#NoMakeUp Movement

I have always thought that being unable to leave your house without make-up was ridiculous but I find the #NoMakeUp Movement even more ridiculous!

Why must everything these days be a damn movement?! Wear make-up or don't, what's the big deal? By shaming women who wear make-up aren't you causing the same low self-esteem and division you are fighting against?

Is this really necessary?!

I have mentioned in a previous post that I'm not a make-up person (Side bar: I have recently become obsessed with lipsticks and now have an impressive collection if I do say so myself! I might even do a post on it lol.), other than the fact that I prefer a fresh face to a 'beat' face, I'm too lazy to create the time to apply and remove make-up every day so I stick to the occasional wear. Having said that, I am aware that I have the luxury of being lazy because I'm lucky enough to have clear skin. Cue Alicia Keys.

I'm sure that those of us who are old enough to know the 'pre-home wrecking' Alicia Keys (yeah I said it!) will remember that Ms Keys had really troublesome skin and that make-up didn't do much to cover up her frequent break-outs. This didn't stop us from buying her music or being fans, in fact we couldn't get enough of her and her canerows (cornrows for my Americans)!

Circa 2002

So flash forward a decade or so, Alicia Keys decides to ANNOUNCE that she will no longer be wearing make-up. I found it mildly irritating. I mean, who cares? Do you. Why not just step out with no make-up, why the announcement? But you know, celebrities do as celebrities do. THEN this whole #NoMakeUp nonsense started to circulate and people were being accused of hating themselves because they wore make-up. Now I was really irritated.

There are women that have deep rooted insecurities and use make-up to mask that, but to accuse all women of having this issue? C'mon son!

In the words of Tami Roman (Instagram: @officialbonnetchronicles):

"My truth, I need some motherfucking lipgloss. When I go out my house I bring my got-damn lipgloss ...because I know my lips are always motherfucking dry! I need it and some of y'all need some shit too!"

I luh me some Tami!

She uses some very decorative language but she's right, some people need make-up/cosmetics. Not everyone has the luxury of going au naturel, some people need to cover what they deem to be imperfections. Would you condemn people for using deodorant just because 'powder fresh' isn't their natural scent? I didn't think so.

And this is the issue I have with Alicia's announcement. She states that part of the reason for her new make-up free approach is that she has now learned to love herself and that her wearing make-up was her not embracing herself, but how much embracing did she have to do when she has gotten rid of the imperfections that make-up helped her cover? Her skin is now smooth and even, her eyebrows and lashes look like they've had a year's worth of castor oil treatment and she is now a married woman which means she has the attention of the only man she should be concerned with, if those aren't confidence boosters I don't know what are.

2016

Let me be clear, Alicia has every right to wear or not wear make-up but implying that make-up's sole purpose was to cover up insecurities is unfair to the countless women who are drunk in love with themselves but prefer to use concealer to look awake in the morning or foundation to even out their skin tone.

This is what a little concealer can do

It's really tiring to go on social media and see women bashing each other for their choice of style, it's bad enough that men are calling women 'decepticons' (Google it! Lol!) but to see a woman with a similar struggle and a padded bra joining in is really emotionally draining. Don't get me wrong, some women do need new friends and a cochlear implant so that they can get some sound advice but in general, everyone is just trying to get by so why not leave them to it? Why create a movement that will only further divide women?

This is where real friends step in.

My cynical side believes that this is all a PR stunt and that the announcement was a way for Alicia Keys to re-introduce herself in the hopes that we will all forget that she is a home wrecking heifer the part she played in the dissolution of Swizz Beatz and Mashonda's marriage.

Make-up or no make-up, self love should be everyone's goal and how each person chooses to display that should be nobody else's business. Let a sistah live!

I am my sisters' keeper

My Top 3 Foundations

Let me start by saying that I am NOT a beauty blogger or a make-up expert, quite the contrary actually, until quite recently I've never cared about anything beyond a good mascara.

Over the summer I realised that I was a grown woman that didn't own a real foundation (I have a tinted moisturiser) and I decided that by my birthday (shout out to all my November babies!) I would rectify that. I had no clue about foundations so I did what any sensible person would have done, I went to MAC! Lol!

I'm sure you can imagine how overwhelmed I felt when I walked into MAC and discovered they had a huge range of foundations and shades! 

The sales assistant took one look at me and said "I think you should probably try samples first". She saved my life. 'The Foundation Hunt' became my personal project and I spent the summer sampling foundations, learning about skin types and undertones, watching Youtube videos, reading blogs and combing through reviews. I sampled a lot of popular brands including MAC, NARS, Estée Lauder, Giorgio Armani and Fashion Fair to name a few. I tried all types of finishes (dewy, satin, semi-matte, matte), consistencies (liquid, powder, gel, stick) and application tools (fingers, beauty blender and foundation/buffing/stippling brushes). 

