I love experimenting with different hair styles and colors, so when I saw this super long braid on my girl Solange’s Instagram page, I knew I just had to give it a try.
I also found a similar style on Pinterest. I love the way the cute bobby pins and clips are incorporated into the style.
“In 2015, walking into a drugstore to find makeup is still torture for a black girl with dark skin. There is normally only one or two shades of foundation that are remotely close to your shade and most of the time it is stillll a touch too light, unless you are lucky enough to live near a store that carries brands like Cover Queen, Black Opal, or Black Radiance. But those brands can be a struggle to track down and if you don’t have them in your local store, like I didn’t, you might not even realize they exist.Â
This is the main reason why I started my beauty diaries series. There are so many girls with darker complexions who have ruled out makeup simply because it is too difficult, and it really shouldn’t be that way.”
Â
I wrote this two years ago on when I started adding beauty content to my blog – before the idea of Cocoa Swatches was even conceived. Most of what I wrote then, still rings true now and I am still looking for ways to help and empower those going through similar experiences.Â
That is what my latest campaign for Cocoa Swatches is all about.Â
Color Consciously – because beauty isn’t one size fits all.Â
Beauty should be fun for everyone. Check out more info on this campaign here and in the video below.Â
Whenever I’m in need of a fresh perspective or in times of weariness, I often find myself coming back to my blog. I’ve been blogging since 2007, and it wasn’t until I sat down to write this, that I realized it has been 10 whole years; 10 years of me digitally chronicling my thoughts and feelings through photography, digital imaging, and prose. And, each time I sit down to collect my thoughts, I remember why.
“Beauty is only skin deep.”
It’s an old adage that you may have heard as a child or maybe as a young teen going through your formative years. It alludes to the fact that being beautiful is really determined by the quality of one’s character rather than the way one looks.
However, in today’s beauty climate heavily influenced by beauty gurus and socialites, we respect the artistry first. We admire how easily some can perfect their contour or slay their eye shadow. we enjoy watching this artwork in motion.
As amazing and fun as makeup might be, it can also be isolating and discriminatory for many, especially black women. When brands fail to create products for underrepresented complexions and the lines between appropriation and “appreciation” get blurred, frustration builds. anger grows. problems persist.
when i was a young girl i would look through the pages of teen people (remember that?) or seventeen for beauty looks that would apply to me and often came up short. even now, in 2016, its hard for me to find makeup specific content that caters to people who look like me (unless the topic is controversial or likely to go viral.)
Cocoa Swatches has always been dedicated to addressing these issues, but its time to take things to the next level.
This is where S K I N D E E PÂ makes its entrance.
I can’t say whether I first noticed this hair trend on the runway or on my bae Rihanna, but I’ve been enamored by it ever since. I finally took some time to try it out myself and this is the final product. Voila!
