She’s been called to make it happen—nothing is off limits!
Times have changed, and the only king that I’ve acknowledged— “King” LeBron James has now been accompanied by “King Mali Magic”. She’s more than a makeup artist. She’s a game changer, culture shifter, visionary and perhaps, soul snatcher. And, it wasn’t too far into our conversation that “King Mali Magic” started sprinkling gems of beauty and wisdom that were enough to suffice a treasure chest.
There’s no other way to put it—she’s the quintessential Beauty Educator that the beauty industry desperately needs—the world needs. Although the beauty industry has made great strides, creating shades that are a true match to women of color skin tones, King Mali Magic believes that there is still more to be done and that she is the gateway to its mystery. Yes— I am confirming that there is something magical for us in-the-works! Being the creator of the #DewyBrownGirl project, a fierce movement that pushes brown girls, of all shades and skin textures to embrace their luminous skin, unapologetically, King Mali Magic has emerged into a relentless beauty activist for women of color.
You would think that with 140K Instagram followers, an overflow of comments and DM’s, King Mali Magic wouldn’t dare have the time to chat with her “Insta-babies,” as she calls them, but I am here to tell you that no comment, no direct message, goes unnoticed. In fact, she’s like the homegirl from next door, but she’s too modest to claim that moniker. She doesn’t mind propelling other women to bask in their magic, as she does, literally—somehow, we found ourselves reveling in this beautiful space of casting compliments and celebrating each other’s wins.
Swipe through her Instagram to check out her latest collaborations, #DewyBrownGirls and her praiseworthy work seen on the muses of Nicki Minaj, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Justine Skye and more!
Let’s start off with your Instagram name, “King Mali Magic.” How long did it take you to come up with the name and what was the inspiration behind it? It’s catchy!
I would definitely say that my name came from a very special place. My journey wasn’t always magical. I’ve had some really huge ups and downs, basically, but my name is definitely inspired by my strength and my magic and my ability to make people feel really good about themselves—you know inside and out. It’s just a part of my magic that I get to share with the world.
I can see that you are really big on skin prep. Why is this process so important?
I think that skin prep is exactly that. It’s prepping the skin for what’s to come. So, rather than be a foundation or tinted moisturizer, or something light, it really sets up the skin for what’s to come. For me, it’s the most important piece of my application you know, and it also ties in how I’m able to make the skin look so dewy. It also allows me not to apply so much of makeup or such a heavy coverage. I’m telling you skin prep is everything!
Is there an application process that you enjoy the most?
I would definitely say skin prep (chuckles)! You know that’s my time where I’m able to relax the model or the client—I’m able to do my little message. Anything to do with skin and the overall complexion is definitely my favorite. So, I would say skin prep. The foundation application is my favorite as well. I just really pride myself on making the skin look as natural and as beautiful as possible!
You’re the creator of the #DewyBrownGirls movement. What inspired you to start this?
I would see this luminous dewy finish on the red carpet, and everyone just looked so soft and regal and gorgeous! But, I rarely saw it with everyday women of color. Either we weren’t doing much at all, or we were kind of doing way too much. So, I decided to basically share this with my followers and my everyday women of color, because sometimes we feel like those red carpet looks are unachievable and with women of color, we have to keep in mind that the dewy look is very sheer and it’s not about a lot of foundation, and, however, we struggle with a lot of high pigmentation, discoloration, and oily skin! So, we’re like afraid of the whole dewy look. But, I’ve figured out a clever way to make everyone have dewy-luminous skin, regardless of the skin type, regardless of your skin conditions, regardless of skin texture! I figured out a way to finally bring it all together. I just think it’s so beautiful and timeless. I think it’s gorgeous!
Courtesy of Instagram
Do you mind sharing how we can achieve the luminous dewy look?
Oh no! One thing that I will tell you is that I share everything—so there is nothing that’s really kept a secret with me. I think that’s what people really love about me the most—I really want people to achieve these looks. First things first, when it comes down to a dewy or luminous skin, you want to have a good exfoliator. So, I love the “Microfoliant” by Dermalogica, what I like to do is exfoliate the face first to make sure that everything is silky smooth. Also, I love oils! Tulura has a “Botanico Face Oil” that’s really beautiful— So, I like to press that into the skin. Another thing that I also love, this ties into skin prep is Charlotte “Tilbury Magic Cream”. The luminosity from those products and the foundation together is pure magic!
(Chuckles) “You know what it is?” King Mali Magic says in excitement. I am absolutely passionate and crazy about this whole thing! So, because of it, I stay up at night and I study and I keep practicing. It’s a mystery—You know, I’m like why are these people on the red carpet looking so luminous? But, it’s such a disconnect when it comes down to those magazine tear sheets and the cover of magazines and red carpets, versus how our everyday women look. I’m like, “We want to look like that too!” I think I am the gateway to that! I’m the person to bring the look from those tear-sheets and from those magazine covers and the red carpet, to my everyday beautiful women of color!
Stay tuned tomorrow for more on King Mali Magic!