On Beauty With, Bernicia Boateng
Beauty, to celebrity makeup artist Bernicia Boateng, is practiced self-trust, rooted in ritual, alive with creativity, and carried with integrity. Grounded in Ghanaian ingenuity and her mother’s unapologetic example, Bernicia treats beauty as a living practice: skin first, intentional self-care, and grace when life bends the rules. Most importantly, beauty is how you make people feel.
TBBC: What’s feeding your beauty or wellness practice right now?
Bernicia Boateng: I’m big on rituals. How I feel in my natural state guides where my beauty and makeup goes. Skincare is important. At the moment, I’m loving Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair; it’s an anchor in my routine. A staple for glow and hydration, youthful skin, always.
TBBC: What is a beauty rule you’ve broken that felt like a reclamation?
BB: If I’m honest (don’t cancel me!), I don’t always do the full cleanse at night. Some days I’m too tired and I’ll sleep in my makeup—terrible, I know. But weirdly, when that does happen, my skin can look extra glowy after I do cleanse. It’s not an everyday thing, it can feel more like a reset. Don’t make it a habit, but don’t panic if it happens.
TBBC: What ritual or practice always brings you home to yourself?
BB: Cooking on Sundays. It’s the end of the week and the beginning of the next: reset, cook from scratch, take your time, romanticize everything, skincare, makeup, your food.
TBBC: Where in the world did beauty surprise you most?
BB: Ghana. The beauty is raw and creative. There aren’t big beauty stores on every corner in Ghana, so women innovate. Lipstick are used as eyeshadow or blush, making products multipurpose. Skincare is often pure, from the earth—and it works. It’s a different kind of embracing who you are.
TBBC: Whose beauty gave you permission to love your own?
BB: My mum. I’m a makeup artist because of her. She believed in herself, poured into herself, and we mirrored that. I believe the way you treat yourself is the best example for your kids, they’ll mimic you. She’d get her makeup and nails done, change her hair—afro today, sleek bob tomorrow—even with traction alopecia, she never felt insecure. I’m dark-skinned, thick, bold, not the narrow box of beauty standards, but you can’t tell me I’m not stunning. That’s my mum in me.
TBBC: What’s in your bag right now?
BB: These are Black-girl essentials:
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Powder
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Hot Chocolate
Fenty Lipstick
Danessa Myricks brush
MAC Clear Lipglass
MAC Lip Pencil in Coffee
TBBC: What does beauty mean to you beyond the mirror?
BB: Beauty is how you make people feel. My mum always said you’re beautiful because of what people say when you’re not in the room. Looks fade—integrity, respect, loyalty, making beautiful moments—that’s beauty.
TBBC: You’re known for creating big fashion–beauty moments. What’s the relationship between beauty and fashion for you?
BB: Beauty and fashion live harmoniously. To have an iconic fashion moment, you need the right beauty look to seal the deal. Makeup is like an outfit, never one-size-fits-all. Today glam, tomorrow avant-garde; each look tells a different story. I like being a voice for dark-skinned women—and women who’ve been overlooked—in fashion spaces. Looks translated in a way you can’t ignore: high fashion, chic, undeniable.
