What Black Owned Makeup Brands Should You Support Right Now?

 Hello World!

Happy Makeup Monday!

Today is February 1st, which means it's the first day of Black History Month! In honor of such, I thought it would be nice to take some time to reflect on how far makeup has come for black men and women, or even just brown skin people in general. We are blessed now to live in a time where many brands carry more extensive shade ranges and most brands are making an effort to be more inclusive. There was a time, even in my lifetime, where that wasn't the case. There's where Black Owned Makeup Brands come into play.  These are the brands that have always be there for little brown-skinned girls like me when others were not. And now, there are so many Black Owned Makeup Brands - we actually have options! And that is not only great for me, as an artist, but also it's inspiring for young black entrepreneurs. So if you're trying in get in the right, go ahead and support a Black Owned Makeup Brand! But if you're not sure where to start, I got you.
 

Here is a roundup of some of my favorite Black Owned Makeup Brands!

How to achieve that JLo Glow: JLo Beauty Honest First Impressions

 Hello World,

Last week, the always beautiful Jennifer Lopez launched her very own skincare line. It consists of seven glow-enhancing products, which makes since from JLo. And who doesn't what to have that JLo Glow? Well, I know I do, so when I saw her line was available from Sephora, I ordered immediately!

Get that JLo Glow? Yes, Please!

Of the seven products, I tried 5. Before I get into my review, let's quickly go over the two products I didn't get. First off, I didn't get That Big Screen Moisturizer. It claims to be a lightweight moisturizer with SPF 30,  that visibly plumps and protects the skin. There are two moisturizers in the line, and I decided to get the other one, which I will talk about later. No knocks on this one, but I just decided not to get it. Maybe I will try it at some other point. The other product that I didn't get was That Fresh Take Eye Cream, which I'm mad about because I am positive when I went online to Sephora to buy my stuff, it was not there. I'm sure I would have bought it because I'm always looking for new eye creams, because my dark circles are real. If you want to see what eye creams I'm currently using, you can see my full skin care routine here! Now, this eye cream claims to have patented peptides that reduce the look of dark circles and also helps with fine lines and wrinkles. Doesn't that sound great? I sounds exactly like something I would buy, so maybe I will in the future, but for now onto the stuff I did get. 

Growing from Seeds: Beginner Herb Garden Tips

 Hello World!

I'm writing this on MLK Day, so Happy Belated MLK Day! I had to work on MLK Day, which is blasphemous, so I didn't do anything to celebrate. But work is back in full force now. When I said work was picking up last week, I was not kidding. I literally have so much work to do, after basically two weeks of doing nothing. Fortunately, I'm still working from home, which makes things a little easier. 

So garden update - last week I was going on and on about how I excited I was for my garden,  and how great it has been. Well, this week things have taken a turn. My cilantro is not thriving as it once was, but it appears to recuperating now. Here are some tips and things I have learned in my herb garden journey:

 

Skincare Routine for Dark Circles & Dark Spots

 Hello World, 

I said I'd be sharing my current skincare routine in my last Makeup Monday post, and here I am making good on that promise. For reference, I have oily-combination skin, and my main skin concerns are dark spots or hyperpigmentation, acne scars, and dark circles under my eyes. I have different routines for day and night, and I will be sharing both. I will say I do always like to try new products, so this routine could change, but without further ado here is my current skincare routine that has been working for me lately. For more skincare, see my previous post about my top ten skincare products. This post was from 4 years ago, and it's fun to see how much my skincare routine has changed.

What I got in my Trunk?

 Hello World!

I recently signed up for Nordstrom Trunk Club, which is a clothing and styling subscription service through Nordstrom. I received my first trunk last week. I'll show what I got in my trunk, how I was recommended to the style the pieces, and what I decided to keep. 

Outfit 1: 

The first outfit was this Topshop Crop Hoodie in Cream paired with Madewell Slim Emmett wide leg pants in Seed Khaki and Adidas Sleek leather sneakers in white.  Overall, I really liked this outfit and I also liked all the individual pieces. I will be keeping them all. The Topshop hoodie is super soft and comfy, and I think it looks super chic, and will fit in perfectly with other pieces in my wardrobe. I will need to exchange the Madewell pants for a smaller size, because they are a little to big in the waist, but I like the high waist and wide pant legs. I think once I get my proper size, they will be ever more flattering. The Adidas sneakers are classic and comfortable. Everyone should have pair of plain white sneakers in their wardrobe, and now I do.