Amber Grimes Is The Greatest-Smelling Music Exec Round

“As a result of I’m from Atlanta, I’ve all the time been within the music world. I believe it is essentially the most accessible-to-music place that you may be in. Like, if you happen to go to Lenox Mall as a child, you see well-known individuals and it’s regular. On the Underground, I keep in mind very vividly assembly Jermaine Dupri once I was six years previous. My mother labored in music, too. She was a star hairstylist for music movies once I was youthful, again when movies used to value one million {dollars} and weren’t shot on an iPhone. I nonetheless keep in mind going to Lil’ Bow Wow video units and many Dave Matthews concert events as a result of she was their touring hairstylist for 14 years.

At Love Renaissance, I’m the EVP GM, which is quite a lot of letters to say that I’m the one lady and I’ve to maintain the man’s shit collectively. I ensure that the report firm is working and that everybody is doing their job. Exterior of that, I oversee the advertising and marketing workforce—for artists like Summer season Walker, 6lack, and Odeal—which isn’t normal for that function however advertising and marketing is the place I come from.

We introduced on Tanner Adell to the label final 12 months. She was after all assembly with different labels earlier than she signed with us, however we actually needed her. Whereas we had been courting her I remembered that Sylvia Rhone—someone we glance as much as within the business—would purchase billboards for artists she needed to signal of their hometown to essentially present that she cared. So I labored with Justice Baiden, the pinnacle of A&R, to purchase billboards for Tanner forward of her Stagecoach efficiency, which was solely the day after our second assembly along with her. We wrote, ‘Tanner Adell is subsequent in nation, out of your largest followers.’ The billboard is a cute story, proper? However displaying up and personally being there was essential. We’ve all the time been just a little loopy as an organization, however there’s a lot competitors to get artists. It’s nearly like courting. You need to make massive gestures for what you really need.

Exterior of labor, I run a e book membership known as Amber’s Guide Membership. I believe—particularly within the business I’m in—that folks don’t speak sufficient about books. Everybody talks about their jewellery, their garments, their make-up. I considered beginning a podcast, however actually, possibly all people ought to have their mics taken away. [Laughs] Then, my boyfriend and I purchased a home with a shed in our yard. After I noticed it, I instantly considered turning it right into a mini library and that spawned the e book membership. The motto is ‘Studying is a flex.’ We launched with Wealthy Paul’s Fortunate Me, and since then, we’ve additionally included books like Regulation Roach’s How To Construct A Vogue Icon, Bozoma Saint John’s The Pressing Life, and Jemele Hill’s Uphill.

SKINCARE
I watch quite a lot of make-up movies and I’ve observed that the girlies have actually intense skincare routines, however I simply can’t—so sorry. Moreover, Cerave does the trick, so I begin off by washing my face with their hydrating cleanser. I began utilizing Recent’s rose toner not too way back. It’s an additional dose of hydration, however greater than something, it makes me really feel good. I’ll use Cerave’s vitamin C serum if I’m attempting to do away with hyperpigmentation—it’s truly helped loads—but when not, I am going straight into my Cerave moisturizing lotion, which acts as my primer. And since I’m obsessive about shining from head to toe, I combine Nivea physique lotion with Vaseline cocoa radiant oil—or typically child oil—to make a thick, moisturizing, and glittery combination.

MAKEUP
‘Going out’ for me normally means a live performance, a mixer, or a listening occasion—something work adjoining. Typically I love to do my very own make-up, but when another person is doing it, I all the time ensure that to pay further consideration so I can copy what they did afterward. Light Storm, who typically does my make-up, fucking sprays MAC’s Prep + Prime Repair+ on every part. When she first did it I saved asking her, ‘Lady, what’s going on? Why do you retain wetting my face? Why are you spraying this in your magnificence sponge?’ However now I can’t cease. I spritz my Dose of Colours magnificence sponge and it carries my look by means of the night time, however I’ve additionally discovered that my merchandise mix collectively higher this manner.

Danessa Myricks has some unimaginable merchandise for melanated pores and skin. She has this superb Common Yummy Pores and skin blurring powder balm that I exploit as a primer. I’ve actually deep—however excellent—smile traces, and I discovered this bizarre trick from TikTok the place you puff out your cheeks and fill the traces in with the balm. If I don’t have it with me, I do the identical factor however simply with my translucent One/Dimension blurring powder and go over it with my basis.

I need my cheeks to look actually sunken in, so I contour with Fenty Magnificence’s Match Stix in Ebony. Then I am going in with my basis, which modifications seasonally; proper now, I’m in my Danessa Myricks Yummy Pores and skin basis section—I exploit 23W. After which I exploit One/Dimension’s Flip Up The Base concealer round my eyes. I begin off with my darker shade in Darkish 4 after which end off with Deep 1 on my underneath eyes and nostril. Oh, and one other trick I’ve discovered is that you must let your concealer dry—the women must know!

