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ESSENCE Beauty Diary: Get Ready With Fana Hues Before A Show

The R&B singer talks us through her backstage beauty process, the energy in her glam room, and the beauty muse she relates to the most.

ESSENCE Beauty Diary: Get Ready With Fana Hues Before Her Show

courtesy of Alana Swaringen

By India Espy-Jones · Updated March 21, 2025

A moth is more than just a muted-toned insect hypnotized by a flame. For R&B singer Fana Hues, MOTH is the name of her latest album and an acronym for the deepest “Matters Of The Heart.” As she gets ready to sing her heart out on the stage of her first-ever headlining tour, “the looks are purposefully revealing, bare, and layered to mirror the naked nature of my album,” Hues tells ESSENCE about her beauty of the night.

“Every night I have a light makeup routine, partially because I’m doing it myself and partially for cohesive reasons,” she says. Using nothing but Dior Foundation, Glossier Boy Brow, and hybrid lash extensions by 323 lash therapy’s Alanah Sahaba. “Those three things are staples in my glam look,” she says, reaching for just a few other products, like blush and concealer, if she feels like.

While her music has been featured on Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost, THEY.’s “Comfortable” and a tour with Lucky Daye, she pulls her beauty inspiration from SZA. “She always has the best hair, I need to know her technique for the amount of volume she has,” Hues says, wearing loose, fluffy curls of her own.

Pre-show beauty may seem like a chore, between strict time frames, dress rehearsals, and finding the right look to set the mood. However, “my glam room is oddly calming,” she says. “I get really quiet and it feels like a moment of stillness for me to recenter before the show.” Quite like her music, which spans psychedelia, neo-soul, and hyper-present instruments, her beauty routine is a space to embody that energy.

“The best part is seeing the audience’s reaction to the performance piece,” Hues says. “I put a lot of work into making sure the show feels good and every night I get to share a piece of my heart with them. I look forward to that feeling.”

Below, a behind the scenes look at Hues’ getting ready process before her Baby’s All Right show earlier this week in NYC.

Matters Of The Makeup

Get Ready With Fana Hues Before Her Baby’s All Right Show

Highlighter To Catch The Spotlight

Her Beauty Staples

Volume, Volume, And More Volume

Hanging By A Thread

Crystals Growing From Her Shoes

To Red Lip Or Not To Red Lip?

After The Final Touch

Now Drop The Curtains

WATCH | Beads, Beats & Black Girl Magic

By Essence · Updated March 12, 2025

The road to the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ is paved with beads, the lively sounds of brass bands, and the unstoppable spirit of the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale. For the fourth time, ESSENCE, Femme Fatale, and Coca-Cola® are joining forces to UPLIFT AND SHARE THE MOMENT—launching an unforgettable journey to EFOC with a spectacular Mardi Gras celebration like no other! This year, we’re cranking up the excitement by giving you an exclusive peek behind the scenes for the very first time!

Founded in 2013, the groundbreaking all-female Mardi Gras krewe made history as the first established by African American women for African American women—but its spirit of inclusivity welcomes everyone to join the fun!
Femme Fatale goes beyond the parade route, fostering a year-round sisterhood rooted in service, mentorship, and cultural pride. Through leadership programs, community outreach, and signature initiatives like Say Yes to the Prom Dress, the krewe uplifts and supports women of all ages. The hard work and dedication put into preparing for Mardi Gras is just as important as their year-round efforts.

Year after year, Femme Fatale goes all-in to refresh their floats, costumes, and throws, ensuring that each parade is an unforgettable experience. The process starts months before the parade, with members brainstorming ideas, designing intricate costumes, and collaborating with artisans to create custom throws.
The work that goes into it is a true labor of love—each costume, throw, and float serves as a reflection of the krewe’s creativity, passion, and dedication to putting on a show that reflects their commitment to the community.
And when it all comes together, the result is nothing short of pure joy! Like the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Mardi Gras is a celebration of life, culture, and unity—an explosion of color, music, and energy that brings people together in a way that’s truly unforgettable.