5 R29 Editors Share Their Holiday Beauty Memories

As a young girl, pies, sides, and wine glasses would whizz by my head as tipsy adults played cards, belly laughed, and crinkled my grandparents’ plastic-wrapped sofas. But I only kept my eyes trained on those two women. Leading up to the family affair, my aunt would spend hours at the salon to achieve the perfect hairstyle (a blowout and press). My grandmother, on the other hand, would rifle through her extensive makeup collection (after she cooked, of course) to put on her face with which she’ll dazzle the gaggle of guests who’d roll through the entire day. I’ll always associate the season with the unforgettable scent of White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor mixed with collard greens in the air. In those moments, beauty was their pride. Every detail, from rouge lips to red tips, enhanced their femininity, magnetism, and confidence. And from then on, I was hooked.