Actress and businesswoman Marsai Martin graced the Beautycon stage to discuss her relationship with beauty, career passions and most recent business venture with press-on nails. During a fireside chat with ESSENCE CEO Caroline Wanga, the conversation touched on Martin’s beauty evolution during her career.
Martin credited her connection with beauty to the matriarchs of her household. Her mother, grandmother and aunties taught her to be confident and comfortable in her skin.”Beauty was always a confidence booster in my household,” Martin said. “I learned quickly that it [beauty] comes from within.”
She attaches her connection with beauty to her acting, producing and entrepreneurial professions. Most known for her role on Black-ish as Diane Johnson, Martin said the eight-year experience on the show allowed her to learn about different beauty styles from makeup artists and hair stylists on set, where she soon learned how to incorporate her own flair in her beauty routine.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 16: (L-R) Caroline Wanga and Marsai Martin pose onstage during Beautycon™ Los Angeles 2023 (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for Beautycon™)
Martin’s career began at age five and has transcended since. As she matured, the 19-year-old realized that her passion motivated her to continue breaking barriers in the entertainment industry, one being recognized by Guinness World Records as the youngest executive producer in Hollywood when she was 13.
Actively choosing to further her career across entertainment landscapes is how Martin is confident in her passion. “You have to choose your passions every day to keep going,” Martin said. “It doesn’t matter what the trials and tribulations are. That’s how I know it’s my passion.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 16: Marsai Martin speaks onstage during Beautycon™ Los Angeles 2023 at The Reef on September 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Beautycon™)
One of those challenges Martin faced growing up in the spotlight was remaining authentic. She shared she tried to exude a different version of herself to be accepted by outside people. Still, that short-lived persona didn’t align with her humorous, down-to-earth personality.
“I realized being myself was the most comfortable space to be in,” Martin said. “All I can be is me because that is what makes me feel good, and I always have to choose myself at the end of the day.”
In addition to running her family-owned production company Genius Productions, birthed after starring alongside heavy hitters like Issa Rae and Regina Hall in the 2019 film Little, Martin’s newest business venture taps into the press-on nail industry.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 16: Marsai Martin speaks onstage during Beautycon™ Los Angeles 2023 at The Reef on September 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Beautycon™)
Mari By Marsai, a luxury press-on nail brand, launched in 2022 after she consistently used press-on nails for red carpets. “I wanted to create something luxurious and where you can get the same style at the salon,” Martin said.
With a résumé stacked with groundbreaking accomplishments, Martin shared that being a role model for young people can be pressuring, but her authenticity keeps her grounded. “I just want to make sure that within myself, I know where I am, where I stand, and doing what I love to do helps me move forward,” Martin said.