Is everyone having fun at Cannes without you? No, but a lot of celebrities are. And since Saturday marks the last day of the annual two week festival there, all of those yacht photos infiltrating your Instagram feed will soon be coming to an end. But before you bid adieu to your French Riviera vacation that never was, model and actress Leyna Bloom would like to share something special with you. Last week she went to Cannes to attend the premiere of her movie, Port Authority. It was a momentous occasion. We’ll let her tell you why.
Hi ITG!!
These past few days have been a whirlwind. Here I am at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival! It's unreal. I arrived to support my first film, Port Authority, and its public debut. It’s a big moment for the the cast and crew, and for me as well—I’m the first trans woman of color to star in a film premiering at the festival. To say the least I’m humbled and honored. I have a responsibility to represent my community and be a reflection of what we can achieve! That includes a lot of things, but right now I want to break down my Cannes beauty routines, and the people that helped me feel my most beautiful and confident during the trip.
May 17, Press Day
This day was so much fun. First thing I did in the morning was visit the Dior Beauty suite—I had a press shoot and got my makeup done there. The suite overlooked and the French Riviera and had panoramic views. Just as stunning was the makeup. Makeup artist Junior Cedeno made me feel so comfortable and beautiful while we collaborated on a look. We landed on a soft approach—defined but fluffy eyebrows, a little bit of shadow, petal blush, and a subtle highlight. He sent me on my way with a Limited Edition Dior lipstick and it’s been in my bag ever since. But it wasn’t the only thing I had on my lips—I added a little bit of Carmex, too. Love a drugstore classic. And after a long day of promos, my lips stayed moisturized.
May 18, Premiere
Premiere day! My nerves were sky-high, but at the same time I couldn’t have been more excited. Before I got to the main event later in the day, I focused on really good skin care. One thing that has never let me down is Proactiv. I’ve been using their Deep Cleansing Face Wash since I was 17. It smells so good (very minty) and does an incredible job of cleaning my skin without drying it out. I followed the face wash with their Green Tea Moisturizer—it’s nice and light. And on top of that, I rubbed a few drops of Youth To The People's Maqui + Acai Prickly Pear Goji Superberry Hydrate and Glow Oil—I love it. It’s for all skin types and made in California. And then a few hours later, right before I got into the hair and makeup chair, I gave my skin a little extra love with Simple’s De-Stress sheet mask. Then I was ready to start glam.
For my premiere look, I collaborated with makeup artist Vincent Oquendo. We focused on beautiful glowy skin and a pop of sparkle on my eyes. We started with Shiseido's Kajal Ink Artist in Tea House as an eyeshadow base all over the lid, and buffed it out for a soft, smoky effect. We followed that with the dark brown shade from this eyeshadow palette to give my eyes depth, and added the Shiseido Kajal Ink Artist in Tea House again on my waterline. To add even more dimension to my eyes, we used Aura Dew in Solar all over my lids on top. To finish, we swiped on multiple coats of mascara on my top and bottom lashes. I know it sounds like a lot, but I wanted to make an impact to go with my knockout premiere dress, a custom gold Alberta Ferretti Limited Edition.
I kept my hair simple—wet and long, which paired perfectly with my out-of-this-world dress. And then I went to the premiere. It was everything—so many emotional, glamorous, pinch-me moments. Afterwards the cast had a cocktails celebrating my friend Jari Jones’ birthday. Jari was also the first trans woman of color to produce a film at Cannes. Then we all went to the official premiere party at Vertigo—one of the only gay clubs in Cannes. They do an incredible drag show. We danced to our achievements, but the day was long and we had the photocall the next day. So I went straight to bed afterwards. Every moment for me was amazing. It all happened so fast that it could have been a dream. But it wasn’t—the proof is in the pictures.
xLeyna
Photos via the author and Getty.
