

We know that just because the calendar says it's fall doesn't mean the the weather will actually reflect that energy.
With that being said, depending on where you live, the temperatures are still hot and/or the weather gods are highly confused. It's the confusing time of year where you throw on a jacket because it's cool in the morning and then have to take it off by noon because you're hot. What we don't want is for you to have to do the same for your makeup. There are ways to stay beat with the baffling weather. From priming your face to using less makeup, we want to make sure you are equipped for whatever the degrees may be.
We got to chat with a few beauty gurus about how they maintain a good beat and this is what they had to share:
Kat @kxtbonifacio
@kxtbonifacio
Kat's Tips
1. Hydrate and radiate. "Living in Toronto, keeping a beat all day can be...a challenge. Two things that really help, especially if you're combination skin like myself, hydration and using less setting powder. I use a liquid primer as a base and water as a setting spray and it keeps my skin looking dewy and hydrated."
2. Less is more. "As for setting powders, I try to decrease how much I bake because oftentimes I'll sweat under the heat and crease! I'll use a VERY small amount on a fluffy brush and pat it under the eyes for that bright, fresh look but without the potential for cracking."
Taya @tayamarinbeauty
@tayamarinbeauty
Taya's Tips
1. Opt for a cream or stick foundation, instead of liquid. "My favorite go-to for lightweight, yet full coverage, is the Fenty Beauty Match Stix. It has great coverage but doesn't feel like you are wearing heavy makeup."
2. Set and prime. "Priming your face to prepare for makeup is always key to getting long wear. Always set your foundation and highlight with a translucent powder. When you're finished, always use setting spray. My faves are: Benefit Porefessional Primer, Too Faced Born This Way Translucent Powder, NYX Stay Matte Setting Spray, or Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray."
3. Try a bomb "no makeup" makeup look. "If you've gotten your summer tan poppin, embrace your natural glow with a 'no makeup' look. Just lightly fill in your brows, add some bronzer/highlight, a light lash, and some gloss. Throw on a hoop for a little razzle dazzle. My favorite highlighter right now is the Too Faced, "How Many F***s Do I GIve" paired with the iPanema Sunset Glow Body Oil that I use on my face and body."
Rhema @rhema.mona
@rhema.mona
Rhema's Tips
1. Use primer or moisturizer that has SPF in it. "There is this misconception the world of melanin girls has and it's sunscreen isn't something that should be in our skincare arsenal, which couldn't be further from the truth. Currently I'm using the UrbanSkinRX Dermshield Ultra matte primer and pairing it with OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright primer/moisturizer."
2. Use a powder foundation instead of liquid foundation to get the effects of a full beat but lightweight and less likely to melt. "Tinted moisturizers, may also work but I prefer the coverage that powder foundations provide. Currently I'm using MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NW43. Too Faced also just dropped a powder foundation line I recommend as well. If you want a tinted moisturizer I recommend NARS as the my go-to brand."
3. Blot before you start sweating. "Blotting papers are your friend. Going back in with powder or more product to cover up the sweat or accumulating oil, starts to just add more makeup to your skin to melt more. Blotting papers remove the oil/sweat and keep your face as is. Not removing or adding more product. Overall, the theory is less is more but you can make less look like a full beat without the work or the melt, by just switching up a few things in your routine."
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here and check out the related reads below:
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Winnie Harlow Gives Us The Details On How She Attained The Perfect Beat For Fashion Week
6 Releases To Add To Your Beauty Collection This Month
Featured image courtesy of Katiana/Instagram
Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
'He Said, She Said': Love Stories Put To The Test At A Weekend For Love
At the A Weekend For Love retreat, we sat down with four couples to explore their love stories in a playful but revealing way with #HeSaidSheSaid. From first encounters to life-changing moments, we tested their memories to see if their versions of events aligned—because, as they say, every story has three sides: his, hers, and the truth.
Do these couples remember their love stories the same way? Press play to find out.
Episode 1: Indira & Desmond – Love Across the Miles
They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but for Indira & Desmond, love made it stronger. Every mile apart deepened their bond, reinforcing the unshakable foundation of their relationship. From their first "I love you" to the moment they knew they had found home in each other, their journey is a beautiful testament to the endurance of true love.
Episode 2: Jay & Tia – A Love Story Straight Out of a Rom-Com
If Hollywood is looking for its next Black love story, they need to take notes from Jay & Tia. Their journey—from an awkward first date to navigating careers, parenthood, and personal growth—proves that love is not just about romance but also resilience. Their story is full of laughter, challenges, and, most importantly, a love that stands the test of time.
Episode 3: Larencia & Mykel – Through the Highs and Lows
A date night with police helicopters overhead? Now that’s a story! Larencia & Mykel have faced unexpected surprises, major life changes, and 14 years of choosing each other every single day. But after all this time, do they actually remember things the same way? Their episode is sure to bring some eye-opening revelations and a lot of laughs.
Episode 4: Soy & Osei – A Love Aligned in Purpose
From a chance meeting at the front door to 15 years of unwavering love, faith, and growth, Soy & Osei prove that when two souls are aligned in love and purpose, nothing can shake their foundation. Their journey is a powerful reminder that true love is built on mutual support, shared values, and a deep connection that only strengthens with time.
Each of these couples has a unique and inspiring story to tell, but do their memories match up? Watch #HeSaidSheSaid to find out!
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Feature image screenshot/ xoNecole YouTube
Love Is The Muse: How Skylar And Temi Built A Creative Life Together
When Temitope Ibisanmi DM’d the word “muse” to Skylar Marshai, he knew he was shooting his romantic shot. He didn’t realize, however, that he was connecting with his future business and creative partner, too.
“I was the boyfriend,” Temi says. “Everybody out there knows, you’re the cameraman at that point.”
Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Today, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak