my friends were like, 'Why don't you just learn to do your makeup?' After I had my son, the blotches went away and the makeup skills did not."
Rico said that for her, makeup is a form of therapy that she's cultivated over the years by studying influencers like Makeupmouse, Sonjdradeluxe, and Alissa Ashley, and making well-known application techniques her own.
"Makeup became a way that I could relax and meditate before a show. I never knew how much I needed that. I watch a lot of makeup tutorials. I like Makeupmouse—I think she's in London—Sonjdradeluxe, Alissa Ashley. There's this girl on Instagram called Melovemealot, and I like her stuff, too. I grab inspo from them, but they've also taught me about making the face what you want."
When it comes to beauty, there is no boundary Rico won't cross, even if that means shaving off her eyebrows to create a fresh canvas:
"Fun fact: I shaved my eyebrows so that I can make them go any direction that I want."
From her bold platinum eyebrows to her edgy and eclectic style, Rico Nasty is the punk rock goddess that lives inside of us all, but according to her, some of her craziest looks have evolved out of a desire to fall in love with her flaws, one of which includes her eyelids (or lack thereof):
"Sometimes I feel like it draws away from the real shit that I'm insecure about. For me, that's probably my nose and my eyelids—once I started doing makeup, I wished I had bigger eyelids. I know, it's fucking weird. But my best friend has eyelids like Cher—the sunken in kind—and it's like a big canvas. With makeup, I can get bigger lids. The more I've gotten into it, the more I learn that it's about whatever makes you comfortable."
Rico recently sat down with Into The Gloss and gave us the details on all her favorite beauty products. Here's what we learned:
Bioderma Micellar Water
"To take off my makeup I've been using Bioderma, the micellar water. Then I use the Bioderma serum—it's like a gel, and it's clear. I feel like it's a drink of water for my skin. After that, I'll put on the lotion version of it to seal everything."
TONYMOLY Panda's Dream Rose Oil Moisture Stick
"If I have two shows in a row and I've been sweating, it might cause a couple bumps that makeup won't sit right on. I put the rose oil where I get dry, and then put foundation over it. It's so bomb."
BLK/OPL TRUE COLOR® Skin Perfecting Stick Foundation SPF 15
kasha-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com
"I was using Huda Beauty foundation for the majority of the summer, but now my skin has gotten a little bit darker, so I'm using Black Opal stick foundation."
Rude Cosmetics Mimosa Highlighter Palette
"A lot of times when I get palettes I only use one color, but with this one, I run the brush up and down, up and down the whole thing. If I'm going somewhere with my kid, I'm going to do a more natural glam."
To read her beauty routine in full, check out Rico Nasty's feature with ITG here.
Featured image via Giphy
In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Feature image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
