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  • It Is What It Is: Why 2018 Is the Year I Let Go of ‘What If’

    It Is What It Is: Why 2018 Is the Year I Let Go of ‘What If’

    As the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve, I wasn’t kissing a lover—or even a convenient stranger—or ringing in the new year with friends. Instead, I was a jungle gym, short-order cook, food taster, hairdresser, hairdresser’s client, custodian, bathroom attendant, valet, captive audience, tireless entertainer, human recliner, on-demand cuddler, dictionary (and encyclopedia), reluctant disciplinarian and…

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  • Queen Quinta: Why Quinta B. Is Everything—and Every Woman

    Quinta Brunson—better known as Quinta B.—stole our hearts years ago as a video content creator for BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, with her dry wit and deadpan delivery. In the three years since, we haven’t been able to get enough of her reliably hilarious, always relatable videos. She hasn’t disappointed, inking deals with YouTube Red, among others,…

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  • Wish You Were Here: Afropunk Was the New Year’s Eve Party We All Wanted to Attend

    #HolidayEnvy is real, y’all: While the mercury is barely cracking zero degrees in many American cities, it is summer in South Africa, and we can’t think of a better way to ring in 2018 than with the beautiful people at Afropunk Joberg! And the beauties did not disappoint, bringing unparalleled style and statement to Johannesburg,…

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  • Real Talk from #TeamNatural: Fay the Comedian Has All the New Year’s Resolution We Need

    Liberian-born Fay Nelson—also known as Fay the Comedian—has a straight-talking, irreverent style and real-life relatability we just can’t get enough of. But as we strut into 2018, this recent video is exactly the spirit we want to take with us.In the clip, Fay recounts conducting a social experiment: daring to hit the streets completely natural—no…

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  • Last-Minute New Year’s Plans? Resolve to Rock a Look That Works

    OK, ladies: It’s T minus 36 hours and counting until the ball drops, and you’ve just decided to rally because you’ve received an invitation you simply can’t refuse. (Or you’ve suddenly decided that Champagne enjoyed alone is just … drinking alone. Suit yourself.) But at first glance, your closet seemingly has other plans. What the…

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  • Ankara, Ankhs and the Ongoing Appropriation-vs.-Appreciation Argument: Is There a Right Way to Rock African Style?

    We’ve been celebrating Kwanzaa Week here at The Root, which, for The Glow Up, also meant thinking up new outfits to wear for each night of the festivities celebrating the seven principles of what many lovingly call “Black Hanukkah.” Fun fact: I love African fashion, iconography and decor; always have. I love wax prints (yes,…

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  • Indelible Beauty: Makeup Maven Cashmere Nicole Talks Success, Survival and Building a Brand Built to Last

    Beauty Bakerie founder and CEO Cashmere Nicole knows about staying power. She’s built a successful and evolving brand that started on the strength of one product: her best-selling “Lip Whip.” Famed for smudge-free saturation in no fewer than 45 shades (and counting), the day-to-night finish is vegan, nontoxic and 100 percent cruelty-free … and so…

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  • The Illustrator of Curves Is the Instagram That Loves Your Body Unconditionally (and Hopes You Do, Too)

    If your holiday season is going anything like mine, you’re already plotting how to take off a few new pounds in the new year. While ’tis the season to shower our family and friends with love, our self-care can unfortunately take a bit of a hit in the process.Since none of us is immune to…

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  • The Glow Up Gaze: Seynabou Cissé Is the Real-Talking ‘Real Woman’ We’ve Been Waiting For

    Model Seynabou Cissé—Seyna, for short—quietly rocked our worlds when she visited our offices in her signature unapologetic, pared-down, woman-conquers-menswear style. We fell in love at first sight with the 23-year old Senegalese JAG Model and her tailored separates, naturally chic cadence and glowing—SO GLOWING—skin. But mostly, we fell for her straight-talking style—is there anything more…

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  • Traveling Light, Part 2: Yes, You Can Fit a Full Face Into Minimal Space

    This is my toiletry case. It doesn’t have a name, though it probably should, since we’ve traveled the world together for years. For now, let’s call her Clare—probably Clare the Eighth, at this point. But she’s always a simple, clear bucket case measuring approximately 4 by 5 by 8 inches, with a double-zip top, maximizing…

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Maiysha Kai is former managing editor of The Glow Up and host of The Root Presents: It’s Lit!, and your average Grammy-nominated goddess next door. May I borrow some sugar?


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