When a Black woman walks into the Love Island villa.. whether it’s Mallorca, Fiji, or wherever the cameras roll, she’s not just stepping into a dating show, she’s entering a space that rarely centers her but expects her to be radiant, resilient, and ready. Every single time, she delivers.

What viewers often miss is the strategy behind the slay. The hair, the makeup, the outfits… they’re not just aesthetics. They’re armor. They’re storytelling. They’re soft resistance. In a villa that often overlooks Black women’s fullness, just like the real world, these beauty rituals become sacred. They become survival. They become legacy. Here are some of our favorite islanders and favorite moments from the Black women who continue to make this show so popular!

Hair That Speaks Before You Do

Hair is never just hair for Black women. On Love Island, it’s both battleground and crown. The glam team rarely reflects the diversity of its cast, so Black women arrive with protective styles, bundles, braids, and backup plans—not just to impress, but to endure.

Chelley Bissainthe (USA Season 7) clocked the humidity before even stepping into the villa and braided her own hair in the hotel. No stylist. No glam team. Just skill, foresight, and a deep understanding of what it takes to protect your crown in unpredictable conditions.

Clarke Carraway sparked debate when fans assumed she wore a wig. She corrected the record: tape-in extensions. Her soft, layered look was a masterclass in subtle glam—proof that not every slay needs to be loud to be legendary.

Cashay Proudfoot (USA Season 3) entered with a bouncy body wave wig and revealed a shaved head underneath. “I didn’t feel beautiful unless I could fix my hair,” she said. So she let it go. Her presence was a radical act of softness and self-love.

Justine Ndiba (USA Season 2 & Love Island Games) wore goddess braids that moved like poetry. Her documented install process showed the hours of prep behind what viewers saw as effortless.

Yewande Biala (UK Season 5) wore wigs during her season, but later posted her natural 4C hair with pride. “Protective styles suit me,” she wrote. Her post-season reveal was a quiet clapback to critics who wanted her to perform authenticity on their terms.

Makeup That Holds the Gaze

Makeup in the villa is more than glam—it’s survival. The lighting is harsh, the cameras are relentless, and the glam team often lacks the range. So Black women come prepared. They bring full kits, shade-matching foundations, and setting sprays that hold through heartbreak and humidity.

JaNa Craig (USA Season 6) became a fan favorite for her soft, airbrushed glam—even if she joked about not knowing the difference between concealer and highlighter.

Catherine Agbaje (UK Season 10) brought clean brows, radiant skin, and lips that knew how to deliver a one-liner. Her soft glam was never overdone, but always intentional.

Whitney Adebayo (UK Season 10) leaned into bold lashes, defined brows, and a radiant base that glowed under the villa lights. Her makeup was playful but precise.

Indiyah paired her signature cat-eye with glossy lips and radiant skin. Her glam was editorial, but wearable—always camera-ready, always rooted in self-expression.

And then came the moment that broke the internet: the NYXOLANDRIA (Nicolandria) Lip Combo. Fans kept asking what Olandria wore on her lips, and when Nic literally pulled the products out of his pocket during an interview, NYX made it official:

Butter Gloss in Lava Cake
Butter Gloss in Spiked Toffee
Slim Lip Pencil in Espresso

It wasn’t just a lip combo, it was a love story in three steps. Budget-friendly, camera-ready, and Black girl approved.

Fashion as Feeling, Strategy, and Soft Power

For Black women in the villa, fashion isn’t just about looking good—it’s about feeling seen. It’s about choosing a dress that matches your mood, a swimsuit that holds your softness, and a silhouette that says, “I know who I am, and I’m not shrinking.”

Chelley and Olandria understood this intuitively. Their fashion choices weren’t just curated, they were emotional. They dressed for how they felt, not how they were expected to show up. If the energy was soft and flirty, the look followed. If it was bold and unbothered? Baby, the outfit was already in motion. As Chelley and Olandria would say, “You’re fixing to give it to them today” and the wardrobe always understood the assignment.

In the glam room, they’d hype each other up while getting ready, choosing outfits that matched their mood and their message. It wasn’t just about impressing the boys, it was about honoring themselves. Their style became a shared ritual, a way to affirm each other’s presence in a space that often demanded performance but rarely offered care.

Fashion becomes a tool for survival and self-expression. It’s how Black women show up when the cameras roll but the glam team doesn’t understand their undertones. It’s how they flirt without saying a word. How they protect their peace while still giving face.

The Glam Room: Where Braids Built a Bond

In a villa designed for romance, it was the glam room that gave Chelley and Olandria space to fall into friendship. While other Islanders were focused on coupling up, these two were in front of the mirror, adjusting braids, laying edges, and sharing the kind of conversations that only happen when you’re twisting hair and telling truths.

Moments like these reflect Black girlhood—where we love on each other in our private moments, share laughter while we sit and simply get ourselves together. It wasn’t just about hair, it was about care. About seeing each other fully. About creating a pocket of softness in a space that demanded performance

Beauty Is the Brand: Black Women Securing the Bag Post-Villa

When Black women leave the villa, they don’t just walk out with followers—they walk out with leverage. And more and more, they’re using that leverage to align with beauty brands that reflect their glow, their grit, and their voice.

Serena Page (USA Season 6) didn’t just win the show, she won the culture. Her post-villa brand deals read like a blueprint: Savage X Fenty, Cécred, Shea Moisture, CoverGirl, Spotify, Dunkin’. She’s been the face of campaigns that center softness, sensuality, and Black girl joy. And when she graced the cover of Essence GU? That wasn’t just a photo shoot, it was a shift. Serena’s beauty isn’t just aspirational.. it’s accessible, and brands are finally catching up.

JaNa Craig, her fellow PPG sister, brought her own flavor to the table. From Raising Cane’s commercials to influencer partnerships, JaNa’s post-villa glow-up has been playful, polished, and deeply intentional. She’s leaned into her personality—funny, flirty, and full of heart—and brands have responded with deals that feel like extensions of her voice.

Olandria Carthen (USA Season 7) stepped into her influencer era with full force. Her partnership with NYX for the viral NYXOLANDRIA Lip Combo was a cultural reset. And her campaign with Agua de Kefir? A whole moment. Lounging poolside in a lemon-yellow bikini, delivering lines with charm and precision, she wasn’t just modeling hydration—she was modeling influence. The ad dropped right before the reunion, racked up millions of views, and positioned her as a brand magnet. She’s not just being booked, she’s being remembered.

Kaz Kamwi (UK Season 7) was already a full-time influencer before the villa, but her post-show career has been a masterclass in consistency. She’s worked with Fenty Beauty, Boucleme, Boots, and more—always centering textured hair, Black British beauty, and real talk. Kaz didn’t just take up space—she built her own.

These women aren’t just faces in campaigns—they’re the blueprint. They’re showing beauty brands what it looks like to center Black women without watering us down. They’re proving that softness is marketable, that authenticity sells, and that Black girl glam is not a trend—it’s the standard.

What We Carry

Black women on Love Island have always done more than show up. They’ve styled themselves with care, built bonds in the glam room, and turned beauty into business. Every braid, beat, and outfit was chosen with intention.. even when the space didn’t reflect them back. This isn’t about being flawless. It’s about being prepared. Being expressive. Being seen. And now, it’s about you. What’s one beauty ritual or trick that makes you feel most like yourself—as a Black woman, as a creator, as someone who knows how to move through the world with care? Let’s talk about it. The glam room might be on TV, but the real one is wherever we gather.

The Glam Room Is Sacred: Black Girls, Beauty, and Love Island