Our Bajan Queen has done it again! Rihanna continues to shake up the beauty industry by dropping buzz-worthy, highly coveted products for all. Now she’s taken her talents to skincare and we can’t wait to get our hands on the new launch!
Ever since she teased us with the idea of a Fenty Skincare line, we’ve waited very patiently for these new gems to drop!
The “New Culture of Skincare” line includes just 3 products that will be the building blocks of an easy skincare routine. The FENTY SKIN START’Rs include the Total Cleans’r Remove-It-All Cleanser, a 2-in-1 cleanser and makeup remover that cleans without stripping. The Fat Water Pore-Refining Toner Serum, a 2-in-1 combo that targets pores, improves the look of dark spots, brightens and smooths. The Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen that won’t leave a white cast, brightens skin, and helps to reduce pores and fine lines.
The products seem to be super simple to use with fabulous ingredients such as Antioxidant Barbados Cherry, Niacinamide, Cactus Flower, and Green Tea just to name a few. Best of all, this genderless line is clinically tested, clean, vegan, oil-free, non-comedogenic, and earth-conscious!
You can get your hands on these goodies on July 31st or sign up for an email at fentyskin.com.
Check out her youtube video here where Rihanna shares the inspiration behind FENTY SKIN.
The current outbreak of the Corona Virus has the world on high alert and the bombardment of information and conversation can be stressful and overwhelming. While it’s important to be in the know, it’s also important to disconnect and recenter yourself: a golden girl like you deserves a beauty break. In fact, you can use this time to try new things!
This week we’re focusing on skincare brands that will set you up for the perfect facial. Facials can be simple and to-the-point or luxurious and layered depending on your needs, skin type, and preferences.
Here are some great products developed by men and women of color for each of the key steps.
STEP 1: Cleanse. You need to start with a fresh base. This means removing all the dirt, makeup and oil to prepare your skin to better absorb the products in the next steps.
TRY: Epara Cleansing Lotion This silky smooth cleanser softens and moisturizes the skin while removing make-up and impurities. Plant extracts and botanical brightener target imperfections and even skin tone, leaving the skin nourished.
STEP 2: Exfoliate. Some people are afraid of exfoliating because they think it can be harsh on the skin, but it doesn’t have to be! This is an important step that helps to remove dead skin leaving it super soft, bonus – it can even out your skin tone as well.
TRY: Skin Buttr Hydra Exfoliator This nourishing exfoliator removes the dead Layer of skin and helps to remove imperfections and reduce fine lines. Made with Jojoba and Meadowfoam Oils, skin emerges softer, smoother and clearer.
Skin Buttr
STEP 3: Tone It Up. There are tons of different toners depending on your specific needs – but in general toners help to balance out the PH levels of your skin, while removing excess dirt to refresh and moisturize the skin.
TRY: Itadi Toner The cool thing about this toner is that it comes in a mist format vs. the usual squeeze and pour from other toners, making it super easy to use. Releasing a soothing mist, this formula is made with coffee berry to reduce and prevent visible signs of aging and Aloe Vera to help exfoliate the skin and make it smoother.
STEP 4: The Mask. This is our favorite step in the routine! It’s probably the most relaxing part of the regimen. Any good mask will cover and saturate your skin for deep penetration to firm, hydrate, and or brighten your skin. We suggest pairing this step with an herbal tea or a glass of your favorite wine and prepare to soak in some R&R.
TRY: Foxie Watermelon Green Tea Mask This mask has all the good stuff your skin needs to bring it back to life: Watermelon extract, Fruit Enzymes, Saccharide, Aloe Vera, and Green Tea. Head over to their website for the full deets but in a nutshell it does it all – exfoliates, hydrates, soothes, protects and radiates your skin.
STEP 5: Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! The last step in our recommended routine. After you’ve taken your skin through this solid regimen, you want to end on an extra positive note. Regardless of your skin type, you need to hydrate (again and again!). Depending on what your skin needs, we recommend using a serum or oil and then layer on with a moisturizer as well.
TRY: Kama Ayurveda Organic Sweet Almond Oil A natural, organic, lightweight oil treatment that hydrates and smoothes. Rich in Vitamins A & E, it nourishes and improves your complexion to revive its natural glow. Bonus – it’s great for dark circles, spots, and marks and can be used on even sensitive skin.
TRY: Sabbatical Beauty Camel Milk Cream This moisturizing cream is packed with some serious skin loving ingredients. Made with Shea Butter, Panthenol and 48% Camel Milk, an ingredient rich in natural AHAs, iron, and Vitamin D & C. In addition to intensely moisturizing, it also helps to brighten and even skin tone, calm irritated skin, and is great for anti-aging concerns.
