Long Island: Meet Your 2024 Teen Queen!
The recently-crowned Miss Long Island Teen shares her mind-body approach to wellness. Plus, her teen skincare and makeup picks!
Alexis Ebanks’ pageant era started with an online search. When scrolling took her down a rabbit hole that ended with a story on former Miss Long Island Teen Natalia Suaza, the 17-year-old of Centerport immediately signed up for an informational meeting about the 2024 Miss Long Island pageant. “I didn’t even tell my parents at first,” she says. But Ebanks’ parents did sit in on that first call and gave their blessing once they learned more about the pageant and that the focus is not solely on external factors. “It’s about inner beauty and sharing your personal story — a common misconception about pageants,” says Ebanks.
The Mind-Body Connection
Once she got the green light to compete, Ebanks’ platform began to take shape. The Harborfields High School student is currently taking an AP psychology course and has developed an interest in the field. She’s also a fitness enthusiast and works at a local gym. Ebanks is already a certified Zumba instructor. Bringing these two passions together, she created STRONG: Strength, Teamwork, Resilience, Optimism, Nutrition, and Growth, a platform that connects mental health to fitness techniques. Ebanks even wrote and illustrated a children’s book with the same title, which is currently available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. She plans to organize a Zumba fundraiser to raise money to get the book published and into schools, where kids can learn how to tap into the mind-body connection and use fitness to nurture good mental health. “There’s so much I want to do with my platform,” says Ebanks. “There has to be more of a focus on mental health.”
Inner and Outer Beauty
When Ebanks isn’t busy fulfilling her pageant duties, promoting STRONG, working at the gym, or studying, she’s a typical teen, hanging with friends and playing with beauty products. LI Beauty Scene asked her to spill local secrets — and what’s in her makeup bag.
She doesn’t have to travel too far for her hair. Ebanks’ mom does it. “I keep it very simple: dutch braids or weaves, and she’s always done those for me.” Ebanks hasn’t dabbled much in skin treatments yet, but she does get powder gel manicures at Gold Nails in Huntington. Like most teens, Ebanks also loves experimenting with skincare and makeup products and has a stash of her favorites. Check them out in the slideshow below.
Links: Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray, $28. CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Normal to Dry Skin, $16. e.l.f. Power Grip Primer, $10. Milk Makeup Flex Foundation Stick in Tan, $36. Tower 28 BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush in After Hours, $20. e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter, $14. Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Pink Sugar, $24. Maybelline Falsies Lash Lift Mascara, $12. Whipped Lash New York Magnetic Lashes in Last Night, $30. Morphe Luminous Setting Spray, $18. Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Luscious Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner, $13.50 each, and Leave-On Hydrating Conditioner, $12.50.
To follow Ebanks’ journey as Miss Teen Long Island and for more information on her STRONG platform, follow her on Instagram @alexis.ebanks and also on @longislandpageants.