Some details about my skin:

• Skin type - Normal
• Undertone - Yellow/Golden (Warm)
• Complexion - My complexion varies slightly depending on how much sun I'm exposed to but at my lightest I'm a MAC (most popular reference) NC45 and at my darkest I'm an NC50, my average is between the two shades.

I was looking for a light to medium coverage foundation that wouldn't look 'cakey' (the main reason I've avoided foundation for so long) and would just give me a nice natural finish. The foundation had to look good on its own because I had no intention of contouring or highlighting, I just wanted to feel like a grown up lol. 

My biggest challenge, which I'm sure many women of colour can relate to, was finding the correct shade. Considering how many different skin shades there are, I was quite surprised that many brands had a very narrow spectrum of shades.  The other challenges I faced were the oxidising of foundation (MAC is the biggest culprit of this, I'd leave home with a perfect finish and return with an orange face! Yuck!) and the heavy/clogged feeling certain foundations gave to my skin.

So after all of that, here are my top 3 foundations:  

1.   YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat 

      Shade: B80

      Finish: Satin

      Coverage: Light to medium

      Price: £31.50/$57

This is my absolute favourite foundation because it makes my skin look ah-mazing! I can barely feel it on my skin and its illuminating properties are very subtle yet noticeable. This is definitely the 'my skin but better' foundation for me. This foundation comes in 22 shades and 3 different undertones so it definitely caters to a variety of complexions.

2.   DiorSkin Forever 

      Shade: 060 - Light Mocha

      Finish: Semi-matte

      Coverage: Medium to full

      Price: £32.50/$50

This foundation is so beautiful! The finish is the most natural looking and long lasting of the three. It gives you a very flawless look but doesn't give you that I-have-the-whole-make-up-counter-on-my-face look. As I stated above, I don't contour or highlight but this foundation doesn't take away your face's dimensions nor does it look flat or dull. This isn't a popular foundation amongst women of colour probably because their shade range is so limited, this is their darkest shade.

3.  MAC Studio Face & Body

     Shade: C7

     Finish: Dewy

     Coverage: Sheer to Light

     Price: £22/$27

This foundation sits perfectly between foundation and tinted moisturiser and because it's so sheer, it is the most lightweight product I have tried. It gives me the sun kissed look that I love and although it has a dewy finish it doesn't make me look greasy.

All three of my chosen foundations are easy to work with, have beautifully natural finishes and are very lightweight on the skin. I would recommend all of these foundations and although their price tags are pretty steep in the world of make-up, I think they are worth every penny. Another foundation that I liked but didn't make my top 3 was MAC Matchmaster Foundation in shade 7.5. It has a semi-matte finish and was a great match for my complexion however, it was detectable on my skin which I didn't like, I like to look like I have nothing on. If I ever upgrade to 'face sculpting' I will definitely be purchasing it.

The queen of face sculpting

I have learned a lot about foundation over the summer and I'm glad I embarked on this journey, 'The Foundation Hunt' was really fun and it was definitely worth it. I don't think I'll ever be the kind of girl that wears foundation every day, I'm just glad I've found foundations that I can reach for without the fear of 'cake face'. 

A lot of the widely praised foundations didn't work for me so I would highly recommend sampling your chosen foundation for at least a full day before making a purchase. It was blog posts like this one that helped me with my search so I hope this post helps make the search for a good foundation easier for other make-up newbies like myself.

Happy sampling!


P.S.

Marc Jacobs recently released new shades of its popular 'Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate' and you can imagine how disappointed women of colour all over the globe were when they discovered that they only had 3 (4 if you want to be generous) of the 22 shades to choose from. 

I'm not one to throw the 'r' word around willy nilly but it's hard not to when designers as big as Marc Jacobs enforce segregation. Yes I said it, enforce!  #NotRudeHonest

Although this is the most current example, many make-up and beauty brands display this form of discrimination, not only to darker women but also, less commonly, to women on the very light side of the spectrum. In this instance, Marc Jacobs seems to have considered very pale skin tones.

Considering that the majority of the world is 'coloured' (I hate that word!) and how many different shades of brown skin exist, it is quite ridiculous that in 2015 beauty brands haven't woken up and smelt the coffee. Put simply, they need to do better. That is all.

10 Important Things I Was Told As A Child

1.  If you want something, go and get it: I was taught that nothing was impossible as long as I was ready to work for it.

