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' 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟗, 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟐 ' BeFade Studios ━━━━ 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐒, 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐒 New York, NY .ᐟ
❛ NATURAL NUTTY BASE. ❜
Occasionally, a series of small pins with colorful points jabbed Imani accidentally in the hips as she tried to not shift naturally under the concentration of a stylist, who hemmed the loose skirt close towards her hips, hugging her snatched physique in a more flattering way.
"Alright MTV so today we are doing the final photoshoot for the album." Imani lifts her arms so the stylist can move around freely "It's been a busy day, even way busier than yesterday but I have the perfect team to keep me sane."
"We've already done three photoshoots, it being with the—I call it the wild white coat since it's very dramatic and with the fuzzy bucket hat and the up-close one which I like the most." Imani's been up since five a.m. doing shoots, fittings, and all the above. She was a little sore from yesterday but it wasn't something to actively complain about plus meeting Janet Jackson made her day.
"As for the hair, it was done by the sweetest hair stylist Trish Lewis who is somewhere on set right now." She gestures to her hair which was carefully pressed and slightly curled at the end.
One of the cameramen asks about her nails to which she answers "I just wanted a classic French tip with a bit of length—shout out to Maria for doing them. I didn't have nails yesterday 'cause I didn't want to poke anybody in the eye but I got 'em on now for the shoot."
Outfit fittings were something that she'd grown to like, mainly because the clothes were getting fitted to her liking and how she wanted them to be with the help of her input. Not to mention the variety of clothes from different boutiques in the city made things easier.
Outside the small fitting room, was the actual photoshoot set. It was a busy area with staff running around trying to get the right fabrics and tone of the set, but with Imani who stood tall on a platform bench, a pair of eyes were all on her physic as they tried to ensure that everything fitted her perfectly.
"I know it's a lil' snug Imani, but I'll do what it takes to make it feel comfortable—the designer who was supposed to have everything fitted did not so I'm doing it." The newly appointed head stylist, Donnie Lopez muttered, as a slim thread dangling between her teeth made her words come out muffled words. Donnie Lopez was a fairly new stylist on the scene that Eve discovered a week before they getting ready for the photoshoots. The other stylists that they interviewed before didn't have Imani's vision or what she wanted in their insights and Donnie was the only one so now they were here.
They've grown a little closer despite knowing each other for a short while, mainly due to them being around the same age bracket.
Imani held her breath slightly, as tightened the thread, so much so that she could see the outline of her waistline "Stay still—right there...that's perfect."
"Dang, I look snatched." Imani looked at her reflection through the long body mirror. Donnie smiled and added "Snatched to the gods." she couldn't hide her smile as she tried not to laugh. Donnie often did her best to make Imani feel comfortable and not so tense because a tense person isn't the easiest person to work with.
Holding Donnie's hand, Imani slowly got off the platform "For a minute there I forgot that I got on heeled boots." The camera pans to her black Al Dante leather boots. Once Imani was off the platform Donnie rushed to the side and grabbed the leather coat that was embellished with animal print fur on the collars and placed it around Imani's top.
"You look gorgeous." A male voice said with a smile, the sound of boots walking over to Imani followed by the pasty smell of makeup found its way up her nostrils.
A smile easily crawled up her lips as she looked at the mysterious man "This wonderful person right here is Marc Harris and he's making sure that I don't look a hot mess in front of the cameras." She jokes before closing her eyes as Marc begins dabbing under her eyes gently with a makeup sponge.
Marc Harris was a makeup artist whom Eve discovered while scouting the scene for anyone willing to and has experience with black women since it was very hard during those times to find people who knew what they were doing when it came to women of color.
For the look, they wanted something simple and not too brash since the theme of the photoshoot was black and white, just up close and raw.
"For the foundation, since Imani has a beautiful, natural nutty base we had to mix three different shades to get the perfect one that'll not make her look ghostly, or sickly." It was hard for black girls and women to find the right shade since the makeup industry wasn't too keen on creating shades that were right for their tone.
There was no denying that colorism played a factor as to why there weren't the number of shades needed for darker skin tones, but it was about time that things changed.
"Hopefully in the future, it'll be more inclusive." He adds gently lifting her chin so he could dab a little just to freshen the look "Let's hope." She hummed in agreement, opening her eyes.
"Now we're done." Marc finishes it off with a little shimmering finish. Grabbing a mirror he hands it to her.
Looking at her reflection, she was just about to say something when the door cracked open slightly followed by Eve's voice "Imani you're needed on set in five."
"I gotta go—hat or no hat? Hat it is." Imani didn't give Donnie a chance to speak, grabbing a plush leopard print sun hat and began to walk away. Placing it gently over her head to not damage any curls she turned to the camera "It's show time." Her dark inky lips let out a light-hearted laugh, casually pushing open the large doors and waltzing in, with Eve following close behind. During the whole shoot, Imani might've appeared like she was used to this and everything was cool but once she stepped foot on set, she found it difficult to comprehend. Yes, she's pictured her life in front of the cameras and eventually gets used to it, but just being in its presence alone, makes it feel surreal.
She's said this many times mentally but she was just getting even closer to achieving what a person could only dream of "Are you okay?" Eve quietly asked, waving her finger in front of Imani's face.
Breaking out of her small daze, she nodded regaining her laidback composure, "Great." she smiled. It'll only take the years going by for her to fully get used to being in front of cameras, but for now, let her bask in the glory.
