Beautycon 2019 highlights NYC
The Beautycon 2019 highlights – Issa Rae, Regina Hall, Marsai Martin, Yari Shahidi, and Cardi B…..
Article by Etu Evans
The Trending Family was present at the biggest event in beauty to represent for our city of New York. Beautycon is all about exclusivity. When it launched in 2013, the industry festival was a place for beauty bigwigs to mingle, network, and show off their latest innovations, that would potentially transform makeup, skin care, and hairstyling as we know it. The only way to get a ticket was if you knew someone. And YouTubers were the only real celebrities you’d find mingling around the brand stalls.
But when Moj Mahdara, co-founder of Beautycon, took over as CEO in 2014, she brought with her a new vision of what the festival should look like. For one, she wanted to open its doors, make it substantially more diverse, and bring in celebrities who reflected more than one point of view.
This year’s event did just that. From displays from the likes of luminary makeup artist Priscilla Ono who created a vibrant clothing line with Eloquii, for plus size women with a 90’s inspired style; to the Black Girl Magic that we all had the privilege of basking in, as the stars of Universal’s Little executive produced by 14 year old Marsai Martin from ABC’s “Blackish”, as well as the witty Issa Rae, and the legendary Regina Hall took to the Main Stage to share their journey and words of encouragement to all women and girls.
While Beautycon was about splendor and embracing your definition of whatever beauty equates to you, I would be remiss to neglect to mention that brains were definitely in the building as well. With the amazing and incredibly intelligent actress Yara Shahidi, from “Grownish” the spinoff show from ABC’s “Blackish” and the keen Libyan American journalist Noor Tagouri, we also learned to’ fight the fear of being yourself’. These women came to teach, preach, and be!
There was even a female Dj Tiff McFierce who kept the mood light and the energy pumping on her pink stage, where she was spinning the hottest hits and had the ladies swaying their hips, popping their backs and showing all their teeth as they danced and enjoyed the event. Tiff McFierce is also the resident DJ for the NY KNICKS, as well as the curator for all the music we heard throughout the entire venue.
Beautycon succeeded again in bringing women (and some men even), of all different shapes, colors, sizes, religions, socioeconomic status, and sexuality into one common space, to share in what makes us all beautiful and connected. Their goal this year being “to make you feel safe in this space to fearlessly express yourself, passionately speak your mind, actively learn and freely be YOU”, and as the kids say, they DID that!
Images by Ashe’ photography
There were so very many Beauty Brands that presented at the festival. But to name some of our favs; Lime Crime, Revlon, Maybelline, Two Faced, Eye Kandy Cosmetics, The Mane choice and much more. Included at Beautycon: celebrity and creator meet-ups, brand activations and a very pink and fun atmosphere where self-expression rules and negativity aren’t welcomed.
“Ya’ll, I’m going to keep it real with you,” Cardi B said onstage as the headlining act of Beautycon on Sunday. She’d taken off her shoes at this point and ditched the Q&A portion that BeautyCon founder Moj Mahdara had planned so she could go, well, full Cardi.
Cardi, who was two and half hours late after her flight from Vegas was delayed, was met with a not-so-patient audience screaming and chanting her name. At one point, a little girl in the audience started crying at the mere sight of Cardi and she humbly responded, “Don’t cry
about me, girl. My farts stink, my poop stinks, just like you.”
Cardi B might be one of the few millionaires who thinks her shit stinks (and isn’t afraid to say it). She’s not humble enough to keep her earnings to herself—” I got mad money!” Cardi exclaims at one point—but she’s different in that she wants all of us to get on her level. And the audience, packed mostly with women of color and gender nonconforming individuals, was there so Cardi B could help us all get rich. Ahead, 12 money moves I learned from Cardi B. Okurrr™.
DON’T DO THE WORK IF YOU’RE NOT GETTING PAID EQUALLY.
When Cardi B was coming up as an artist, she noticed male rappers were making more money to host the same events alongside her. So, she bluntly asked one day, “Why is this man making more money money than me when I’m the one who brings bitches?” Cardi B stopped taking bookings until she was paid equally, and we can safely assume she continued “bringing the bitches.”
“THERE AIN’T NO SHAME IN YOUR DAMN GAME.
