Mikki Taylor

Mikki Taylor is the quintessential authority on all matters regarding beauty and style. From A-list celebrities and world-renowned cover models to women in the know, Taylor influences all types of women with her vision of beauty and style. She has devoted a lifetime to helping women manage their inner and outer beauty and inspiring them to own their lives to the fullest.

For 30 years, Taylor served as Essence magazine's groundbreaking Beauty & Cover Director, and is now Editor-at-Large for the publication. In addition, she is the Founder and President of Mikki Taylor Enterprises, LLC, which serves as a holding company for a number of vertical businesses, including Satin Doll Productions, a full-service image building and consulting division, and MT Communications, a strategic communications and branding company.

Taylor has offered beauty and style advice through all types of media, including broadcast, digital, and print outlets, which culminated in her wildly successful book, Self-Seduction: Your Ultimate Path to Inner and Outer Beauty (Ballantine Books/One World). This triumph left readers craving more, therefore the sequel, Commander in Chic: Every Woman's Guide to Managing Her Style Like a First Lady (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster), hit shelves in November 2011.

Taylor has joined forces with AMBI Skincare, a division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company, as the brand's newly appointed national spokesperson in an effort dedicated to empower, inspire, and celebrate women of color. AMBI Skincare's 45-year heritage as the trusted brand for even-toned, beautiful skin perfectly complements Taylor's 30-year career as a renowned beauty expert. This alliance will provide women with the tools and resources necessary to feel beautiful inside and out.

Taylor has been featured on many television outlets, including: The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, The Today Show, Weekend Today, The Early Show, NBC Nightly News, EXTRA, Inside Edition, E! Entertainment Television, CNN, TV Guide Channel, VH1, Style Network, Life & Style, WE–TV, CBS 2 Morning News, The Insider, the Style Network, Pure Oxygen, BET, Mo'Nique's Fat Chance, and TV One. Viewers also received a weekly dose of Taylor's positive influence on VH1's highest rated debut series, Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School, which premiered to more than five million viewers. Each week, Taylor served as the voice of reason and compassion as she imparted to the women honest, valuable information, insight and tips to help the contestants—and the women who watched the show—live a better, more productive, pride-filled life. She also served as the host of the TV One series Makeover Manor.

One of Taylor's most treasured experiences was a trip to South Africa, at the special invitation of Oprah Winfrey, where she served as an instructor to 149 girls ages 12–14 at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls as part of its Arts Workshop 2007. Taylor taught a course called Celebrating Your Unique Beauty & Style, a three-part workshop that addressed practical and timeless elements of social graces and the essential basics of inner and outer beauty, and Your Best Shot, a session which taught the skills to ensure a phenomenal photograph.

In 2007, the Black Retail Action Group (BRAG) honored Taylor at its 37th annual scholarship and awards dinner, acknowledging those who have penetrated and embraced the world of beauty in a significant way both in front and behind the scenes. She is also a four-time recipient of the CEBA Award, a former industry award acknowledging excellence in African American media, as well as the winner of the Associated Black Charities Image Makers Award.

Another prized accomplishment of Taylor's was organizing an annual beauty event where proceeds from the sale of products benefited homeless and underprivileged women through the Cosmetic Executive Women's (CEW) Women in Need, a nonprofit organization that services shelters in and around New York City. Taylor is also a member of the President's Council of Fashion Group International, Inc., where she previously served as a member of its board of directors.