Jazmine Sullivan and Nia Long shared a heartwarming moment on the Beauty Carnival stage during the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture — and it was as beautiful as you might imagine.
Joining Beauty Editor Maya Allen for a conversation around the journey to joy through skincare, self-care, travel and beauty regimes presented by Estee Lauder, the two talented entertainers were all smiles as they took to the stage. But before the conversation got started, Jazmine didn’t hesitate to take a moment to sing Nia’s praises and give her her flowers.
“This is THEE Nia Long! I’m so honored to be here because, I mean, you were just such an inspiration—seeing a Brown-skinned woman growing up,” Jazmine said. “Comfortable in your skin, confident, sexy. You just made all of us feel so good and so proud to be Brown and Black women.”
The conversation also heard both ladies dish on all of their beauty must-haves and skincare secrets. For Nia, hydration, eye cream, and neck cream are the ultimate beauty trifecta.
“I’m really big on hydration because I think for most of us, we don’t drink enough water,” she said. “It really starts with drinking water. And then, using serums with a hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, olive oil…I’m really into natural ingredients. And, for the most part you’re never too young, ladies, to start using eye cream and neck cream. I started using eye cream and neck cream when I was like 25 years old and, I’ve never stopped. So, if you want to look good when you’re 51, start using some eye cream.”
Responding to a question about what’s most influenced her perception of beauty and how she sees herself, Jazmine credited representation with making the biggest difference for her.
“For me, representation is so important…seeing women who look like us,” she said. “So, for me growing up seeing Nia being a Brown-skinned girl, that made me feel more beautiful. And I think that me being a full-figured Brown-skinned girl is making all of the full-figured young kids and women…they’re able to see themselves in me and they’re able to see beauty. And also, being celebrated for exactly who you are and not having to change a thing, that definitely goes a long way as far as our self-esteem and our personal journey with beauty.”
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To hear the conversation in full, watch the video above. For more of everything you missed at the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, visit our official video content hub HERE.