Kelsi Horn holds the current title of Miss Black USA. The petite beauty from Detroit wasn’t a pageant girl growing up but was inspired to run in college. During Black History Month, she has been on the go, talking about the pageant and the platforms she supports.
While in Atlanta this week, Horn dropped by rolling out studios to share her beauty secrets during high-volume days when she has back-to-back media interviews and promotional appearances and knows she’ll be photographed nonstop.
What is your definition of beauty?
I think beauty comes in many different sizes and shapes, but it starts within. It is really about being healthy and taking care of yourself.
Can you share your beauty secrets?
The first one would be flexi rods. I had to learn how to do my own hair for these appearances, and flexi rods have saved me. They allow me to curl my hair without putting damaging heat on it.
Second would be simple is best. My go-to is foundation, blush and mascara, and I’m good. I don’t think that you always have to have a bunch of makeup on your face to look good. You don’t always have to go for the full “beat.” When I’m not working, I usually don’t even wear foundation.
The last thing would be to drink your water. You can really tell a difference in your skin when you are drinking water daily. The better your skin looks, the less makeup you have to wear anyway.
How did you prepare for the swimsuit competition of the pageant?
The Miss Black USA pageant doesn’t have a swimsuit competition. There is a fitness wear competition. They want the focus to be on health and not focused on a specific size. Everyone isn’t 6 feet tall and a size 2, and they shouldn’t be. So instead of a bikini, we wore fitness wear, but I still wanted to look good, so I watched what I ate and made sure to exercise.
What would you say to young women who are constantly trying to achieve perfection with their physical appearance?
The first thing I would say is that they should stop comparing themselves to other people. Looking at social media can have anyone comparing themselves to other people’s photoshopped and filtered pictures when the truth is that isn’t real. Focus on you and your health, and learn to be confident with what works best on you. That’s real beauty.
