essence
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The Glow Up Goes to NOLA, Day 4: Maybe My Mascara Should Run for President
No, Michelle Obama is not running for president, y’all. But we all know that if she did have the inclination, she’d have the coveted black female vote on lock. In fact, of all the headliners in Essence Festival weekend, it was our forever first lady who packed the Louisiana Superdome to the rafters when she…
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Missy Elliott Performed at Essence Fest and We Are All Better Because of It
Last night, my life was changed. I witnessed Melissa “Missy” Arnette Elliott perform and the quality of my existence has been upgraded for the better. I type this to you in lieu of voice because I spent a good 30-plus minutes screaming the hits that Missy was ever so kind enough to give us all…
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How to Throw a 25-Year Party: Why Essence Festival Is Your Faves’ Favorite Event of the Year
What makes a great party? No, I mean a really great party; the kind people look forward to, year after year. This Fourth of July weekend, we’re going to find out; we’re traveling to New Orleans to join our play cousins at Essence for the 25th-anniversary celebration of their legendary festival. While it’s not The…
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Three Times a Lady: When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Like Iman (or Ciara, or Teyana, or…)
How do you celebrate 25 years of hosting the biggest celebration of black womanhood in the world? If you’re Essence magazine, you mark the spirit of the summer festival season by featuring three dynamically different beauties on your covers—all with a common gift for killing the game. Is the eternal slay of the iconic Iman…
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With a New Memoir, Elaine Welteroth Reminds Us That We’re More Than Enough
She’s known as an arbiter of millennial cool-girl style, but as Elaine Welteroth told Refinery29, she started out just like the rest of us: “a hot mess.” Specifically, she was speaking about the video application she prepared in a long-ago attempt to score an internship at Essence magazine. Notably, it featured “India.Arie replaying in the…
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Go for the Glow: Alicia Keys Covers Essence's June Issue—and More Famous Faces Get Some Shine!
June is Black Music Month, so it’s fitting that 15-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys is covering Essence’s June issue (with Lizzo starring on the digital version)—though it’s actually themed “The Escape Issue.” In keeping with the theme, Keys, who has famously already broken free of entertainment industry expectations by taking a cleaner approach to beauty,…
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Lookin' Good as Hell: Lizzo Leads the Charge on June Magazine Covers!
Is summer here yet? As I find myself shopping for a lightweight-but-substantial spring coat (it’s currently 52 degrees in Chicago on this here May the 17th), clearly not. But our constant girl crush Lizzo is bringing the heat on not one, but two covers ripe for the season, starring on both Essence’s digital June issue…
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From Ingenue Entrepreneurs to Enduring Icons, Essence Beauty Carnival Brought Out the Best of Black Beauty
The energy? Buoyant. The crowd? Beautiful. The inspiration? Boundless. In the first stop in their first-ever Beauty Carnival tour, Essence magazine created a mecca for black girl magic this weekend in New York City, with some of the most notable names in the beauty, fashion and entertainment industries on site at the South Street Seaport’s…
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It's a Beautiful Weekend to Be at the Essence Beauty Carnival!
Here at The Glow Up, we are firm believers in taking downtime when and wherever we can get it. But this weekend has presented us an opportunity to turn up that we simply couldn’t miss, as Essence kicks off its inaugural Beauty Carnival tour in New York City on April 27th & 28th! Making the…
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Hot Girl Shit: Megan Thee Stallion Lands On BillBoard Hot 100 With 'Big Ole Freak'
It’s hard not to root for Megan Thee Stallion, a bawse ass bitch whose efforts and lyricism has placed her in the minds of many a person with taste. As quipped by Essence, Megan Thee Stallion isn’t a one trick pony. Her lyrical stylings have landed her on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with…