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Whitney Houston’s 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments – Essence

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Sixty-one years ago, Whitney Houston was born. She grew up in New Jersey in a star-studded family — her mother, a two-time Grammy winner, sang backup for Aretha Franklin and her cousin Diona Warwick was a ’60s pop star — reaching for Chaka Khan records to pump up her angelic grooves. Taking a cue from her vocals and sweetness, Houston earned a short lived modeling profession under Wilhelmina after being spotted acting at Carnegie Hall. As beautiful as she was, “Too picky for me,” she told ESSENCE in its 1990 cover story. “You stand there in front of the camera and just smile.”

Now, looking back, the Scout had an actual eye. In 1984 (the 12 months before she released her debut album of the identical name), Houston performed with Jermaine Jackson in New York City wearing a cropped Afro and a sculpted fuchsia blush that matched her matte lipstick. At the 1988 Grammy Awards, her full brows sat above gold eyeshadow and her signature smoky lash line. In the ’90s, her shorter version of Diana Ross’s “Twiggy” lashes were paired with smoky purple makeup, turning the look into her signature take a look at the United Negro College Fund Dinner.

As her afro grew more puffy, she began experimenting with wigs: an asymmetrical bob for the 1999 EMAs on MTV, and a historic blonde updo for the inaugural BET Awards in 2001. In the run-as much as her final years, she attended Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party like a Golden Girl—together with her hair in a shade of brunette and makeup to kick off the evening. Despite her premature death in 2012, Houston’s angelic beauty will remain etched in history (and our hearts) until the tip of time.

In honor of her divine birthday, let’s have a look back at Whitney Houston’s most iconic beauty moments.

Introducing fuchsia makeup

Whitney Houston performed with Jermaine Jackson in New York City wearing her trademark fuchsia makeup and heavily smoky eyes.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
NEW YORK – JULY 1: Singer Whitney Houston performs in concert on July 1, 1984 at The Limelight in New York City. (Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Iconic white headband

The then 21-12 months-old previewed the white headband she wore during her performance on the 1991 Super Bowl.

(*17*)
Portrait of American singer and actress Whitney Houston (1963–2012) at her mother’s home in West Orange, New Jersey, May 28, 1985. (Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images)

Manicure without hands

Now that bare nails are all the trend, Houston was years ahead of the curve by pairing her no-mani manicure with a hairstyle harking back to Jheri curls.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
Whitney Houston on the Park West In in Chicago, Illinois, May 29, 1985. (Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

The image of perfect beauty

She posed with gold eye shadow and deep lipstick on the thirtieth Annual Grammy Awards, where she won awards for Best Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
American singer and actress Whitney Houston attends the Grammy Awards on March 2, 1988 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

Short, glued eyelashes

She added short, tufted lashes within the Diana Ross “Twiggy” style to her signature combination of fuchsia, pink and smoky eyeliner.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
Singer Whitney Houston attends the forty sixth Annual United Negro College Fund/Frederick D. Patterson Whitney Houston Awards Dinner on March 8, 1990 on the Sheraton Center in New York City. (Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Lipstick Hall of Fame Moment

At the twenty first annual Songwriters Hall of Fame, she traded in her usual purple lipstick for red to be inducted into the hall.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
Singer Whitney Houston attends the twenty first Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Awards Dinner on May 30, 1990 on the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. (Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Bang! Bob-ish pixie

Houston paired her short haircut with an asymmetrical bob and a pixie cut, and in addition painted her lips red, added muted purple eye shadow and chocolate blush.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
Whitney Houston and her husband Bobby Brown, November 11, 1999 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo: Eric CATARINA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Pigments, pigments, pigments

At a non-public party after her performance at Madison Square Garden, she had the chance to do her hair in an enormous way, wear lipstick and add eye shadow.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
Singer Whitney Houston attends a non-public party following her concert at Madison Square Garden on September 10, 1987, aboard Princess Yachts, World Yacht Club in New York City. (Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Beauty Pageant Queen Coded by Chaka Khan

The beauty queen’s look recalled her idol Chaka Khan’s curly locks on the thirteenth Annual American Music Awards.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
Singer Whitney Houston attends the thirteenth Annual American Music Awards on January 27, 1986 on the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Purple under the attention

Instead of eye shadow on her lid, she opted for purple eyeliner on her lower waterline and left the upper line a smoky black.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
American singer Whitney Houston (1963–2012), circa 1987 (Photo: Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Whitney Houston Classic

Among Houston’s most historic moments (except for her Super Bowl performance), essentially the most recognizable thing about her performance at the primary annual BET Awards was her dirty-blonde wig and outsized personality.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
Whitney Houston performs through the first annual BET Awards on June 19, 2001 on the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. (Photo: M. Caulfield/WireImage)

Deep Tones MTV

At the eighth Annual MTV Movie Awards, she wore her usual makeup look of shades of purple and red, but a darker shade than usual.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
Whitney Houston (Photo by Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Short cut and red lips

Houston sat next to Janet Jackson on the 71st Annual Academy Awards, wearing a red lip and muted makeup.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
(NO TABLOIDS) Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston attend the 71st Annual Academy Awards and Elton John AIDS Foundation Benefit at Pagani’s in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Golden Girl Hair and Makeup

She showed as much as Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy party looking just like the Golden Girl she is, with brown hair (and eyebrows) and makeup.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
(EXCLUSIVE, premium rates apply) Whitney Houston *EXCLUSIVE* (Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage for J Records)

Touched by an angel

Her vocals soared to heavenly heights during her performance at Madison Square Garden, which she attended in her classic make-up.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
UNITED STATES – AUGUST 01: Photo of Whitney Houston (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Brown Mullet Charm

She attended the tenth annual United Negro College Fund Telethon wearing a Czech soccer-style haircut, which is currently very trendy.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – NOVEMBER 15: Singer Whitney Houston performs on the tenth annual United Negro College Fund “Lou Rawls Parade of Stars” Telethon Kick-Off on November 15, 1989 at L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Inspiration for black girls

Houston hugs her young fans at a concert within the UK, weaving their beaded pigtails and butterfly clips into her asymmetrical bob.

