December is here, and for many South Africans that means weddings, sunset parties, work functions, and long-awaited holidays.
For Johannesburg North–based lifestyle journalist Itumeleng Komana, it’s also the season when beauty becomes a lifeline, a way for women to feel confident, put-together, and ready for anything.
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Komana, who writes for True love magazine and is often spotted at Fourways events interviewing A-listers about all thing’s beauty and style, is proudly self-taught.
She said she fell in love with makeup because she wanted women like herself to feel powerful in their own skin.
And now that she gets to talk about it, it fulfils her soul even more.
That passion was clear at the recent opening of ZOR Restaurant in Dainfern, where Komana spoke to former Uzalo actor Khumbulani Sibiya about his skin care routine, style and most importantly being a family man.
Beyond events, Komana uses her TikTok platform to guide corporate girlies on showing up at the office looking polished and feeling like the boss-babe versions of themselves.
From soft-glam looks for boardrooms to quick touch-up routines between meetings, she mixes real-life practicality with the type of inspiration that makes you want to pull out your mascara immediately.
And because December heat has no mercy, she didn’t hold back on her seasonal must-knows. Her first rule is simple: never skip sunscreen. “Even with makeup, moisturise and put sunscreen as your base,” she said.
She also suggests keeping a handheld fan in your bag, “it’s hot, don’t suffer” and warns that if you put on sunglasses with a full-face beat, you either keep them on or accept the dents.
“Unfortunately, you have to commit to wearing those all night because they’ll always be a trace of the shades on your makeup when you take them off.”
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Her must-carry touch-up kit includes: Powder, a small brush, and beauty blender. Komana says one of the biggest blunders she sees is people pressing a tissue onto melting makeup.
“That will ruin the whole look. Rather use your beauty blender and powder.”
Her other non-negotiable: setting sprays and waterproof products, especially for outdoor events and long days. When asked for the secret to makeup that lasts all day, she said, for her, long-lasting makeup has nothing to do with luck, it’s all about the base.
“The first step to lasting makeup is making sure your base eats,” she says.
Her perfect base routine: Serum, moisturiser, primer, and setting spray before foundation And she reminds people to choose primer according to their skin type, “A mattifying primer on already dry skin? It won’t work.”
With December being peak travel season, Komana says to keep your beauty essentials simple but effective, pack, “Sunscreen, your beauty blender, powder, a small brush, waterproof mascara or liner, and setting spray. You don’t need your whole vanity, just the essentials that keep you looking fresh.”
Before any glam moment, weddings, graduations, rooftop lunches, she says to always prep.
“Serum, moisturiser, primer. Take care of your skin and your makeup will sit beautifully.”
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