• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Beauty Products & Tools

All Of Miss USA Kára McCullough's Beauty Must-Haves Are Under $40

Even pageant queens can't resist a trip to Sephora! 
All Of Miss USA Kára McCullough’s Beauty Must-Haves Are Under $40
Steve Mack
By Nikki Brown · Updated October 26, 2020

Pageant makeup treads the very thin line between glam and over-the-top, but that hardly reflects Kára McCullough’s personal beauty philosophy. 

The 2017 Miss USA winner tells ESSENCE, “You know I’m a minimalist. I used to use so much crap in my hair.”

Today, a less is more approach has served her well both off and on the stage, where she made headlines for competing in curls. In the midst of competing, the 25-year-old stuck to a simple routine that she continues to use a month into her reign. 

5438686980001

“This Moroccanoil Curl Defining Cream ($13, sephora.com); I love that. And I also have Chi Biosilk ($20, jcpenney.com).” She continued, “And when it came to on stage presence, I always had a teasing comb or brush, to get the roots really good. And just some holding spray. That’s what really helped me keep the hair bigger, so it didn’t look like it was flat on stage.”

As for her makeup routine, Kára isn’t afraid to admit that she’s still learning to perfect her beat.

“I’m very hard on myself,” she shared with ESSENCE. I’ll see these looks; especially these editorial looks and I’m like, ‘oh my gosh, I want to look like that.'”

“I would give myself a good seven [out of ten] because I know there’s still like such an area of improvement that I want for myself.”

For now, she’s depending on a few Sephora faves, like the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder and the NARS Lip Pencil (“It’s like lip gloss almost. Those are my favorite!”) to keep her camera-ready.

Shop all of McCullough’s beauty must-haves below and learn more about her journey to the Miss USA title here. 

Miss USA's Beauty Must-Haves

Moroccanoil Curl Defining Cream
$34 Buy Here
Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder
$38 Buy Here
Victoria Duke Beauty ‘Brown Sugar’ Blush
$24 Buy Here
NARS Lipstick Pencil
$27 Buy Here
TOPICS:  Shopping
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now