Whitney Houston's 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments
GREAT BRITAIN – CIRCA 1991: Whitney Houston backstage after a concert (photo: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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ICYMI: Cardi B’s rally look, Adut Akech’s baby bump and more – Essence

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Ahead of the 2024 election week, stars supported each political and classic hair and makeup moments. From micro bobs and presidential updos to butterscotch lipsticks with matching manicures, moderate shades complemented this season’s trendy hairstyles.

Cardi B’s updo meant business Kamala Harris rally in Milwaukeeturning a straightforward sleep pin-up right into a political statement. The rapper’s beauty moment was the most recent after last week’s rally star look “dance party” with Beyoncéblonde bombshell and microbob Kelly Rowland. However, dominant hairstyles weren’t limited to election campaigns.

Traditional, edgy styles like Coco Jones’s bob and supermodel Anok Yai’s ponytail are transformed into prim and proper with curled ends. The former combined an asymmetric cut with undecided French suggestions: black on one side, white on the opposite. Meanwhile, a sensual nude manicure rested between her lips. To end the week, pregnant Adut Akech styled her baby bump with blackberry nails to match the thick, dark line of her fall lip.

In case you missed it, take a have a look at 9 celebrity beauty moments from the week.


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Quincy Jones, iconic producer and entertainment mainstay, dies at the age of 91 – Essence

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Quincy Jones at TIFF in 2018 (Photo: Chris Pizzello / Invision/AP)

Quincy Jones, a outstanding figure in the music and entertainment industry, died peacefully on Sunday at his home in Bel Air, California, surrounded by family members. He was 91 years old.

“Tonight, it is with full but broken hearts that we must share the news of the death of our father and brother Quincy Jones,” Arnold Robinson, publicist for the 28-time Grammy winner, said in an announcement. “And while this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the wonderful life he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Born on March 14, 1933 in Chicago, Quincy Delight Jones was raised in a turbulent environment marked by the Great Depression and his mother’s mental illness. At the age of 11, discovering a piano at a neighborhood recreation center in Bremerton, Washington became the pivotal moment that modified his life from petty crime to a profession in music. He eventually mastered the trumpet and at the age of 14 was performing in jazz clubs with a young Ray Charles, which allowed him to showcase his limitless talent and set the stage for a unprecedented profession.

Jones’ journey began in earnest when he played trumpet in Lionel Hampton’s band at age 19, and continued as he collaborated with jazz legends equivalent to Dizzy Gillespie. In the Sixties, he began pursuing film scores, earning three Academy Award nominations in 1968 and 1969 for his work on , and , breaking barriers as one of the first black composers in Hollywood. His groundbreaking role as the first black musical director of the 1971 Academy Awards cemented his pioneering status.

Despite serious health problems in the Nineteen Seventies, including two life-threatening brain aneurysms that left him unable to play the trumpet, Jones remained undeterred. He then composed iconic themes for and Emmy Award-winning movies.

Most notably, Quincy’s profession peaked in the Eighties when he teamed up with Michael Jackson, producing the movies , and . itself secured eight Grammy Awards and became a cultural touchstone that transformed the music industry. In 1985, Jones organized and produced the all-star film “We Are the World,” which raised thousands and thousands for African famine relief and won three Grammy Awards. His work continued to influence the industry, from producing Sinatra to overseeing (*91*) Davis’ final album.

Known for his enduring versatility, Jones was the first African-American to carry an executive position at a significant record label, was a movie and television producer – directing such hits – and co-produced the 1985 and 2023 film versions of the film.

A loyal father, Jones’s personal life was full of complexities, including three marriages and seven children, amongst them actresses Kidada and Rashida Jones. The autobiography details his extraordinary journey from the gang-infested streets of Chicago to the pinnacle of global recognition, marked by each triumphs and challenges.

The iconic artist leaves behind an unparalleled legacy, combining music, film and television and inspiring future generations. His contributions to the arts and philanthropy proceed to resonate, highlighting the indelible mark left by a remarkable man whose story will remain a testament to resilience and innovation.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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This Week’s Best New Music: The Weeknd, Kiana Ledé, Tyler, The Creator and More – Essence

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Happy Friday, people. As we enter November, the music scene is buzzing with fresh releases that can surely boost your playlists. From genre-mixing collaborations to introspective solo projects, this week’s lineup offers a various range of sounds to suit every listener’s taste.

Headlined by Tyler, Creator’s latest album, EARTHGANG returns with , and The Weeknd teams up with Anitta on “São Paulo,” combining their unique sounds right into a fascinating track. Kiana Ledé offers soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics, while Pink Sweat$ serves up smooth single “Coffee.” Our list also includes music from Freddie Gibbs, IDK, Sheryl Lee Ralph and more

You can try today’s news roundup below.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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