Michelle Obama delivered a powerful final speech as First Lady today to honor the 2017 school counselor of the year, Terri Tchorzynski. Her speech geared toward young Americans touched on what it takes so succeed, the importance of higher education, and how we can move our country forward through hope. As an American, I was moved to tears by her inspiring words. As a beauty editor, I was moved by her incredible appearance. In her eight years serving the American people, FLOTUS has never served such a fierce beauty look.
The first big beauty change Obama made lately is a blunt haircut that is radically different than the voluminous blowouts we've become familiar with. The defined center-part and graphic ends are classically chic and fashion-forward, and is sure to inspire many copycat haircuts at salons across the country. Her hair also served as the perfect canvas for a pair of statement teardrop earrings.
But when it comes to makeup—this is the best the First Lady has ever looked. Her eyebrows, a topic of much discussion throughout her terms, were softly angled and full. Her signature black liner was graphic and strong (much like her haircut) but it didn't budge at all, even as she started to tear up during her moving remarks. Her skin appeared as flawless and glowy as anyone of us would hope in front of a high-def camera, with a cheekbone contour that would make any Kardashian proud. And we loved the addition of shiny clear lip gloss—which is a huge beauty trend going into 2017. If there's one time you want to look your absolute best, it's during your final speech as First Lady, and Obama once again nailed it. It's as if the weight and expectations of the public eye are finally melting off her, and she's able to just be Michelle—a contour-loving, lip gloss-wearing powerhouse—for the first time in nearly a decade. Watch her entire inspiring and thoughtful final remarks to the American people (and see the beauty look in action) below.
Jenna Rosenstein is the Beauty Director at Harper's BAZAAR across both print and digital. While attending NYU, she held internships at Women’s Wear Daily, Bloomingdale’s, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Allure, the latter of which she parlayed into her first job as the Beauty Assistant. She left Allure three years later as the Senior Beauty Editor. She spent a few months at Refinery29 overseeing branded content in the same title, before finally landing back at BAZAAR to manage all beauty content. When she's not testing every lipstick known to mankind, getting zapped by new lasers, or interviewing experts and celebrities, you can find Rosenstein at home in New Jersey with her son, husband, and black cat named Maddie.