Moms are everyday superheroes and saving the day takes hard work. While one day isn’t enough to show our appreciation, we’ve come up with a few Mother’s Day beauty gift ideas to help these superwomen reconnect to their sparkle, shine and amazingness!
Give your mom the ultimate Glow up! This set features a Whipped Body Butter made with nourishing organic Shea Butter & cold-pressed oils, The Love Potion Body Scrub, made of Pink Himalayan Salt, Coconut Sugar, and essential oils to help retain moisture, and The Glow Body Oil infused with Lavender to help soothe itching and irritation plus Chamomile to help naturally tone skin and tighten pores.
This collection is so beautiful that we had to take the description straight from the website. “Inspired by beautiful essences that can instantly transport you to an herbaceous garden at night or to a romantic field of flowers moments after it rains, the Harlem Botanical Collection is for lovers of scents inspired by the earth’s flowers”. The collection includes three new fragrances: Home, Dream and Love. Featuring notes of Neroli, Rose de Mai, Green Tea Leaves, and Provencal Lavender.
This collection has everything your mom needs to revive and restore her hair whether she’s natural, relaxed, or in-between. What’s included? The Mender, The Enhancer, The Hydrator, The Stimulator, The Revitalizer, and The Protector. Six products made with super nourishing ingredients to hydrate, repair, and protect her tresses.
This is the perfect lip trio that can help your mom create a signature everyday look or a quick day to night glam. The set includes 3 lippies: Goals, a creamy, metallic coral Lipstick with rave reviews, Hot Mama, a gorgeous, fiery red liquid matte that pops on every skin tone, and Trophy Wife, a beautiful everyday gloss that has all the shine without the stickiness.
Self-Care Awareness Month is still on our radar and we’re checking out the best new brands and services you need to relax, indulge, and pamper yourself. While spa treatments and mani/pedis tend to get all the hype, it’s important to take into account all aspects of self-care, inside & out! If you’re longing to satisfy both, look no further than October Lotus — a holistic healing & self-care company that provides Reiki services and organic herbs for womb wellness.
Ladies, we all need to take extra care of our feminine parts, and one way to do it is through Yoni steaming. An age-old natural remedy, Yoni steaming is the process of cleansing your vulva with a combination of healing herbs and distilled hot water to maintain reproductive health.
The steam from October Lotus’ herbal mixture helps to resolve hormonal imbalances, provides nourishment for the vaginal & uterine tissues, and dislodges accumulations of menstrual fluid. It is an amazing act of self-care.
If you aren’t quite ready for yoni steaming, you can still experience womb wellness benefits from the drinkable teas offered by October Lotus.
September is a time to pay attention to something that is quite often overlooked in the day-to-day grind: self-care.
Stress is practically ubiquitous to adulting, so self-care is so important. But sometimes practicing self-care can seem like yet another task to add to the to-do list that you simply don’t have time for.
Though it can seem like a chore, finding simple ways to prioritize physical, mental and emotional health can have long term benefits that keep your inner and outer beauty whole.
ESSENCE editor and writer, Kimberly Wilson, shared an article highlighting nine relatively simple self-care acts, like meditating and saying “no,” that can be incorporated into your daily routine.
Each year thousands of men and women travel across the globe for carnival season. From the Islands, to Europe, and North America, everyone wants to get in on the massive fetes. Some of the biggest festivals are held in places like Brazil, Trinidad, Toronto and Barbados where our favorite Bad Gyal, Rihanna, recently showed up and showed out as usual! Ms. Fenty has served us with gorgeous Crop Over festival looks in the past, and this year she turned it up with a fabulous feathered frock . In honor of the festivities, we’re highlighting a few global brands that have all the shades you need to create your own Carnival-inspired looks.
This Trinidad and Tobago-based brand knows a thing or two about Carnival. Founded in 1979 by Satyakama “Kama” Maharaj, Sascha Cosmetics features a full line of makeup products with vibrant, bold colors to compliment every skin tone. Fun fact, the company was the official cosmetics brand for the 1999 Miss Universe Pageant and several other international beauty events.
GAËLLE COSMETICS The Bad Ass Collection Gaëlle Cosmetics is a fresh, new and vibrant Jamaican brand founded by Safyle Reid. A reflection of Jamaica’s diverse culture and rich heritage, the line embodies the country’s motto, “Out of Many, One People.” Her first collection features 38 eye-catching colors fit for a Carnival Queen! Made of the highest quality ingredients, Gaëlle Cosmetics are long lasting, cruelty free, non-toxic, water resistant and paraben free.
