Jasmine Jenai

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Black Bloggers

The Necessity of Range Beauty

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When Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty emerged in 2017 with 40 inclusive foundation shades (Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, $35), quite a few brands began to follow suit by diversifying their shade ranges. Shortly after that, black owned makeup brand Beauty Bakerie, owned by Cashmere Nichole, launched their Cake Mix Demi-Matte Foundation which not only lists darker shades first but is vegan and paraben-free. In addition to the groundbreaking launches of Fenty Beauty and Beauty Bakerie, The Crayon Case also launched 7 setting powders that would cater to multiple skin tones and undertones last year (Chalk Dust Setting Powder, $20.00) in addition to 30 concealers (Highlighter Concealer, $5.00). After realizing the importance of black women creating diverse products, it dawned on me that there had to be more indie makeup brands in existence.

Enter Range Beauty.

According to Range Beauty’s Instagram page, the brand is “affordable, high-performance, clean beauty for the forgotten shades.” There are currently 21 foundation ranges on the site that are less than $20.00. Try $12.00. Yes, you read that correctly. Not to mention it is also a brand that is vegan and free from toxic ingredients such as mineral oil, parabens, sulfates and more (see below) With more people paying attention to the ingredients found in their beauty products, Range Beauty gives those with sensitive skin a healthier makeup option.

Some of the products Range Beauty offers are:

To see a full range of their products, click here and look under the “shop” tab.

I have personally tried the True Intentions Hydrating Foundation in Sahara’s Rose and it matches my skin tone perfectly. I can wear it all day without having to blot too much and it doesn’t make me break out. I can count on both hands how many foundations I’ve tried, besides Beauty Bakerie’s Cake Mix Demi-Matte Foundation, that works well for me. Below is a quick video from Range Beauty’s Instagram that shows how well Sahara’s Rose blends:

To see more examples of others wearing products from Range Beauty and to keep up with the brand, be sure to visit them at:

www.RangeBeauty.com

Instagram: @range_beauty

Twitter: @RangeBeauty

Morgan Pitts’ Conversation at the Table

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At one point blogging was merely thought of as nothing more than a hobby and not something that provided lucrative opportunities…or a profit for that matter. However as time has passed, blogging has opened more than several doors and the idea of social media itself has ushered in the “age of the influencer.” Despite the fact more bloggers and influencers are able to gain success from merely sharing their outfits, travel journeys and even wellness tips, it seems black women were finding themselves looked over, aside from a select few. Insert a tweet featuring a hashtag that would begin to shed light on black women bloggers in a way that hasn’t been done before.

While Morgan Pitts was still blogging, she shared a tweet that included #BlackGirlsWhoBlog (“BGWB”) in it and found herself surprised at how quickly others expressed interest in it. Although it has been around for the past 3 years, BGWB still serves as a refreshing source of inspiration for black women bloggers. Morgan and I had the chance to discuss BGWB a little more, reminiscing about its conception, as well as how she maintains her sense of balance in her other endeavors. Be sure to keep reading.

Nai’s Visions: You’ve had the opportunity to be featured on several online publications such as Essence Magainze and Man Repeller where you shared an in-depth look into the BGWB brand, if I’m allowed to call it that. Did you ever expect for it to gain as much recognition as it has?

Morgan: It definitely came as surprise. I had zero expectations. I don’t feel like a lot of people expect that; me having zero expectations and it’s gotten to this point. Literally everything has come as a surprise, not only the massive growth but the attention as well. I’m glad I’m able to talk with someone who saw the beginning of BGWB. It gets to be a lot when you’re asked repetitive questions so it’s refreshing to talk to someone who has been supportive of BGWB since day one.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of creating an online community geared towards black women?

 The most rewarding thing has been seeing women be able to connect with each other and foster their own relationships. It’s invaluable and priceless. For something that started off as a tweet, it’s nothing more rewarding than to provide women with that bond. I’m very proud of BGWB for featuring women who don’t have thousands of followers or may have just started their blog. It’s about community building and connection building. Another rewarding thing is seeing anything that’s progressed a black women blogger or that everyday girl who has a blog for a hobby, who does it because she loves it and isn’t necessarily looking for a profit.

This year I’d love to be able to provide concrete opportunities for black women bloggers.

