The Beauty Breakdown — Hevn Studios
BEAUTY EDIT: AFTER HOURS The Beauty Breakdown — Hevn Studios, Williamsburg
Hevn Studios doesn't feel like a photo studio.
That's the first thing you clock when you walk in. It's warm — intentionally so — with lighting that actually flatters and a layout that manages to feel designed and completely open at the same time. Like someone built it and then handed it to you. On Saturday, thanks to Lyric and Mind Candy Beauty, the room got exactly what it needed.
The Beauty Breakdown was exactly what the name implies — and nothing like what a typical masterclass delivers.
Nalya Chamberlain, known in her community as Lala (@lalasdreamland), walked the room through her signature glam with the kind of precision that comes from ten years of doing this work for real. She opened with skin prep — Glow Recipe, Caudalie — and didn't rush through it to get to the more photogenic part of the process. Anyone who has ever watched someone skip moisturizer to get to foundation knows exactly why that choice matters. Skin prep is where a good look becomes a great one.
Lala knows this. She let the room know it, too.
The full look landed on Tarte, MAC, and Danessa Myricks — a working artist's real kit. The gift bag, curated by Lyric, included Pattern, LYS, and Glamazon — the kind of edit that tells you the producer paid attention.
But the masterclass was the warm-up.
The fireside chat is where the room shifted.
Ten years in the industry. Lala didn't perform gratitude for the milestone — she talked about what it actually cost. The uncertainty. The moments where you question whether the industry has room for you, or whether you even want to keep making room for it. She talked about faith as the thing that kept her grounded when the work wasn't consistent, and the doubt was loud. Every working artist in that room has been in that moment. Nobody needed her to spell it out.
Then Lyric opened the floor — and that's when it got real.
The question that cracked the conversation open was one almost every beauty professional has lived through:
“What do you do when the people in your personal life take advantage of your skills?”
What followed wasn't panel advice — it was a full exchange of lived experience. The consensus wasn't clean, and that's what made it land. Unpaid work isn't automatically a problem. The connection and what you learn from navigating it can be worth it. But discernment is non-negotiable. Know what you're getting out of it before you say yes. And when the exchange stops being fair, advocate for yourself — because most people don't understand the full scope of what this job involves, which means it's on you to tell them. The room had a lot of feelings about that last part.
Hevn Studios is the vision of Imary Mezquita, a makeup artist who looked at what was missing for creatives in New York and built it herself. Studio rental, wardrobe access, beauty services — all under one roof, in a space that doesn't feel clinical or cold. It was exactly the right room for a conversation this honest.
Lyric produced something that Saturdays in this industry rarely deliver: an event where the craft and the career were treated with equal weight. Lala showed up fully — technically and personally. Imary built the space that made all of it possible.
Follow what comes next from all three. @MindCandyBeauty | @lalasdreamland | @Hevn.studios