2.  Enjoy your childhood: Boy did I take that advice and run with it! Good times :)

3.  Not everyone can be your friend: I accepted from an early age that some people would like me and some wouldn't so I never wasted time or tears on the latter.

4.  You are black: This may seem like a pointless statement but in order to survive institutional racism, the colour of my skin and the prejudices that came with that had to be highlighted.

5.  Knowledge is power and therefore an education is essential: My parents never told me what to study or which knowledge would benefit me but they instilled the hunger for knowledge in me and it has served me well.

6.  The things you do today will affect your tomorrow: This made me think twice before doing anything stupid.

7.  Common sense is more important that getting A's at school: Common sense really isn't common. 

8.  Seize every opportunity: This is probably the best advice I was given by someone outside my family, namely, a teacher. Taking this advice to heart has allowed me to lead an amazing life with so many unconventional experiences.

9.  It's not everything that you see that you must say: Some things are just not meant to be passed on.

10. I love you just the way you are: This was hammered into my head before I would reply 'I love you too' and has allowed me to always remain confident in who I am as a person. 

'Talking White' and 'Average Black Girl'

First of all, there is no such thing as 'Talking White', 'white' is not a language.

The fact that stereotypical 'ghetto behaviour' is what many people associate with being black and that anyone who doesn't conform to this stereotype is seen as a sell out is simply disgusting. In the words of Nas:

"Before we came to this country

We were kings and queens, never porch monkeys!

There were empires in Africa called Kush

Timbuktu, where every race came to get books

To learn from black teachers who taught Greeks and Romans"

'I Can' from the 'God's Son' album

Even in history books (as modified as they may be) my ancestors were educated people. Black people as a whole have struggled for too many years and shed too much blood in order for us to be entitled to an education outside of the mother land; to have the European languages we have been educated in spoken incorrectly makes all their efforts seem futile. The funniest thing is that the people who accuse others of 'Talking White' are the same people who can't speak any language (African) that would allow them to 'Talk Black'! *rolls eyes*

Secondly, 'An average black girl'? What does that even mean? In an ethnicity with so many variations in shade, background and culture what does the 'average' look like?

I don't know what black women did to receive so much backlash from the world. Time and time again they have been the backbone and support system to changing history and to creating amazing men as both mothers and wives. Through all storms black women have stood firm, unwavering in their determination to make the next generation better, yet somehow, the people they have been so strong for have become the same people who have shown the most disdain for them. I'm not saying black women should be worshipped but definitely appreciated, if not by the whole world, at least by fellow black people.

I wish more black people would embrace the greatness and strength of our people instead of constantly trying to find a way to belittle and segregate one another. Can we just live?!

Not rude, honest...

Angry Black Woman

Am I the only one that feels that black women are being attacked more frequently these days? If it's not our weave, its our dress sense, if not that then its our way of life and if all else fails they attack our figures! Everyone is looking for flaws in black women and it's really annoying, leave us alone already!!! 

The most recent 'imperfect black women' witch hunt came from someone who used his position to pass opinion as fact by claiming that all black women are ugly! Although I have many un-ladylike words I'd love to express, I will not allow his foolishness to ruin my mood, people like him do things for a reaction and I will not be joining the many people who gave him one, I will give him what he deserves - nothing!

It is these continued attacks that lead me to address a very common, yet infuriating, stereotype - angry black females. This concept makes my blood boil every time and even more so when I hear it from black males. Now I may not be the best person to address this topic as I do have a very, erm, 'fiery' personality but having said that, how can every woman of a whole race be tainted with the same brush?

For those of you that have not heard (do you live under a rock?) black women are apparently always angry, love to cause a scene, constantly arguing, very aggressive, easily angered, hot tempered and all carry knifes in their clutch bags! I mean, are you for real!? Although I stated that I have a fiery personality (I like to call it 'passionate' but whatever!), none of the things in that list describe me! Ok maybe one but still, I know plenty of black women who have none of those qualities, in fact I can even go as far as to say the majority of them are actually quite mild mannered! The fact that all black women are deemed to be ticking time bombs is ludicrous!!! 

The worst part is that when a back woman does get angry about something genuine we automatically get the 'she's black, what did you expect?' look and are not taken seriously!

As women - black, white, Asian green or yellow! - we are emotional beings so its only natural that when we are sad we cry, when we are happy we laugh and when we are angry we shout! That's what having all that extra oestrogen is all about! I have to admit there are some crazy black women out there but have you ever messed with a Chinese girl's money? She made Naomi Campbell's bursts of rage look like friendly banter!!!

