We Asked 5 Boricuas To Create A Beauty Look Inspired by Puerto Rican Day
Beauty is an important part of Puerto Rican culture. From the moment we’re born, our mamis teach us how to be emperifollá by making sure our hair is always styled and that we are wearing nice clothes before stepping out, no matter where we're heading or the occasion. But, for us, beauty goes beyond just looking pretty on the outside. Embracing our glowy skin and highlighting our cheerful personalities through fashion and beauty is about honoring our roots and facing the world with confidence.
Puerto Rican Day takes place the second Sunday in June, where hundreds of Boricuas gather in Manhattan, New York to demonstrate their appreciation for their culture in the famous parade that marches along Fifth Avenue, from 44th Street to 86th Street. Keeping with the theme of the revelries, you'll notice that the Puerto Rican flag — which was once illegal because of La Ley de la Mordaza ("The Gag Law") — is rendered on a variety of mediums. We're talking rhinestone-embellished T-shirts, colorful makeup, fanny packs — anything you can think of. Revelers proudly incorporate the tricolor symbol into their style to not only honor their culture but the long fight Puerto Ricans have endured to retain their identity.
This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the celebration is not being held as a parade but rather a televised event, hosted by WABC-TV. Allure is joining in on the festivities, too. We asked five Boricuas working in the beauty industry to celebrate by sending us a look inspired by their heritage. Each artist took their personal experiences as Puerto Ricans of various backgrounds to translate their pride into different beauty mediums. Take a look at their creations and the stories behind them.
Carola González
Puerto Rican born and raised, California-based makeup artist, @carolagmakeup
ALLURE: What’s the story behind the look you created?
Carola Gonzàlez: My makeup look was mainly inspired by the Puerto Rican flag. I wanted to remain authentic to the true colors of the original flag. The blue was more of a baby blue versus a navy blue. I wanted to think outside the box and create a more abstract look, one which was representative of my heritage. The blue triangle represents the blue sky and ocean waters, the single star represents the island itself, and red lips represent the brave warriors who fought for our independence.
ALLURE: How do you think Puerto Rican culture has influenced your work throughout your career?
CG: The way it has influenced my work has mainly been on how I view skin. My inspiration stems from how I saw skin in the Caribbean growing up — healthy, dewy, and radiant. I always aim to translate this in my work by creating the same effortless texture and look on every client’s skin. My culture has also influenced my feistiness of always following my heart in my career and never giving up on what I want.
ALLURE: As a Puerto Rican, how do you perceive beauty and why is it important to you?
CG: My beauty mantra: Less is more. I don’t believe in applying too much makeup, I apply only what’s necessary to enhance one’s features. If the makeup is visible and has a 'caked-on' look, especially on the skin, then I didn’t do my job right. My goal is to have it look effortless and not visible. Growing up and watching my mom, she never wore a lot of makeup, but she always wore red lipstick for a pop of color. Though I don’t wear a lot of makeup personally, I do like a red lip. Red lipstick has always been a part of my youth and I associate it with womanhood and a woman’s sensuality.
ALLURE: What do you think characterizes a Puerto Rican’s approach to beauty?
CG: Accept yourself and age gracefully. Take the time for self-care rituals each day to help your body throughout this process. Don’t be ashamed of your wrinkles. They represent a map of your life.
César DeLeön Ramirêz
Puerto Rican hairstylist & creative director, @cesar4styles
ALLURE: What’s the story behind the look you created?
César DeLeön Ramirêz: I wanted to show the curly natural texture. We use products that give a wet, moisturized look to control the frizz and to define the curl in humid tropical climates like PR. Puerto Rican girls [love some] baby hair — growing up in New York, incorporating baby hairs into your hairstyle was not a trend but a typical way of styling your hair. The baby hair is key!
ALLURE: How do you think Puerto Rican culture has influenced your work throughout your career?
CDR: My culture is a huge part of who I am from my work ethic to my aesthetic. Also to be Puerto Rican is to be a multicultural mix, which is why I have always been so comfortable working with all cultures and hair textures.
ALLURE: As a Puerto Rican, how do you perceive beauty and why is it important to you?
CDR: In our culture, looking good equals feeling good as much as it means doing well in life. My grandmother taught us to always look our best, [so we could] feel our best to get the part. I live by her lessons.
What do you think characterizes a Puerto Rican’s approach to beauty?
CDR: Puerto Rican beauty is all about expressing our natural beauty to showcase our best features — big, dark eyes, [textured] hair, or a curvy body. All shapes and sizes are celebrated and looked at as beautiful. Then you add the island sassy flair and you have a whole lot of confidence.
Cynthia Alvarez
Nuyorican hairstylist, @cynthiaglam
ALLURE: What’s the story behind the look you created?
Cynthia Alvarez: Whenever I think of my Puerto Rican heritage, I think of beautiful people with big personalities. We love glam with color and sass. Whether it’s colorful eyes or lips, we're here for it! Beautiful, bouncy curls are also a staple of our beauty. This was my interpretation of that vibe.
