For four years and counting, producers, and founders of MVD Inc, Massah David and Miatta Johnson have helped produce the Recording Academy Honors, presented by the Black Music Collective. With it, they’re carving out a space on the cultural calendar that centers Black excellence, community, and celebration. As the event’s visibility has grown, so has the way these two visionary leaders approach beauty. In other words, their routines have become less about perfection and more about power, intention, and being fully themselves.
For the two creatives, and their longtime makeup artist Camille Ariane, beauty begins long before the glam chair. “They’ve really come into their signature looks,” says Ariane. Specifically, “a non-negotiable glow, intentional features—Massah’s smoky eye, Miatta’s pinky-nude lip—and that trust lets their beauty feel like an extension of who they are.”
On a day like this—camera, culture, and history all aligned—they start with Ole Henriksen Vitamin C, Topicals’ under-eye masks, and even a moment in the Pilates studio to center mind, body, and spirit. Because when alignment happens internally, the confidence, glam, and leadership follow.
“How we show up visually signals something to the room, to our teams, and to the culture we’re shaping,” says David. Their fashion and beauty choices work in harmony—braids by Twy Bernal and Hair by Khaleel Joy, effortless haircare from Mielle and Cécred.
Beyond the glam, for the duo, it’s all about authenticity. “It reads on camera far more than flawlessness ever could,” David affirms. And when schedules get tight and lights stay hot, Ariane has her hacks: strategic skin prep, pore-minimizing formulas, thoughtful layering, and a duo of setting sprays that keep makeup fresh from red carpet to after-party.
But beneath all the makeup and movement lies something deeper. In rooms that weren’t built with Black women in mind, beauty becomes care. “You can lead, create, produce—and still take up space beautifully,” Johnson reminds us. “You don’t have to dim your light to prove your competence.” And on a Grammys night, that light doesn’t just shine—it leads.