At this level, I exploit my Fenty Match Stix in Caviar to chisel out what I already created beneath. Then it’s time for liquid blush. I really like e.l.f.’s Halo Glow blush in You Go Cocoa. To set every part, I do a skinny layer of the One/Dimension translucent and blend it in with MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish powder in Darkish Deep so it’s not too vibrant. These little black triangle powder puffs? They’re life-changing. The place had been they three years in the past? I exploit them to essentially press the combination in, particularly underneath my eyes.

I finished being loopy about my eyebrows a 12 months and a half in the past. I have already got fairly thick brows anyway, so I simply shortly draw the road of no matter form I need with Profit’s Exactly My Forehead pencil in Heat Black Brown and brush that shit in earlier than combing them up with the NYX laminating forehead gel. I let it dry just a little bit, rub it by means of, and it makes my brows appear like they’ve been relaxed.

Then it’s time for my eyes. If I spend an hour on my eyes, I received’t have time for my base—what actually issues. Individuals who do their eyes first? Serial killers. [Laughs] If I’m simply doing my common eye look, I’ll take just a little fluffy brush with my MAC Powder Kiss shadow in Give A Glam and go in. I even have a 24/7 eyeshadow from City Decay that’s jet black—it’s known as Blackout—and I really like utilizing it to create a very attractive, smoky eye. I’ll take a really sharp eye brush to line my decrease eye and it lasts all night time. I might even try this on the highest of my lids, however I do want One/Dimension’s waterproof liquid liner there.

At this level, I mud the combination from earlier with MAC’s Darkish Deep once more so I’m not trying white or grey. Then I spray the hell out of my face once more. I let that moisture take over earlier than moving into with my One/Dimension setting spray, which I dry down with a fan—I discovered that from David Velasquez. Then I am going in with my Fever powder blush from MAC [Ed. note: discontinued] and Deep bronzer palette from One/Dimension. They’re the one two merchandise that I put over my setting spray to ensure that every part actually stays. After which for my lashes I exploit KISS Falscara lash extensions. They’re these little clusters you set underneath your actual lashes—takes me 5 seconds.

My lip by no means modifications. I exploit Dimensional Darkish Brown—a really, very darkish brown lip liner—from Make Up For Ever. It’s superb. Earlier than I discovered that one, I’d even go so far as utilizing a darkish brown eye pencil as liner as a result of it doesn’t budge. I prefer to overline my lips only a bit, and relying on how I really feel, I shade within the center with the lightest shade of pink lipstick that I can discover—typically I even use concealer. I end off with my superb e.l.f. Glow Reviver lip oils. I really like the Crystal Clear, Honey Talks, and Coral Fixation shades. They’re $2 and superb. I throw that on, let every part combine collectively, and with that, I’m accomplished.

HAIR
My hair is all the time final, and actually, since my mother’s a hairdresser, it’s the least of my issues once I’m going out. You would possibly simply get no matter look I awoke with, but when I do spend 5 minutes on it, I escape my Wavytalk 5-in-1 curling iron. I discovered it on TikTok Store, and you are able to do something with it with none actual ability. It’s a godsend. I additionally purchased an UnBrush on TikTop Store, and there’s really no different brush prefer it—and solely $5! It may well brush by means of any kind of hair like magic. And I prefer to have little child hairs happening—however not an excessive amount of, I’m an grownup. [Laughs] I lay them down with the Bask & Lather edge management after which I throw on just a little little bit of Biosilk to make them look recent.

NAILS
One other factor that I’m by no means doing is return to the nail store. I haven’t been because the pandemic. I can’t be sitting in a nail store for 2 hours attempting to have a non-public dialog about an artist’s subsequent challenge in LA—I don’t know whose firm I’m conserving. Through the pandemic, I taught myself methods to do Gel-X and that was a course of. I’d actually be on a Zoom name drilling my nails. However I’m over that, too. As an alternative, I’ve been utilizing the KISS ImPress no glue press-ons. They’re primarily stickers, they usually final three weeks. You may actually put them on in your automotive if it’s worthwhile to—you shouldn’t, however it’s that simple.

FRAGRANCE
I’m by no means ever, ever, ever going to cease carrying Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540. I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I don’t care how previous it’s as a ‘pattern.’ No fragrance smells nearly as good on me. If I stroll in someplace and somebody doesn’t say, ‘Oh, you scent good,’ or ‘Somebody in right here smells good,’ we’ve got an issue. I went by means of safety on the airport a bit in the past and the TSA woman walked away from the scanner to ask what I used to be carrying. That’s all I need. The trick is to combine it with one thing else—and Baccarat works with nearly something—to confuse individuals. [Laughs] I purchased Loewe’s Amanece la Bella Cibeles at Selfridges just lately, and till now, I haven’t instructed anybody. It’s attractive. Six Baccarat mists, two Loewe mists, and we’re set to go.”

—As instructed to Daise Bedolla

Photographed by Brittany Bravo in Los Angeles on October 2, 2024