It’s no secret that black women tend to be underrepresented in not only the fashion industry but in the blogosphere as well. Why do you feel so many equally talented black bloggers are often overshadowed by bloggers who are highlighted or featured countless times? 

I think it goes back to why black people in general haven’t had the same opportunities or recognition as our counterparts. It’s like the Hidden Figures movie. Here we have incredible black women who contributed to history and we weren’t taught about that prior to this. I never heard of these women growing up. Papa Pope [from Scandal] said it best. “We have to be twice as good to get half as much. Black people were stripped of our rights and our culture. We were treated as nothing more than property but somehow we still managed to overcome, to keep going. We’re resilient. It just goes back to being oppressed. Eurocentric beauty has been the standard and they’ve simply been afforded the same opportunities we were stripped of.

It’s race relations and the overall socioeconomic of life.

Do you feel that publications and brands are beginning to genuinely embrace diversity or do you feel it’s become the trendy thing to do?

That’s a good question! Partially we’ll never know and partially we have to look at the history of a brand being diverse. Time will only tell. We never know if it’s a quota being met, white guilt or if brands are simply profiting from it. If it’s consistent then that speaks for itself. We have to look at what kind of claims a brand or publication is making. Are they giving us the opportunity to tell our own story or are they telling it for us? How does their employment history look and how do they treat their employees? Eventually it will come out. 

Switching gears a bit, in addition to curating content for BGWB, you also work for Gucci and serve as a brand representative for the beloved brand Glossier. As a woman who wears multiple hats, in what ways do you maintain a sense of self and overall balance? 

I don’t do things I don’t want to do. If it’s not a special occasion like a birthday dinner for a friend then I’m not going if I don’t want to. I am an introvert and a homebody. Unless I’m not at work or going to an event, I’m at home and I’m in bed. I relax as much as I can.

My room is my sanctuary. I don’t feel obligated to party or go clubbing. I don’t feel the need to always say yes. When I’m not working, I try my best to chill hard besides my responsibilities.

If you were given the opportunity to have a round table discussion with 3 people in the fashion industry, who would they be?

1. Eva Chen. She is a wife, a mother of two, former Editor-in-Chief of Lucky Magazine, and now she is the head of fashion at Instagram. I would want to pick her brain about her journey and how she balances being a wife and mother and how she’s able to do it and be it all. Learning about her having a bombshell career and still having time to be a present mother to a two year and a newborn + a present wife to her husband. Asking her how she finds time to be present for herself as well. I want to know if she feel she’s reached her dream position and what she wants to do in the future. I’d also like to know how she feels about being an Asian minority in the industry.


 2. Pharrell, I’ve loved him since I’ve known him. My boyfriend actually reminds me of him a lot. We know him as a music artist and now he’s a brand ambassador for Chanel. He’s worked on Billionaire Boys Club and collaborated with Adidas over the years. Now he’s designing his own jeans. He’s always had an eccentric style and I would want to ask him about his journey and if it was intentional. I’d like to know has he always been a lover of high fashion or just bought whatever he wanted? Did he ever see himself working for Chanel or did it fall into his lap? I’d like to know what else he would want to do in the future; if he wants to have his own collection like rapper Kanye has his Yeezy collection.

3. Lastly, June Ambrose. Her career has been crazy from styling the most iconic hip hop music videos to styling Jay-Z and the Belly movie. I feel like she’s not a household name and I’d like to ask her how that makes her feel. People are familiar with her work but not the name attached to it. Being married with two kids and living in NY. Being on the move. Although she shows off her kids on Instagram, she keeps her marriage very private and I’d want to ask her if it’s strategic or why she does it. And her balance; how does she maintain it? What does her success and family mean to her?

“I think Taylor Johnson of The Remedy Podcast said it best, ‘your gift will make room for you.'”

Morgan Pitts’ IG: @cosmorgpolitan
Black Girls Who Blog IG: @blackgirlswhoblog

Cocoa Swatches Founder Ofunne Amaka Dishes on the Creation and Importance of Her Innovative App

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How many times have you found yourself browsing the makeup aisle in your local drugstore only to find that you are unable to find a foundation that matches your skin tone? What about the times you browsed online and came across a lipstick that seemed as if it would be a great match only to later find out that it looks completely different on you compared to how it looks on the model? For many women around the world, these are not rare occurrences. In fact, these same women could probably describe in great detail how frustrating it can be trying to find makeup that actually complements their skin tone. While more beauty brands are beginning to offer products that do complement a variety of skin tones, it is hard to ignore the lack of different skin tones used in their ad campaigns.

