Still trying to gather yourself after seeing Michael B. Jordan on the latest Essence cover? You are not alone. Same goes for everyone else!
After the cover was released, Jordan shouted out his "baby oil lady," because, well … LOOK AT HIM.
The shout-out had many wondering who this lucky woman was, and her name has finally been revealed!
Blavity fam, meet Jessica Ortiz. The men's grooming and makeup artist gave The Cut a behind the scenes scoop on how she achieved the Jordan glow that has a lot of us thirsty for more.
"Since we were in-studio and the lighting was so bright, to create that effect, I had to check Michael’s skin so that it wouldn’t bounce too much," said Ortiz. "He has perfect skin; it’s radiant, so I just wanted to prevent his skin from getting shiny. I prepped him with some of my favorite clean, bio-active brands. I used REN’s Perfect Canvas serum. It’s a really nice primer-slash-skin care product. Then I kept the Tatcha rice papers on set, so anytime he got a little shiny, I was able to use that. I used Jack Black’s Intense Lip Therapy for his lip balm; it’s the best for guys because it’s really hydrating, but it doesn’t look shiny. It’s like a matte lip balm."
Though "baby oil" is the tried and true agent black folks use to combat ashiness, it was not Ortiz' go-to product to rub down MBJ!
"On his body, I used Aesop Resurrection Hand Balm. I got a shoutout as being the “baby-oil lady,” but I technically didn’t use baby oil on him," she said.
"Baby oil would have come off as too shiny, or sweaty-looking, on camera. I wanted to keep it very sophisticated," Ortiz added.
Oh, and if you're wondering if she actually used her hands or any special tools to apply the balm — because we most certainly were — it turns out, she was all hands indeed!
"I used my hands," Ortiz said. "If it was a situation where I was using a body glow or a tinted lotion, I might have used a brush, but I typically use my hands."
That sounds divine. Oh, and one more very, very important thing: stars are often airbrushed or Photoshopped to get them looking picture perfect, but not this time. Jordan's abs and physique are the real deal!
"No, that’s all him!" Ortiz exclaimed.
Hashtag blessed.
