The rapper, who’s the brand’s first celebrity partner, looks back on her 25th birthday as she helps celebrate its milestone

Cardi B celebrates NYX Professional Makeup’s 25th birthday. Photo: NYX Professional Makeup

Nobody rings in a birthday like Cardi B rings in a birthday.

Known for her memorable celebrations (to commemorate her 30th, the rapper had a dazzling Burlesque-themed bash) it was only fitting that NYX Professional Makeup call upon the star — its new brand partner — to help it celebrate 25 years in the beauty biz in style.

It’s the makeup brand’s first-ever beauty partnership with a celebrity, and Cardi B’s first-ever partnership with a makeup brand.

The star, 31, tells PEOPLE exclusively that that’s exactly why it “definitely holds a special place for me.”

“They’ve been serving makeup for 25 years, and it’s cool to share that milestone with the brand while I also continue to hit big, breakthrough moments in my career.”

NYX Professional Makeup has made such an impact on the “Up” rapper, she can still recall her earliest memories of seeing it on shelves.

“I first learned about them while shopping at a beauty supply store in high school,” she says, adding, “I like that NYX Professional Makeup has always offered good quality products at pocket-friendly prices.”

Cardi B celebrates NYX Professional Makeup’s 25th birthday.NYX Professional Makeup

For more than two decades, the award-winning brand has stayed true to its mission, delivering pro-level formulas (that have been cruelty-free since day one) anyone and everyone who has a love for makeup could afford.

Cardi B’s also a fan of its’ stellar range. “You can experiment with so many types of looks. You can have thin brows one day then fluffy the next,” she says.

The Grammy winner says it’s the reason why, if the brand could be summed up in one of her epic lyrics, it’d surely be “Moodboard all y’all imitating my style” from “Like What (Freestyle).”

Cardi B’s beauty MO is, “It’s not always about how you appear but how you feel. When you feel your best, you feel ready to take on the world. Confidence is key to helping you feel ready to conquer the day — onstage or off.”

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To ensure she feels her best, she leans heavily into moisturizing. “It’s the most important step for me at all times,” she says.

“I love using rose water and moisturizers to keep my skin hydrated underneath makeup,” adds the rapper. When she splurges on her skin, it’s in the form of “professional hydrating facials whenever possible.”

When it comes to what’s in her makeup kit, her favorites include NYX Professional Makeup’s Micro Brow Eyebrow Pencil and The Brow Glue Instant Brow Styler.

“Great brows are the frame to every face and those are perfect for a more natural look and the full glam makeup looks that I love.”

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The rapper also notes that “finishing everything off with the Duck Plump High Pigment Lip Plumping Gloss is a must.” (ICYMI: Cardi B starred in the brand’s hilarious Super Bowl commercial touting the product’s plumping effects.)

Another essential: its finishing mist. “[When] performing, my glam does not move with Matte Finish Setting Spray,” she shares.

Cardi B celebrates NYX Professional Makeup’s 25th birthday.NYX Professional Makeup

Though she loves her makeup, Cardi B says when getting dressed the outfit always comes first, that said: “The makeup makes the outfit!”

As she celebrates this milestone with NYX Professional Makeup, the rapper looked back on how she celebrated turning 25.

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She recalls, “My then-boyfriend Offset threw me a lavish surprise party for my 25th birthday and gifted me an Audemars Piguet [watch]. The party was star studded, with lots of dancing and a gorgeous birthday cake. We celebrated life and the success of ‘Bodak Yellow.'”

It’s all the more reason Cardi B is eager to party with NYX Professional Makeup. As she so wisely reminds: “Who doesn’t love a birthday?”