Here at The Cosmo Black Beauty Hub, we absolutely do not gatekeep, so when we get a chance to quiz some of our favourite Black women about their go-to beauty products, tips and treatments, we don't hold back – after all, that's how our Little Black Beauty Book Franchise was born. All the tea on our favourite star's life in beauty, served hot.
This week, we caught up with Grammy-award-winning queen of pop rap, Doja Cat, to deep dive into her little Black beauty book...
As you're one of the face of MAC's iconic new campaign, first things first, what's your must-have MAC product?
It's the Extended Play Mascara in Giga Black. I use it every single time I do my makeup.
How does skincare factor into your beauty routine?
I think it's important to prep your skin before your makeup. I got really big into skincare, a while back. I love using essences. You know what? I wish I was doing more facials and treatments like that [but] I actually just try to drink water and and just try to take my makeup off every night.
Do you double cleanse?
Yeah I love double cleansing. So I do an oil cleanser and then a regular cleanser.
What was the first ever MAC product you bought?
It was MAC X Barbie! There's a gorgeous pink lipstick with like a green fleck inside of it – that I was just mesmerised by.
Biggest beauty splurge?
I don't think I splurge that much. I just I use a lot of expired makeup from like, years ago. Like, I have the same heap of makeup that I've been using forever. People recommend me massages but I don't do them unless I absolutely need them. I got a quick lymphatic facial massage from a makeup artist that I worked with recently on a music video, Sam Visser. And it was the best thing I've ever, ever done. It's how he preps the face it was lovely.
Best beauty hack?
I think a lot of people know to that you can use eyeshadows as anything. And, because I feel like there's not many purple blushes, or at least, I don't know where to find them myself, but I've been using a lot of really beautiful light lilac blushes, or like light lilac eyeshadows, to kind of transition my blushes, and it brightens the high points of your cheeks in a really interesting way.
Worst beauty mishap?
Oh, I've got 100,000. So, I used to, when I was very naughty and I was younger, and I would go to friend's house – well these weren't really friends, they were just, like, party friends. And I would take my makeup off with just random stuff. I remember one thing, I took my makeup off – no – I took my wig off with with Patron tequila because there wasn't anything in the house. I remember I would always ask people if they had olive oil, and I would just remove my makeup with olive oil. And that actually works really well, but the patron tequila thing was a one time thing. I think it did [work] to an extent, but it was like, I can't be doing this.
Your makeup bag wouldn't be the same without...
My makeup bag would not be the same without a pencil sharpener. I mean, have you ever grabbed like a knife from the kitchen to try to sharpen an eye pencil?
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.
