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Key Takeaways
- Makeup artist Kenya Alexis clued us in on how she maximized Chelley Bissainthe’s glow for the Love Island USA Season 7 reunion.
- Her kit included a number of gleam-promoting Vaseline products including a soon-to-be-released body oil, plus some other makeup artist favorites.
I’m sure we can all agree that this season of Love Island USA was good, but there was a big problem with it. How was anyone supposed to focus on the drama or developing relationships when someone as stunning as Chelley Bissainthe was on the screen?
The same problem presented itself with the Season 7 reunion, which aired on Peacock Monday, August 25. I wanted to hear everything, but miss Chelley’s glow literally stole the show. Seriously—I had to Google who she even ended up with to remind myself of the lore, and I watched *every* episode as it aired. And before I even cared enough to do that?! I was researching what highlighter she wore.
Luckily, makeup artist Kenya Alexis gave Byrdie all the exclusive details on the 28-year-old’s (today is her birthday!!) reunion glam. Keep reading to discover the duo’s inspiration and the products they used to get there.
Kenya Alexis
The Inspiration
“Chelley radiates this effortless glow and confidence, both on and off camera, so I wanted her reunion glam to feel like an extension of that energy,” Alexis explained.
With that in mind, the secret weapon for the night was Vaseline’s new Shimmer Gel Oil in the shade Sunlit Glow. Alexis says it melts into the skin “like butter,” leaving behind a chic and radiant shimmer. It also smells nice (you know scent is important on Love Island), hydrates, and photographs well. It’s “the kind of product that makes skin come alive under the lights.”
Kenya Alexis
“It gave her skin that luminous, lit-from-within finish that tied everything together,” Alexis added. “This summer’s biggest beauty story has been glow—not just on the face, but all over the body. It’s the ultimate finishing touch, adding that healthy, hydrated sheen that completes a full glam moment.”
How to Get the Look
Alexis tells Byrdie that she wanted Chelley’s skin “to glow from every angle” at the taping. Brushed across her décolleté, shoulders, and legs, the Vaseline Shimmer Gel Oil in the shade Golden Hour was the finishing touch before she took the stage. But a lot of goodness came before that, too.
A few of her makeup go-tos were the Hourglass Vanish Stick Foundation, a Pat McGrath concealer, and Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Glow Serum “for that seamless base.”
@_slimthin/Instagram
“I prepped Chelley’s lips with Vaseline Original Healing Jelly so her lipstick would feel comfortable all night,” the artist explained. “For a natural, dewy highlight, I applied the Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Shimmer Stick by rubbing it onto the butt of a beauty blender and tapping it onto the high points of her face. It melts perfectly into makeup without disturbing it.”
The reunion was filmed on a closed set, so Alexis couldn’t be around for touch-ups between takes. Good thing islanders know how to glam themselves, huh?
“I left her with a mini touch-up kit,” the makeup artist added. “A powder puff packed with setting powder, black eyeliner, lash glue, lip liner, lipstick, and gloss—and of course the Vaseline Shimmer Gel Oil so she could keep that glow going all night.”
