Category: #makeup

Celebrating Black History (Black Beauty)

Black Beauty brands have been taking the world by storm. After years of having a difficult time finding colors and shades that compliment the rich and warm hues of African American skin tones, these makeup moguls have taken the world of beauty by storm and not only have they created products for all women, they have done an amazing job making sure that women of color can find make in the shade no matter how dark, light or in between. This Black History we celebrate the following African American women who are moguls in the beauty world.

Pat McGrath

Pat McGrath

Dame Patricia Ann McGrath is a British makeup artist turned makeup mogul.  McGrath is the makeup artist to the stars and has been called the most influential makeup artist in the world.  She was also included on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People’s List. 

McGrath’s makeup line hosts a variety of colors for face, lips, eyes as well as exclusive merchandise. Pat McGrath has makeup for everyone. Encouraged by her mother to experiment with mixing pigments, the billion-dollar McGrath brand has something for everyone from the earth tone nude makeup lover to the person who enjoys experiment with pigmented colors. 

Melissa Butler

Melissa Butler

Melissa Butler launched the Lip Bar from her Detroit kitchen in 2012.  Frustrated with the beauty industry, Butler decided to create her own lip line.  Fast forward to 2021, Butler’s line is carried by Target and Walmart and includes selections not only for lips, but face and eyes as well. 

Her new product Fast Face offers customers the ability to complete a full-face look with all of the products included in the kit.  The customized color pallete allows women on the go to get everything they need for the fresh, flawless, full Fast Face. 

Fenty Beauty

Robyn Rihanna Fenty took the makeup world by storm when she introduced Fenty Beauty to the world.  Fenty stated that she used makeup as her weapon of choice for self-expression and a way to radiate her ever-changing mood.  She decided to launch a makeup line where everyone can be included.  The focus of the brand was on difficult to match skin tones and skin types. 

For the first year and a half that Fenty was on the market, many of the foundations were out of stock.  With colors and options for lips, eyes and face, Fenty Beauty has definitely become one of the world’s top selling beauty brands.  With colors and options for everyone, Fenty Beauty is definitely here to stay.

Juvia’s Place

Started by Nigerian Chichi Eburu, Juvia’s Place was founded due to Chichi’s struggle to find makeup for her deep skin tone.  Named for her children son Juwa and daughter Olivia, Juvia’s Place offers highly pigments colors for eyes, lips and face.

 Launched in 2016, Juvia’s Place places Black Women and Black Beauty at the center of their brand.  With palletes named the Nubian, the Saharan, the Warrior and the Zulu, you know that this is a brand for women of color, but that could be worn by anyone. 

Crayon Case

Created in 2017 by Raynell ‘Supa Cent’ Steward, the Crayon Case was literally an overnight success.  Steward gained popularity by demonstrating her makeup tutorials on YouTube.  Supa Cent grossed over $1,000,000 on Cyber Monday in 2018 in 90 minutes.  It has been nothing but a success story from that moment on. 

Known for the creative look of her products and the play on traditional school supplies, the Crayon Case comes with the brightest of bright colors as well as options for people who wear more subdued makeup choices, the Crayon Case is brand to be celebrated. 

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Chicago Makeup Show

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There are many things that can get a girls attention.  Jewelry, fashion, money and makeup.  While not all of these things were represented at the Chicago Makeup Show, this was definitely a makeup lovers dream.  Wherever you find yourself on the makeup spectrum, from novice to top celebrity makeup artists, there was something for everyone at the Chicago edition of the Makeup show.

As stated on their official website:

The Makeup Show is the largest pro only beauty event in the United States. TheMakeup Show provides an experience and strives to inspire, educate and build a community. Our focus is to create a place where artists from all areas of the industry and all levels of their career can find mentors, meet industry leaders, refill their kit and learn about new products and programs that will bring their career to the next level.

Meet the CEOs & Executives behind the brands and stock up on all the essential products from large, indie, pro and prestige brands that will make a perfect addition to your makeup kit and retail line up. The show is open to makeup artists, hair stylists, cosmetologists, aestheticians, students, beauty executives, experts, aspiring artists, photographers and anyone related to the beauty and fashion industry.

Experience stages of education filled with legendary artists and industry experts as they share their insight on how to elevate your artistry and career through discussion, demonstration and participation. Watch & Learn as industry’s finest shows you the new trends for the season and introduces you to the new products and techniques to help refine your makeup skills.

The Makeup Show provides many different experiences in each city from multiple stages of education, industry cocktail events, fashion shows to an international presentation, beauty brunch, art gallery plus so much more!

While I am not a makeup artist, I do wear makeup practically every day of the year.  My makeup kit is quite expansive and has so many brands represented, that people may think I am a professional.  I love brands such as The Crayon Case, Juvias Place, Fenty Beauty, MAC, Huda Beauty and more, and yes I have products from each of these brands in my kit.  It was great to get to see other brands that I may not be as familiar with represented at the show and to have an opportunity to see their products up close and in person.  It was also a great help to be able to ask questions and sample some of the products, (something you don’t get to do when you purchase online).

The demonstrations and the talks on trends in the beauty industry were also very interesting.  It helped to connect the trends that are in magazines and IG posts with what industry professional thought were things to watch.  The makeup demonstrations were amazing to watch as well.  Being able to see the pro’s transform models into their visions using the tools in their makeup tool kits was amazing and inspiring.  As a non-professional, learning about techniques and tools that are above my level of expertise piqued my interest to add some new trick to my personal toolkit.

I enjoyed being able to see new products that I had no knowledge of.  One such company was Marmalade Nails.  I religiously got my nails done for over 30 years.  As I got older my finger became more and more irritated by the products so I had to stop getting my acrylics and gels.  I do miss the look of having my nails polished and looking good and I have not been able to do in home manicures and have the polish last longer than 48 hours, so having great, high quality, press on nails may be a good choice for me.  What I liked about Marmalade Nails was that they had a variety of nail shapes, colors and the always popular accent nails as well.  There were a variety of colors to choose from, and I was able to ask questions about things such as water on the hands.  I am the dishwasher in my house and I love long bubble baths, so having press on nails that can withstand water would be a plus for me.  While I did not purchase any at The Makeup Show, Marmalade nails are definitely on my to buy list.

Another product I received a sample of at the makeup show was the Pumpkin Turmeric Facemask by Yensa.  This product has been working wonders on my complex, problem skin.    Prior to trying this product I would make my own masks with Turmeric and chickpea flour, and if you know anything about Turmeric you know it can be quite messy.  This mask is not messy at all and has exfoliating ingredients in the product which is gentle and just enough to add an extra dose of brightness to my skin.  This is a product I would definately add to my skincare regimine.

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My first experience The Makeup Show was amazing.  Not only did I learn a great deal from industry professionals and insiders, I came home with lots of additions to my makeup tool kit.  This also inspired me to clean out said, toolkit to make more for the new items.  The educational portion of the event was great as well.  As a lifelong learner any opportunity I get to learn makes me excited.  Learning about trends in the makeup industry as well as new application tools has been a big take away for me.  I truly enjoyed the experience and look forward to next year.