Meet The Founder Behind The Setting Powder that Cardi B’s MUA Swears By
When Giselle Hernandez picks packaging for her makeup line, the phrase ‘over-the-top’ means nothing. “There’s no such thing as too much,” she tells me over a phone call. “We went […] The post Meet The Founder Behind The Setting Powder that Cardi B’s MUA Swears By appeared first on Essence.
Black News 
By Náosha Gregg ·Updated October 14, 2025 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… When Giselle Hernandez picks packaging for her makeup line, the phrase ‘over-the-top’ means nothing. “There’s no such thing as too much,” she tells me over a phone call. “We went viral off pizza makeup. Once you take it to that extreme and you build an audience that is okay with that, there’s nothing else that they’ll feel like it’s too much.”
And she’s right. GlamLite easily boasts over one million followers across Instagram and TikTok. The brand stands out from its competition on the market, with Hernandez opting for sleek, minimalist packaging and instead trading in bold and colorful bundles. Launching in 2017 and channeling childhood nostalgia and blending high-quality eye shadow formulas with shimmer so bright they could blind you, setting sprays that can erase even the smallest pore, and lip kits that rival Kylie Jenner’s for the perfect pout.
“I never thought I was gonna be a big brand, especially right now in the beauty space where I’ve watched so many of my peers, a lot of amazing, black-owned brands that I’ve been friends with over the years, completely shut down,” she says.
But, despite beauty brands facing the challenges of recovering from COVID and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) rollbacks from major retailers, GlamLite continues to steal the spotlight, churning out collaborations with Tiktok’s largest influencers and innovative original concepts.
Hernandez has amassed a cult following, with her marketing videos reaching in the millions, and has also licensed some of the biggest names, from Coca-Cola to Strawberry Shortcake, and most recently, Saw, just in time for Halloween, and her most recent accolade, her products being worn by the likes of celebrities, including critically acclaimed rapper Cardi B.
Fresh off her album release, Am I The Drama?, fellow Afro-Latina and artist’s makeup artist Erika la’ Pearl relies on the famed GlamLite bake and set setting powder to keep the rapper matte and pore-less through all of her performances. The sweetly named concoction is crafted with precision to effortlessly set and bake your makeup. While the star-studded appraisal would be enough to make anyone happy, Hernandez felt a sense of camaraderie.
“It was such a beautiful feeling, especially both of us being from New York, from the Dominican Republic. It was like a stamp of approval,” she gushed. “Whenever we see celebrities big make-up artists using our products, it lets us know that you can have fun innovation, high quality, and that the sky’s the limit.”
Unlike many, Hernadez’s story starts with a heart-shattering beginning. A victim of sexual abuse, the Brooklyn native came from an abusive household and fell into the heartbreaking and difficult cycle of women who struggle with cardi b makeup Latinx Heritage Month setting powder
The post Meet The Founder Behind The Setting Powder that Cardi B’s MUA Swears By appeared first on Essence.
