When I was asked to be a model for the Teyana Taylor Makeup Challenge at Beautycon during this year’s ESSENCE Festival of Culture, I thought I understood the assignment. As an intern, I’d spent days on the move, completing a myriad of tasks before and during the festival. This assignment sounded like the simplest of all. I was ready for a red lip, a few strong lighting cues, maybe a simple beat that would photograph well. I have always loved makeup, the artistry of it, the transformation of it, so I said yes without hesitation. I also modeled before. I knew how to sit still, hold an expression, and trust the artist behind the brush. Then I found out what I was actually sitting still for.
I was not there for a simple look. I was the canvas for a full recreation of Teyana Taylor’s signature makeup, built live by Kameron Bragulla, or Kenn B, in front of a panel that, to my shock, included the star herself. My face was about to become a study of her face. And the person judging whether the artist got it right was the exact woman whose look was being recreated on me.
I will be honest about the moment it clicked. I remember sitting in that chair, seeing the reference photos projected on the big screen: Taylor’s bold eye look, her sharp cheek, that unmistakable glow she is known for. I realized this was not going to be a quick touch-up. This was going to take precision, patience, and trust in a process I had no control over.
I also remember thinking how right this moment felt. My love of makeup was not something I talked about often in my work, but sitting in that chair, surrounded by artists, products, and reference photos, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Every product I had ever tried, every tutorial I had ever watched for fun, every hour spent studying color and texture just because I loved it, had led me to this chair at this time.
So I sat still, and I let it happen. I watched Kenn B study every angle of my face, matching the warmth of the foundation, mapping the highlight placement, correcting small details as they went. I felt every layer being built with intention, as if he were not just copying an image but translating a whole person onto me.
Taylor watched the entire process, too. She did not just glance at the final result. She stood close, observing the technique, the blending, the accuracy of every choice. When the artist finally stepped back, and Taylor looked at my face and nodded, something shifted. It was not just the approval of the makeup. It felt like a recognition of the care that had gone into recreating her iconic look.
Sitting there, I understood something about my own role that I had not expected to learn that day. Being the model does not mean being passive. It means being the surface that holds someone else’s vision steady long enough for it to become real. I had to stay still through every correction, every mix, every moment of uncertainty, and trust that what was being built on my face would eventually reflect the woman standing a few feet away, observing. That is the part of this industry nobody prepares you for. You walk in thinking you know your role, and then the assignment becomes something deeper, something that asks you to hold space for someone else’s identity and trust the people around you to get it right.
While all of the makeup artists were crowned a winner by Taylor and her crew, I was the real victor. As an intern, I had spent most of my summer behind the scenes, interviewing, taking notes, fact-checking, editing, and staying out of frame. To be seen that day, fully, as a beauty of a darker hue, under lights, on stage, with Teyana Taylor herself studying her signature look as it came to life on my face, meant something I am still sitting with. That moment was not just my chance to shine. It was a reminder that young women who look like me belong in that chair, in that spotlight, beautiful and undeniable.
I chose to trust the process. I sat in that chair and became the reflection of a woman I deeply admire, and I watched her recognize herself in the face built on mine. It’s an experience, from a weekend full of joyous ones, that I won’t soon forget.
