Black Girl Magic

Chapter 20

I was able to get a little bit of sleep the night before. Stella and I had gotten our nails done, which took a bit of time because of the elaborate designs we got. I usually didn't do much in the way of nails; they tended to interfere with a lot of the things I did, but this was a special occasion, so I went all out with a full acrylic coffin set full of silver and black glitter with rhinestones and a matching glittery pedicure. Stella had also convinced me to get a full Brazilian wax and my eyebrows done, I don't know what she thought I was planning on doing on prom night, but I went along with it anyway. It was highly uncomfortable and slightly embarrassing, but I liked the results.

I was up early on Saturday morning so the rest of the makeover could continue. My mom took me to the spa, where I got my facial and eyelashes done for the first time. Even though I loved the look, I knew it wasn't something I would be doing regularly.

After that, we stopped for a light lunch so I could eat, nothing too heavy, as she didn't want me to bloat; then we ran home, where I took a long hot bath, exfoliated, shaved, and moisturized. I was able to get a little bit of rest for a while before the next half of my day came.

My mom had convinced our beautician to come to the house and do my hair; being good friends got your perks like that, and the makeup artist was also coming. My grandma and Aunt Kia arrived shortly after she started on my hair. The rest of the family would be showing up a little later. With my mom, grandma, and Kia, it became stuffy, and I had to ask them to turn on some air; with them fussing over me and the dress and the jewelry, I had to tune them out to find a little peace. I knew this was going to be a production, but damn! It helped that the beautician cracked little jokes in my ear the whole time.

While my hair was setting, the makeup artist began to do my face. Not wearing makeup often felt slightly heavy on my skin, but I could tell she knew what she was doing. When she was finished, I was stunned by the results. Not that I wasn't beautiful without it, but she made me look stunning. The beautician finished up once she was done and finished styling and framed it around me, and I was in love.

After seeing them out, my mom and Kia came into my bedroom to help me into my dress, and grandma helped me put on my accessories and a spritz of Chanel perfume. Once they were done, they all stepped back, and everyone was tearing up. I smiled and said, "You guys don't have to cry; it can't be that bad." My mom said, "Baby, you are so beautiful." She walked up to me carefully, led me to the large standing mirror I had in the corner, and let me look at myself. I gasped, and then a huge smile came over my face. She was right; I was beautiful.

The dress was a dream come true, turned out beyond gorgeous, and was a perfect fit. The whole dress was a glitter tie dye mix of silver and black. The top was a strapless lace corset that laced up in the back. The middle part was see-through lace, and the top was decorated with glitter and rhinestones and gave me tasteful cleavage. The bottom was layered satin with a gauzy lace on top that flowed out softly around my legs with a slit up the side all the way up to my thigh. The whole thing was amazing. I had on five-inch black heels with a platform front and slightly chunky heels with the heel and platform covered with the slightest hint of glitter, giving it a beautiful shine. I wore a diamond choker with a matching bracelet, anklet, and drop earrings. My makeup was done in a flawless look with my eyeshadow, an Ombre of black and silver, and everything beautifully blended with a shiny, shimmery gloss instead of lipstick. My hair was in loose curls and pulled up high on one side and pinned with a rhinestone clip with soft glitter combed through it and hung down my back. I was so thrilled with the look.

I turned around and smiled at the women in my life, who all hugged me gently. Then we heard the doorbell ring. My mom said, "Oh, that must be Armand." Kia said, "I'll go get the door and let him in; you guys get pictures and holler when you are heading down so I can start recording." My mom nodded, and she ran out of the room. My grandma said, "Baby, you are so beautiful; your daddy would be so proud." My mom came over and grabbed both of our hands, and we all fell into a brief silence. She sniffed and said, "All right, let's get this show on the road. Momma, can you grab that shawl and purse for her while I take some pictures quickly?" She shuffled over and grabbed my black lace shawl and black purse with a silver strap. She dropped some money into my purse, winked at me, and said, "I'll hold it so it doesn't get in the way of your grand entrance." My mom snapped a bunch of pictures of me, and I posed before she said, "Let's go down there and stun him."