So for all those people that have erroneously black listed black women listen up - we are NOT always angry, in fact the emotional state we are in most often is love! We don't like causing scenes, we like to keep our business to ourselves (it's your fault if you date a drama queen!)! We are not any more hot tempered than the next person with two X chromosomes! We are not all aggressive, our ranking in society forces us to be quite passive actually and if you look in a black woman's clutch bag you won't find anything you wouldn't find in the clutch of a woman of a different race!

All I want is my right to be angry without being labelled for doing so! And to all the foolish black men that help circulate this stereotype SHAME ON YOU!!! If our men can't support us, who will? As for our beauty, regardless of what any two bit researcher says, it's undeniable. 

That is all.

For Coloured Girls

About a month ago I watched the movie 'For Coloured Girls' by Tyler Perry. Now I have to say I am not a fan of his and have always thought his movies where mediocre at best but this one blew me away.

It was the right combination of a great plot (from a book called 'For Coloured Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is not Enough), great actresses and a good director/producer. The movie was so deep I cried (literally!) and it left me speechless. I'm not going to ruin the movie for you by giving you details but it just showed how much of a struggle life is being a woman and I was sad to acknowledge that whereas a few years ago these same scenes would have been shocking, now they are just part of our everyday lives.

The only problem is that I am now so paranoid (there's a rape scene) that I'm acting like every man is out to get me! This further highlights how realistic this movie was and it will definately get you thinking. I have to take my hat off to Tyler Perry for a job well done and a standing ovation to the women who made the movie come to life.

Coloured girls (and we all have one colour or another!), enjoy!

What is "real" hair?

A follow up to my last post:

Documentaries like 'Good Hair' by Chris Rock and Tyra Banks' talk show episodes based on the subject of hair have highlighted the impact of hair in the black community and the lengths people will go to have 'good hair'. But what is 'good hair'?

Sadly what I learned from these shows is that the majority of black people associate good hair with silkiness, straightness and  'the white girl flow'. Now I don't know about you guys but I have never met a black person who doesn't have a mixed heritage with any of these qualities!

On the same topic, there is a huge debate on what is considered to be 'real' hair. Is it the hair that grows out of your scalp? Does your hair stop being 'real' when you add chemicals? If you are wearing a weave made from human hair is that 'real hair'? Is it acceptable to wear another human's hair on your head?

I'd like to know your thoughts and feelings on the matter so please leave a comment.

Let's Talk Hair

I recently decided to go natural meaning I plan to stop perming/relaxing my hair. I don't have any deep or meaningful reasons, I just felt like it really. My best friend has natural hair and I therefore decided to ask her what I could do with my hair now that I couldn't wear it in my usual straight and sleek shoulder length way. She advised me to go on Youtube and look for ideas and nothing could have prepared me for what I discovered.

First of all, I thought I would find 20, maybe 50, videos on hair care and was surprised to discover that there are an endless amount of videos dedicated to hair! Secondly, each video had thousands of views! And lastly they had their own language! For those of you who knew this hair community existed you are probably thinking I'm over reacting but I can assure you I had no idea that so many people thought hair was so important that they needed to spend their time making videos about it.

Now, whereas I found some video tutorials quite helpful, I feel this whole hair thing is absolutely ridiculous! We are talking about dead protein here! I had women telling me they spent 9 hours on washing their hair the 'right way' and did so three times a week! Do these women have anything going on in their lives because I can't see anyone with a 9-5 Monday to Friday spending 27 hours a week on hair, it's a joke!

Also I could barely follow what they were saying due to the terms being used! Is hair so important that it requires its own language!? Some examples include:

* Big chop - when you choose to stop perming/relaxing and cut all your chemically treated ends off

* TWA - Teeny Weeny Afro

* Co-wash - when you replace you shampoo with conditioner therefore 'conditioner washing' your hair

* Braid outs - when you plait your hair the night before and take it out in the morning leaving your hair curly

* Transitioning hair - going from permed/relaxed hair to natural (chemically untreated) hair without the big chop

The other problem I found with these videos is that none of the 'teachers' had afro hair. I know that the term 'black hair' is widely used but there is a distinct difference between the hair of a black person with mixed heritage and afro hair therefore, for all the thousands of videos available online, an afro haired person would receive no help whatsoever!

Don't get me wrong, I do feel hair is an important part of a woman's appearance and I agree that it can make or break your look but to spend so much time on it that you're making weekly video updates is ridiculous. There are children starving all over the world, if you've got that much time on your hands go and volunteer in countries than need your help!

Hair is beauty but its nice when it comes with some brains!