What happens when you get frustrated to the point where you decide to take matters into your own hands? If you are blogger and businesswoman Ofunne Amaka not do you only create an Instagram account geared towards showing swatches on different skin tones, you also create an accompanying app entitled Cocoa Swatches. Not only does this app feature an extensive look at lipsticks, highlighters and eyeshadows from various brands, it also features in depth reviews of said products and features beauty vloggers of varying skin tones. Simply put, it is a brown girl friendly app that finally shows how makeup looks on our skin.

My conversation with Ofunne proved to be the perfect balance of being insightful and inspiring. Keep reading to learn more about Cocoa Swatches!

Nai’s Visions: I came across the Cocoa Swatches app after seeing the twitter handle Black Girl Tips share a tweet about it and I immediately thought, “this is amazing.”  

When you first created the Instagram page for Cocoa Swatches, did the idea of creating an accompanying app ever cross your mind? 

Ofunne: I created the instagram page because it was hard to find the newest makeup products for darker skin tones.I also wanted to show the difference between what certain lipsticks looked like on darker skin tones vs. lighter skin tones. At the time I wasn’t thinking of an app, it blossomed on its own but I knew that I wanted to take things to the next level. 

Nai’s Visions: After downloading the app and doing a bit of browsing (more like spending almost an hour looking at different swatches), I noticed how easy it is to navigate the app and the quality of the photographs are amazing. When you decided to take Cocoa Swatches to the next level, how long did the planning process take? 

Ofunne: I didn’t actually create the app by myself. I used a few resources online to help me with the technological side of things. Using the technology that was available helped me create the feel of the app. I knew that I wanted to use a white background so that the products would show up better. Basically I wanted it to be a clean, easy to use app that not only showed products on a darker skin tone but also helped people make easy product purchases

Nai’s Visions: Cocoa Swatches comes at such an important time where the conversation about representation is being held more frequently. One of my favorite things about Cocoa Swatches is the “Makeup Experts We Love” section that features beauty bloggers of different complexions. I think it’s extremely important for women to be able to see makeup on those who share their similar complexion. In your opinion, why do you think parts of the beauty industry are still lagging behind in terms of including campaigns that feature an array of skin tones? 

Ofunne: It’s a general trend across the board, like the #OscarsSoWhite, #BlackLivesMatters movements, and the general media. The media has always centered on whiteness being beautiful and I don’t think anyone in those positions were pressured to change that before. I think we need to have our own spaces in order to continue celebrating ourselves, in addition to infiltrating the spaces that are pre-existing. It’s a matter of complacency too. We have a society that has operated a certain way for a long time so the idea of changing is a slow process for some.

Nai’s Visions: Speaking of skin tones, it’s no secret that colorism is a world wide issue. Do you feel this issue will always be present or do you believe there is a way for diversity to become more accepted as time goes on? 

Ofunne: It’s hard to say to say if I think things will change. Even if one aspect may change, another aspect may be present in another space. I do think every little step is important and counts. Every little victory should be celebrated. Like you said, representation is being talked about more frequently and it’s only a matter of time before it’s seen as normal. 
 
Nai’s Visions: You’ve been featured on sites such as Cosmopolitan, Essence and Teen Vogue. Has the positive feedback you’ve received from debuting Cocoa Swatches surprised you in any way? What are you hoping to accomplish with the Cocoa Swatches brand?  

Ofunne: I think it surprised me because of the speed it was accepted. It seems the publications that you mentioned and more recognize that this app is needed. On the other hand, I wasn’t surprised about the overall positive feedback the app has been receiving because of the feedback I’ve been getting from the IG community.

As far as expanding Cocoa Swatches, it’s all kind of new. My main focus right now will be solidifying the brand. I do know that I want to feature models of other colors instead of myself [being more inclusive] and I want to start working with brands that are cognitive of the colorism issue. I also want to focus on talking about undertones more because I think this is also overlooked. Two women may be similar shades but their undertones could be completely different and knowing about that could truly benefit women when purchasing makeup. I think those are things that can be tackled easily and can help Cocoa Swatches reach out to large audiences.

To get the latest updates about all things surrounding Cocoa Swatches, be sure to follow both Ofunne and Cocoa Swatches on their social media handles:

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