Category: Shopping

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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Christmas Shopping in January

Yes the title is correct Christmas shopping in January. This has been one of my favorite activities for years. If you have a big family, purchase gift for coworkers or maybe you are just someone who likes to have gifts on hand for spur of the moment occasions, a shopping trip in January can have you set for the rest of the year.

After Christmas you begin to see the sale of all of the leftover holiday items that did not sell but were specifically packaged for the holiday season. The same is true for holiday decorations as well. As it gets closer to the new year, the percentage off goes higher. In January the percentage is even higher. Then you get into the after the season sales which are another way to take advantage of the deep discounts offered by retailers.

Even though it has been years since I put up a Christmas tree, when I was putting up a tree every year, I would use the end of the season sales to purchase decorations for the following year. It gave me the opportunity to change my decorations each year. One year it was blue and silver, the next year silver and gold, the following year all crystal decorations you get it some variety. The best things is when you can purchase the decorations for 75-90% off, you end up with a collection of expensive decorations for a fraction of the cost. This is also the perfect time to purchase Christmas cards as well. I have purchased beautiful boxed Christmas cards for as low as ten cent per box.

Retailers like the The Body Shop and Bath & Body Works are also great places to shop at after the holiday season is over. The Body Shop always have holiday gift set which prior to Christmas can be upwards of $70 but after the holiday and the initial discounts, I have been able to purchase that same $70 gift set for as low as $5 in January. At Bath and Body Works you could get full sized holiday scented lotions for as low as $2. What a great way to stock up and have gift on hand for that surprise birthday. I used to work in a clinic and I would use this time to stock up on gifts for Nurse’s Week for the Nurses I worked with.

So you can see why i enjoy Christmas shopping in January. I normally have a tote that I keep my purchases in so that I know where the purchases are. This is a great way to save money and time and to get a jump start on the next holiday season. It is also a way to have nice gifts on hand for those unexpected birthdays or occasions where you may need a quick gift.

There is still time to head out and take advantage of the sales this year. Don’t let the good merchandise get sent back to the warehouses. Even though things are a lot different these days, there is still the opportunity to take advantage of the deep discounts. Let’s get a jump start on Christmas 2021.

Be Blessed, Be Fabulous!