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Posts tagged as “black beauty”

Issa Rae Joins Sienna Naturals Hair Care Company as Co-Owner and Spokesperson

Issa Rae Joins Sienna Naturals Hair Care Company as Co-Owner and Spokesperson

By goodblacknews on September 29, 2020

According to harpersbazaar.com, Insecure creator and star Issa Rae will serve as the face of the Sienna Naturals and join founder Hannah Diop as co-owner of the brand.

Rae, who showcases the versatility of natural hair in her award-winning HBO series, is a friend of Diop’s and respects Diop for creating and promoting a clean beauty brand for Black women.

To quote harpersbazaar.com:

“I’ve known Hannah for a long time, and I got to see the brand evolve from her home. It’s expanded so much beyond that. The care and the research that has gone into this natural, safe, healthy brand, I knew that I wanted to be involved,” [Rae] explained in a statement. “We get coerced into manipulating our hair into styles not right for us, or using damaging products. I have an opportunity to make hair care digestible via my sense of humor, my openness to my own hair struggle.”

Sienna Naturals, the eco-conscious natural hair brand beloved for its toxic-free hair care products is returning with larger product sizes, accessible price points, and updated packaging. What’s more, the brand will also introduce Salon in a Box, which is packed with everything you need to make your wash day as seamless as possible.

You can sign up for the pre-launch waitlist and updates on future Sienna Natural launches here.

Read more: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/hair/a34151971/issa-rae-co-owner-sienna-naturals-hannah-diop/

They Couldn’t Find Beauty Tutorials for Dark Skin. So They Made Their Own | The New York Times

By goodblacknews on December 4, 2018
00XP-BLACKBEAUTY-COMBO-superJumbo
The beauty industry often shuts out women with darker complexions, but Nyma Tang, Monica Veloz and Jackie Aina are video bloggers working to change that (Credits From left: Nyma Tang; Juan Veloz; Angela Marklew)

by Sandra E. Garcia via nytimes.com

Women are not born knowing how to do a flawless cat eye or a shadowy, smoky eye, so they often turn to makeup tutorials on YouTube. A search for “smoky eye” pulls up endless videos showing how to perfectly blend eye shadows to achieve the look.

Simple.

But what if you had dark skin and most of the videos showed lighter-skinned women applying hues that would make you look as if you had a black eye? What if you couldn’t relate to these women, because you couldn’t see yourself in them?

The answer to that is also simple: You make your own YouTube channel.

That is what Jackie Aina, 31, Monica Veloz, 26, and Nyma Tang, 27, did. The three women collectively have nearly four million YouTube subscribers, with Ms. Aina alone having over two million.

The women, all self-taught, turn on their cameras at home, and show us how to put on foundation, apply lashes and highlight our cheekbones, step by step. They teach us what tools to use and which hair products work.

“I think everyone looks for someone that looks like them,” Ms. Tang said. “I was definitely looking for that, especially on YouTube, and it was hard to find tutorials on products for women with deeper skin.”

The beauty bloggers provide darker-skinned women with something they may not have a tutorial for: the confidence to wear bold colors, to stand up to haters, and, more important, to choose how they present themselves.

They try different makeup brands to show that they do work on dark skin or, of course, that they don’t. They teach women not to be afraid of color, like red lipstick, bright yellow eye shadow or holographic highlights.

Their videos and social media posts are finding an audience of black women who are ready to spend money on beauty products, studies show, but have few choices to pick from.

“Most beauty launches never worked for me,” Ms. Tang said.

“A lot of times they don’t want to take the time to make the product,” Ms. Veloz said, adding that beauty companies often treat women with darker skin as “an afterthought.”

“Dark-skinned women are always kind of at the bottom of the totem pole,” Ms. Aina said. “I don’t understand that.”

To read more, go to: They Couldn’t Find Beauty Tutorials for Dark Skin. So They Made Their Own. – The New York Times

Anok Yai Becomes 1st Black Model since Naomi Campbell to Open the Prada Show at Milan Fashion Week

By goodblacknews on March 3, 2018

Model Anok Yai (Getty Images)

by Lauren Alexis Fisher via harpersbazaar.com
Last week, model Anok Yai made history at Prada‘s Fall 2018 show during Milan Fashion Week.
The 19-year-old became the second black model to ever open a Prada show. The first was Naomi Campbell back in 1997. Yes, it’s been over two decades since a woman of color opened a Prada runway.
Anok took to Instagram to thank Miuccia Prada, along with her team, for the opportunity, writing, “Can’t believe I’m the first black woman to open for Prada since queen @iamnaomicampbell, forever grateful.”

