TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Every year during Florida A&M University’s homecoming week, students look forward to the Beauty and Wellness Expo, an event that brings some of their favorite haircare and makeup brands right to campus. The expo has become a go-to spot for beauty lovers to connect with brands they already know and discover new ones that cater to college students’ everyday routines.

This year’s event took a more wellness-centered approach, featuring tables on mental and sexual health while still spotlighting beauty, including a live makeup tutorial by LYS Beauty. Students stopped by throughout the day to grab samples, learn skincare tips and enjoy the experience.

“I loved what they had, but I felt there could have been more,” said Taliyah Marshall, a fourth-year public relations student.

In previous years, the expo has featured brands like Victoria’s Secret PINK and The Doux, both popular among HBCU students. Many of these brands visit multiple campuses during the fall, but their stops at HBCUs typically happen during homecoming season.

Events like these aim to promote positive conversations about beauty and wellness while also creating opportunities for students to connect with major brands.

“I was excited to hear about LYS,” Marshall said. “I hadn’t tried their products before, but I was excited to sample their blush.”

Nicole Burt, a marketing representative from LYS, shared more about the brand and what brought them to FAMU.

“Students are really important to us, and we wanted to find ways to interact,” Burt said.

Beauty activations are an interactive way for students to try free products and learn more about a brand. LYS’s identity is centered on its name: Love Yourself.

“Tisha really wanted to create products that would make people feel good about themselves and also show them, ‘We see you,’” Burt said, referring to LYS founder Tisha Thompson.

This is LYS’s first year activating at multiple campuses. The brand has been partnering with Brand The Yard to visit various HBCUs across the country.

Students at the expo also attended a makeup tutorial provided by LYS at the end of the event and received a goodie bag filled with a few of the brand’s products.

Kelsey Parker, who typically steers clear of makeup talks, decided to sit this one out in a good way.

“I’m not really a makeup person, but it was still cool being able to learn about the difference between bronzer and contour and how to do makeup on Black skin,” Parker said.