ALLURE: How do you think Puerto Rican culture has influenced your work throughout your career?
CA: Puerto Ricans are hard-working, loyal people. We are very family oriented and take pride in being good people. We are also creative and resourceful. These qualities are ingrained in me and have helped me in my career. To be a freelance hairstylist, you need to be all those things plus more. My cultural roots coupled with being a native New Yorker has allowed me to succeed in my field. As a Nuyorican, I'm a natural go-getter and hustler — it’s in my blood.
ALLURE: As a Puerto Rican, how do you perceive beauty and why is it important to you?
CA: My perception of beauty is different for everybody. I assess my clients individually as everyone’s idea of beauty varies. As a Puerto Rican, beauty always starts with glowing skin and healthy hair. It’s important that we nourish our bodies with a lot of fruit and water so our skin and hair glow in the sun. It’s a part of our tropical beauty regimen.
ALLURE: What do you think characterizes a Puerto Rican’s approach to beauty?
CA: Puerto Rico’s approach to beauty is all about being fun, bold, sexy, vibrant, and alluring. Our beauty is timeless but also has the ability to create trends and move the marker. However, beauty for us is so much more than just the outer. We also focus on our spirituality and relationship with God and that helps transcend our beauty. We want to shine inside and out.
Regina Rodriguez
Filipina-Puerto Rican, Virginia native nail artist, @nailsbyregina
ALLURE: What’s the story behind the look you created?
RR: My nails are abstract and classic, which is inspired by the fusion that is Puerto Rican culture. I encapsulated acrylic with pigment, glitter, and mylar using a marble effect to mimic the breathtaking, beautiful beaches. Although Puerto Rico does not have an official flower, I had to create a flor de maga, that my mami has right in her backyard in Cabo Rojo. A fearless set of Boricua nails is not complete without the bandera bonita, and a Taino symbol for the infamous coquí, the frog exclusive to Puerto Rico that provides your soundtrack throughout the night. The sound it makes literally sounds like how it's spelled!
ALLURE: How do you think Puerto Rican culture has influenced your work throughout your career?
RR: Puerto Ricans have such a bold and distinctive culture. Puerto Ricans have a beautiful heritage and don't mind owning it. Being a Boricua, I have been fearless in attempting to do different designs. I create many different looks, but if you take one look at any of my creations, you will know they are nails by Regina. I find it extremely important in being versatile in skill, while still maintaining a similar approach throughout my work, from long extensions to tiny fingertips.
ALLURE: As a Puerto Rican, how do you perceive beauty and why is it important to you?
RR: Puerto Ricans have a way of life that is rich in values. Beauty starts with who you are as a person, in what you create and then share with the world. Growing up, my papi always emphasized being a woman of good character first and foremost. It doesn't matter how naturally beautiful you are if your principles don't match up.
From a physical standpoint, it is always imperative that I do whatever I want to make myself feel most beautiful. If I feel like I need to do a bold lip, a perfect glam complete with falsies and a cat eye, or it's just "nothing but skin-care" day, that's what I'll do to make me feel my best. At the end of the day, it's my actions, how I treat others, and how I am that make me feel most beautiful.
ALLURE: What do you think characterizes a Puerto Rican's approach to beauty?
RR: Everything goes and everything is beautiful. It's the effort that's put in daily and confidence Puerto Ricans exude that speak volumes. There are no boundaries that can contain a Puerto Rican's approach to beauty.
Guingui
Native Puerto Rican Hair braider, @guin_gui
ALLURE: What’s the story behind the look you created?
GUINGUI: First of all, it's important to know that behind our obsession with the flag, there’s the fact that in Puerto Rico, it was illegal to display it in public due to La Ley de la Mordaza. This is why we’re proud to carry it wherever we go. These braids were created for the parade in 2014. Since the photo of the first time I created it went viral, there hasn’t been a year since people don’t come up to me to do it for them to wear to the parade. People are always looking to wear the flyest flag. I always receive crazy requests like this, but it brings me satisfaction to make them possible. They always come back to me super excited about the how much attention their braids had in the parade.
ALLURE: How do you think Puerto Rican culture has influenced your work throughout your career?
G: The reason why I started doing braids was because of the influence hip-hop has always had in the Puerto Rican culture. That’s how I ended working with reggaeton artists to style their hair for their music videos and later moving to New York. Besides that, what really influenced my interest in hairstyling was my mom. She was the one who taught me how to doll myself up because she was always emperifollá. She would always be dressed to the nines.
ALLURE: As a Puerto Rican, how do you perceive beauty and why is it important to you?
G: This is relative to everyone but, for me, beauty is in your behavior. There are things attract the eye, but how you act can change the perception of what you see on the outside of a person. It goes beyond what we see.
ALLURE: What do you think characterizes a Puerto Rican’s approach to beauty?
G: The only thing I can think of is in being emperifollá. We love to wear a lot of things; the long nails, jewelry, the purse… Not everyone is like that, but we all have that touch that I like to call "tropical glamour."
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Andrea Devoto is a New York City-based writer. You can follow her on Instagram.
Originally Appeared on Allure
