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Gesi Lloyd

207 articles published

Beauty

Workday beauty products that hold up from 9 a.m. to after-work drinks

A workday that starts at 6 a.m. and ends somewhere around a client dinner is not compatible with a high-maintenance beauty routine. The products that work in that context are the ones that multitask, hold their ground under office lighting, and transition without a full reapplication. What follows is a curated list of tools and…

ByGesi LloydMay 28, 20260Comments

Beauty

Essence Festival beauty must-haves rooted in Black culture

New Orleans in late summer is not for the unprepared. The 2026 Essence Festival of Culture arrives in full force this July, and the city's humidity will challenge every product in your kit. Picking the right beauty bag is not a minor concern. It is the difference between a look that holds and one that…

ByGesi LloydMay 28, 20260Comments

Books

7 mental health books by Black authors every reader should know about

7 essential mental health books by Black authors worth reading this month Subtitle: These seven titles — from a novel about a daughter's psychotic break to Michelle Obama's latest — make an honest case for why Black mental health deserves its own shelf. Mental Health Awareness Month arrives every May carrying good intentions and, often,…

ByGesi LloydMay 27, 20260Comments

Music

Lauryn Hill at 51: the looks that built a legend

From knotted locs at Brixton to a Nefertiti crown at the Global Citizen Festival, Lauryn Hill's beauty journey mirrors her art: always evolving, always intentional. Lauryn Hill arrived in the early 1990s already fully formed. Her style was not aspirational in the way fashion magazines tend to define it. It was grounded. During a…

ByGesi LloydMay 27, 20260Comments

Entertainment

Could Walt Disney World actually fit your summer budget?

From free water park access to military discounts and no-cost entertainment at Disney Springs, here are seven ways to stretch your dollar this summer. A trip to Walt Disney World does not have to end with a credit card you spend months paying off. Yes, the resort has a reputation as one of the more…

ByGesi LloydMay 24, 20260Comments

Hair

Solange Knowles debuts a buzz cut and suddenly everyone wants one

With 300,000 likes and growing coils, Solange's buzz cut has the internet reconsidering everything before summer arrives. Last month, Solange Knowles showed up on social media without any hair, and the response was immediate. The post racked up over 300,000 likes, and the comments section filled up fast. Some people were stunned. Others were inspired. A…

ByGesi LloydMay 23, 20260Comments

Fashion

Spring date night fashion trends making a real statement

From bias-cut silk dresses to relaxed vintage denim, spring 2026 date night fashion leans into effortless dressing without sacrificing anything. The pressure to figure out what to wear on a date night has not gone away, but spring 2026 makes the decision considerably easier. This season's trends lean toward relaxed silhouettes, sensual textures, and…

ByGesi LloydMay 22, 20260Comments

Books

May book releases worth clearing your schedule for

From a Booker Prize winner's latest novel to debut thrillers and financial self-help, May's new book releases offer something worth reading for nearly every taste. Spring has quietly delivered one of the stronger months for new fiction and nonfiction in recent memory. May's book releases span literary fiction, romance, dystopian thrillers, identity-driven debut novels,…

ByGesi LloydMay 22, 20260Comments

Music

Understanding the line between fandom and entitlement

Fans are writing open letters, demanding creative pivots, and calling it love. Artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Charli XCX are quietly pushing back. There is a particular kind of behavior in fandom that has been gaining ground online, and it tends to arrive dressed as loyalty. An open letter, posted publicly, addressed directly to…

ByGesi LloydMay 21, 20260Comments

Makeup

Embrace the blush trend that makes bold look overdone

Cool-toned, barely-there pinks are replacing the bold blushes that defined recent years, and the shift feels less like a trend and more like a correction. Bold blush had a good run. The saturated Barbie pinks and sunburnt reds that swept through beauty feeds for the past few years made their point loudly and clearly.…