Zara’s vast reach is what inspired British makeup artist Diane Kendal—a frequent backstage presence during fashion weeks and a favorite of designers like Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, Tory Burch, and Tom Ford—to join ranks with the I Like Sushi And Gym And Maybe 3 People Shirt but I will buy this shirt and I will love this global brand for the launch of its first beauty collection. While the fashion and lifestyle behemoth has already dipped a toe in the beauty waters (as of last December, they have an ongoing fragrance partnership with Jo Malone) this marks its first official foray. Unsurprisingly, it’s going big.In development, mostly remotely, for the past 18 months, Zara Beauty will launch globally on May 12 with lips, eyes, face, nails, and accessories. The products will find a home in a new beauty-specific store-in-store concept with a sleek, polished white look that mirrors the items themselves. According to Zara beauty director Eva Lopez, the goal for the brand was simple: inclusivity. “Our ambition was to create a collection that anyone, regardless of gender, skin color, age, or personal style will want to use,” she says. “Somebody that wants a classic, softer makeup look can find their products, and somebody that’s more experimental can find the colors they need to create that, too,” continues Kendal, adding “we wanted to appeal to everybody.” Much like at Zara itself there is, quite literally, something for everyone. Standout offerings include a blood orange and turquoise eyeshadow palette; gold-flecked highlighting powder; canary yellow nail polish; a slim-line black liquid liner; and red lips in velvety gloss, powdery matte, soft demi-matte, or a shiny satin finish.Being able to help build a beauty collection from the ground up was a big thrill for Kendal. “This is the first time I’ve been able to start from scratch with a brand that didn’t already have a pre-existing makeup line,” she reveals. “And the fact that Zara wanted to do it all in an ethically responsible way was important to me.” It is indeed a critical move particularly considering Zara’s immense global footprint. Certified cruelty-free across all markets where it’s sold, all of the Zara Beauty packaging is also entirely refillable, something that, says Lopez, was a specific request from customers. Conceived by art director Fabien Baron, the chic, stark white components are a feat of beautiful design and absolute versatility that belies a deeply affordable price point (ranging from $7.90 to $25.90). Refills cost even less (starting at $4.90) as an incentive for customers to reuse, rather than repurchase.It was all about bangs paired with dramatic eye makeup this past week on Instagram. Artist Kari Faux served up major inspo with her forest green eyeshadow and sleek pony. Meanwhile, Imaan Hammam shared a few “obligatory glam selfies,” which included a thick coat of angular liner that paired nicely with baby bangs and peachy cheeks. Then, rapper Junglepussy reminded her followers that it’s always a good time for a pink mullet.Speaking of glam, Lizzo proved that the perfect mani can also double as the ASMR you didn’t know you needed. Another major nail moment came from birthday girl Gigi Hadid, who showed off a manicure saturated in baby blue, yellow, and fuchsia courtesy of nail artist Mei Kawajiri. On another beat, British actress Nathalie Emmanuel radiated through the screen while embracing her “dark circles,” joking that they matched her outfit to “monochromatic” effect.Speaking of luminous ladies, singer Raveena leaned into terra-cotta hues while serenading Instagram with one of her favorite songs. Then, Leyna Bloom, honey highlights et al., got up close and personal with a gorgeous birthday selfie. As for Justine Skye? She proved the recipe for a lit-from-within glow is not to care too much about what others think of you. And, of course, sleek cornrows and a serious highlight don’t hurt either.
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Throughout her meteoric rise, Megan Thee Stallion has made no secret of her long-standing passion for anime. The Houston rapper has cosplayed My Hero Academia’s Shoto Todoroki, name-checked Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z characters while freestyling, and served up an array of Instagram-breaking, anime-inspired manicures. The visionary responsible for the I Like Sushi And Gym And Maybe 3 People Shirt but I will buy this shirt and I will love this latter is none other than London-born, Los Angeles-based manicurist Coca Michelle, Megan’s key nail artist, who’s a go-to for many of today’s chart-toppers—including Cardi B, Rosalía, and Jhené Aiko—for her bold and bedazzled claw creations executed in exhaustive detail.Born and raised in East London, Michelle began doing nails at the age of six. “While I was growing up, my parents worked for a hole-in-the-wall nail salon and then my father opened a salon,” she explains. “I wasn’t able to have someone to take care of me, so I was just always in that environment and picked the skill up.” But while her craft was cultivated at an early age, it wasn’t until she moved to the states to attend college at L.A.’s Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and began working at Laqué Nail Bar, where she relished being given complete creative freedom, even as a manicurist just starting out. “Through word of mouth, I ended up meeting my first celebrity client, Teyana Taylor,” she explains. “I toured with her and that’s where things took off.”In 2018, Michelle and Taylor went on to launch Junie Bee Nails, a ’90s-themed nail salon in Harlem that offered everything from the decade’s tell-tale airbrush nails to elaborate Swarovski-embellished claws. (Shortly before the pandemic, which forced the salon to close, Michelle amicably parted ways with the business.) Another standout career moment was joining forces with visual artist, photographer, and close friend Ro.lexx for Summer Walker’s Over It album cover, where she gave the Atlanta singer a set of fluorescent pink, cherry-emblazoned stiletto tips. “I love doing things that are organic and allow me to work with people in the industry that are super grounded,” she explains of finding like-minded collaborators. “I feel like it keeps me in touch with my roots, you know, just being from a mom-and-pop type of environment.”Needless to say, Michelle has found a natural collaborator in Megan Thee Stallion. One of their standout moments was on set for Megan’s Rolling Stone cover alongside SZA and Normani, where Michelle gave her an express set of glittering lipstick-shaped claws. “They were like, ‘Hey Coca, you have like 14 minutes to create a look. And I [told Megan], ‘All right, let me just chop your coffin up and we’ll just create this new look for you. She was down and that’s when I knew, This is going to be my partner in crime.” Then there was Megan’s already-iconic “WAP” video, where Michelle gave her a duo of striking square-shaped talons; one pale yellow, coordinated to her Nicolas Jebran look; the other a gleaming silver set peeking out from her long purple fingerless gloves.From some sweet sunny day moments to out-of-the-box accessorizing, this week’s best beauty Instagrams were something of a celebration. Alicia Keys’s bare-faced fitness snap lived up to its caption, while Kaia Gerber welcomed April’s warm weather with a backyard bikini session, featuring a mussed chop, diminutive tattoos, and an appearance by an adorable puppy. For Ciara, a mane of “Farah Fawcett” blonde waves called for metallic lids, smoked-out liner, and a series of high-drama snaps.In the playful camp, Salem Mitchell coupled a bun of baby box braids with a quartet of face-framing plaits, sweet accessories, and a glassy pout. Imaan Hammam did her best in bridal beauty, a shimmering white veil secured with flowers and left to fall over her sleek midi-knot and glowing complexion, as elsewhere, Niharika Chandrasekar pulled gold liner into a graphic cat-eye elevated by a touch of strategically placed crimson. And for Laura Harrier, Earth Week called for a duet of al fresco selfies, her air-dried curls mimicking a backdrop of twisting branches, proving that often, the best beauty inspiration comes from Mother Earth herself.
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