The model’s monumental runway walk is especially incredible as she was just discovered last fall while attending Howard University’s homecoming. Weeks later, she signed with Next Models. And just one month ago, she made her runway debut at Prada’s Menswear Fall 2018 show.

Of course, the fact that Prada hasn’t cast a woman of color to open its show in over two decades is problematic in itself. In the past, the brand has come under scrutiny for its lack of diversity both on the runway and in its campaigns. Hopefully, Anok opening the Fall 2018 show is an indication the Italian fashion house is headed in the right direction when it comes to diversity.

Extremely slowly, but surely, more and more brands are recognizing the importance of casting diverse runways. This season’s Fall 2018 shows at New York Fashion Week marked the most racially diverse of all time—with women of color accounting for 37.3% of all castings. Still, there’s a lot of work to be done.

Source: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/models/a18696458/anok-yai-black-model-prada-show/

Target Adds Melissa Butler's Black-owned and Vegan Beauty Brand, The Lip Bar, to its Shelves

Target Adds Melissa Butler's Black-owned and Vegan Beauty Brand, The Lip Bar, to its Shelves

By goodblacknews on February 16, 2018
Target to carry Melissa Butler's The Lip Bar in stores. (Melissa Butler) thegrio.com
Target to carry Melissa Butler’s The Lip Bar in stores. (Melissa Butler)

by Nekea Valentine via thegrio.com
According to Allure, Target has partnered with the Black-owned beauty brand, The Lip Bar, and will launch their line of vegan and cruelty-free products this spring. Melissa Butler, a former Wall Street financial analyst, is the founder of the brand after spending years frustrated and dissatisfied with the lack of representation for black women in the beauty industry.
Butler states, “Everyone deserves to have representation. Without it, we are left seeking validation.”
Butler also states in the initial stages of her building her brand, The Lip Bar, she pitched it to Shark Tank. The sharks decided to pass on what is now a business she says is worth nearly half a million dollars.

(image via allure.com)

The 30-year old Detroit native’s brand has skyrocketed since starting The Lip Bar in 2012 out of her own kitchen in Brooklyn, NY. Fast forward to 2018 and the entire line is already available in 44 Target stores and will be available in 100 more stores this May.
Target launched the line with two exclusive shades: Unimpressed, a liquid matte lip color, and Baddie, a lip gloss. Lipstick lovers can also choose from The Lip Bar’s Cream Lipstick ($12), which is full of moisturizing ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, avocado oil and vitamin E or the Liquid Matte Collection ($13) with almond oil to keep your pucker moist.
Finally, there’s the line of lip glosses ($14) which are organic, nourishing and provide a slight glaze for a touch of glamour.
Butler pledges: “Everything we do at The Lip Bar is about empowering women to be their best selves. We give representation to the underserved so that every girl has the privilege of being socially accepted as beautiful. And in in my free time, I mentor young women in the inner city of Detroit (my hometown) to show them that they are better than their surroundings and to prove that they don’t have to be a product of their environment.”
Source: https://thegrio.com/2018/02/15/target-sell-black-owned-beauty-brand-lip-bar/

11 Affordable Coffee Table Books That Celebrate Black Beauty

By goodblacknews on April 8, 2017

Afros: A Celebration Of Natural Hair

Being natural is a gift, and in this book, author Michael July explore the progression of natural hair into mainstream culture and media.

article by Alexis Webb via essence.com
These are the perfect conversation starters for your house guests. 
What happens when you combine your love for literature with an interest for beauty and hair? Well, tons of fun and interesting home décor that can inspire your daily routine!
Coffee table reads don’t always have to be mundane. They can often also offer some lighthearted relief, much needed pick-me-up or an education while chatting with friends and family over the latest “tea.”
Vintage Black Glamour

  • Vintage Black Glamour

    Take a journey back with this amazing visual guide of private photographs featuring African American beauties in the 20th century.
     
    Available at Amazon | $75

To see full article, go to: Beauty and Hair Coffee Table Books | Essence.com