Repeat Offender
Color Consciously
“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.
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.”
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.
That is what my latest campaign for Cocoa Swatches is all about.
Color Consciously – because beauty isn’t one size fits all.
Beauty should be fun for everyone. Check out more info on this campaign here and in the video below.
Revival
Its currently 3:26 am and I’m writing this on my laptop while watching my favorite episodes of The Office on Netflix. If someone told me that this was truly the life of an entrepreneur, I’m not quite sure I would have believed them. I still struggle with the term “entrepreneur,” because it doesn’t sound like an accurate word to describe me. Like really, sitting on my computer all day trying to make nothin outta something is entrepreneurship …interesting.
I digress.
I’m back on my blog today to talk about my all consuming project and brand; My love, my friend, (and sometimes my foe😩) — Cocoa Swatches.
As someone who became an “accidental entrepreneur,” the struggle to push myself to stay in this lifestyle is real.
Let me paint a picture real quick. At the end of 2016, my dream, the Cocoa Swatches app was in serious jeopardy. Like for real, I was devastated.
I was scrambling, trying to find a way to stay in the game without letting anyone see me sweat, of course.
My 1 month plan of revival, soon turned into a 3 month plan, and eventually became a 5 month plan. But, somehow, some way, with the support of family and friends, I made it through.
But I am also here to keep it real.
It took multiple days of pushing through feeling like my work wasn’t good enough or didn’t matter.
It took periods of time where I just had to take several mental breaks and allow myself not to feel guilty about them.
It took me not falling into the trap of comparing myself what what I saw from others on social media.
It took me trusting the process and being patient with myself, and others.
With that being said, I can’t really express how excited and relieved I am that the Cocoa Swatches app is finally back in the app store! An entrepreneur’s work is never done, but I’m happy to have completed this huge step.
With the growing and fast moving digital climate, I believe its imperative for creatives, especially black creatives, to create and own their content and platforms when possible. That means creating your clothing brands, websites, co working spaces, etc. etc. We all know the annoying, frustrating feelings that come when something like Instagram or Twitter is down– platforms that seriously make many people’s bread and butter.
Having a platform that I can call all my own mitigates some of that panic. I truly believe Cocoa Swatches as an app and a growing conglomerate is a game changer and I hope that it continues to grow and flourish in a way that circles back to my initial goal: helping little brown girls like me feel empowered in their makeup journey; to avoid the embarrassment of having to ask the advice of an MUA not well versed in the world of melanin, who will have you walking around looking like a clown; to save the tons of $ wasted on trying to find a foundation that doesn’t make you like oily, ashy, or gray; to help find the products needed to actually have fun with makeup, the way it was meant to be.
I hope and pray the Cocoa Swatches app does just that. The new app has a totally new look and feel! Check out deets below. Feel free to DL on both Android and iPhone devices.
I will try to write on here more often. I want to get back into style blogging while also discussing some of personal experiences in fashion and beauty so, watch this space!!
:
R E F R E S H
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.
SKINDEEP – BEAUTY EXPLORATION, WITH MELANIN IN MIND
“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 P makes its entrance.
Cocoa Swatches – the Mobile App
