Beauty
All The Big Plays At COVERGIRL's Basketball Watch Party In NYC
From glam touch-ups to game-time energy, COVERGIRL turned a basketball watch party into a beauty playbook.
Outside J. Bespoke in NYC, a baby-blue basketball hoop with a crystal chandelier net made one thing clear — this wasn’t going to be your average watch party. In partnership with COVERGIRL, Bustle brought together sports enthusiasts, beauty influencers, and tastemakers for a night of glam and game. Once the doors opened, guests jumped into the first play of the night: a makeup station run by referee-fitted pro artists offering touch-ups using the brand’s all-star lineup of beauty icons. It was a perfectly COVERGIRL-coded kickoff to a night where beauty met basketball in style.
In front of glowing vanity mirrors, displays of products like their Clean Fresh Yummy Gloss, Outlast Lipstain, and Eye Enhancer Wrap Tubing Mascara stood proudly beside their (literal) trophies. But the undisputed MVP of the evening? COVERGIRL’s Simply Ageless Skin Perfector Essence — the viral skincare-meets-makeup hybrid that had everyone talking. The tinted essence delivered a bare-skin filter effect that went hard all night, giving a glowing, natural finish with the lightest touch.
“I looked airbrushed!” said Mariah Rose, sports journalist, content creator, and host of the night. “My shade was perfect, and it felt super lightweight and breathable.”
Powered by bakuchiol, a plant-based retinol alternative, the formula plays both offense and defense — smoothing texture, evening tone, and enhancing radiance for prestige-level performance. Lightweight, breathable, and effortlessly luminous, the Skin Perfector Essence proved exactly what it looks like when COVERGIRL runs the court.
Beyond the makeup moment, the space transformed into a courtside dream. One corner offered the perfect photo moment for guests to pose with one of the many pastel-colored basketballs in hand, while the rest of the room showcased custom jerseys lining the walls and pink lockers overflowing with florals — a nod to the powerful women redefining the game. Guests then followed court-line decals through a second doorway into an intimate lounge, illuminated by LEDs and anchored by a big screen streaming the women’s basketball finals.
Between sips of custom cocktails (like the Buzzer Beater Nitro Cold Brew Martini and Glam Slam), and chowing down on sliders and handfuls of bubblegum-pink popcorn, guests mingled, cheered, and celebrated the intersection of beauty and sport.
“It was a girly sports paradise!” says Rose. “It was so nice to be around women with common interests and just have a good time in a really unique experience.”
As the game ended in a thrilling buzzer-beater, the room erupted in cheers. Guests left with goodie bags filled to the brim with their new COVERGIRL must-haves — including their custom shade match of the Simply Ageless Essence — and memories of a night where confidence, community, and courtside glam came together in true COVERGIRL style.