JUVIA’S PLACE The Masquerade Eye Pallete Juvia’s Place, created by Chichi Eburu, celebrates the rebels, rulers and queens of the African kingdoms. With packaging, colors, designs, andshade names inspired by her homeland of Nigeria, Juvia’s Place offers the richest, most vibrantly-pigmented essentials for the eyes, face and lips.
VIVE COSMETICS Luz & Glow Highlighter Duo In 2017 Joane Rosario and Leslie Valdiva launched Vive Cosmetics to celebrate their Latinx culture. The founders hail from Puerto Rico and Mexico and worked to ensure their products aptly serve a wide array of skin tones and feature diverse Latinx models in their brand campaigns. Try their Lux & Glow Highlighter Duo available in two luminous shades, “Reina” and “Diosa”- it’ll add the perfect punch toany Carnivale Glow Up!
If you’re not following Kelly Rowland’s IG (@kellyrowland), please do so now. This babealicious, twisted side-ponytail had us fangirling for real. She’s always been a stylista, but recently she’s been coming through drippin from hair to toe.
To create this particular style, you’ll need products that will give you some serious hold, shine and smoothness. Oh, and you’ll need some quality hair too unless you’ve got major length. We’ve scoured our favorite Brown Girl brands that can help you recreate her look.
NAKED HAIR Brazilian Kinky Straight Created by RHOA Porsha Williams, this collection definitely lives up to her standards and features a variety of beautiful, 100% virgin human hair extensions for every hair texture. From Brazilian to Indian and Indian Remy hair, her extensions are free of any harmful chemicals and can be curled and styled however you want. To get Kelly’s full ponytail look, check out Go Naked’s Brazilian Kinky Straight hair.
MELANJ HAIR Coarse Kinky Straight Clip Ins Another hair brand that we love is Melanj Hair – a beautiful collection of premium, natural textures created by two sisters, Whitney and Nikki. They’ve sourced the highest quality of hair so that you can create easy, quick styles that easily blend in with your own hair. If you want a textured, full look, Melanj is your brand! For Kelly’s look we suggest the Coarse Kinky Straight Clip-Ins or Wefts.
DESIGN ESSENTIALS Honey & Shea Edge Tamer Once you install your pony, you’ll need to get those edges l-a-i-d. Look no further than Design Essentials, a brand that’s been around for years and continues to deliver must-have products. Not all edge tamers are created equal, but we love this one for the long lasting hold and nourishing ingredients. Made with Honey, Shea, Almond, and Avocado Oil, for all the shine, hold, and none of the buildup.
HONEY BABY NATURALS Hold It Honey Styling Gel Edge Tamers not your jam? Then try a gel to slick back those edges! Look no further than Honey Baby Naturals “Really Hold It Honey” Intense Styling Gel, which doubles as a curl definer. Founded by Aisha Cebellos-Crump, Honey Baby is the first Latina-owned hair & skincare line for naturals in major retailers. All products feature her grandmother’s secret ingredient “miel” (honey) which is found to be super effective for curly hair and styles. This gel contains honey, flaxseed oil and rosemary to give you a crunch-free, healthy and sleek style.
Ahhh summa, summa, summa time (shout out to Will Smith). Time to pull out your favorite summer dresses, cut off shorts, over sized stunna shades, and sandals to show off your latest mani/pedi. Speaking of manicures & pedicures, check out a few fab nail polish brands that have some of the most vibrant and classic shades for your summer styles.
Mischo Beauty Free of 10 major toxins, vegan-friendly, cruelty free, gluten-free and free of any artificial fragrances. Beautifully designed bottles engineered to give greater ease of application; this clean luxury line has the perfect mix of sophisticated, bold and classic high quality shades
Ginger & Liz Known for their line of vegan and toxin-free nail lacquers, this brand has a cult following of stylistas and celebrity fans. Created in 2010, every shade has been inspired by travel, arts, entertainment and the lifestyles of every type of style setter. From the hipster to the classic chic or guy – this line features a variety of trendy, vibrant, and wearable colors for every type of personality.
Bettina This Boricua-made brand has been around for over 50 years! A household name in Puerto Rico known for its high quality, long lasting formula yet super affordable shades (starting at $3.50). Oh and they’ve got shades, we did a quick scan and you’ll have at least 150 shades to choose from!
Pear Nova is a brand where fashion meets beauty, just check out the IG page to see for yourself. This vegan line features an array of vibrant, runway inspired colors and melanin friendly nudes with super dope names like MICHELLE OUR MAMA, BRWNGRLMGC, and CLEO F*CKIN PATRA. Best of all, it’s free of 5 major toxins that are commonly found in nail polishes. Oh and did we mention that Issa Rae is fan? All the more reason to check out Pear Nova for some serious nail inspo!
Fun fact: The bikini was invented by French designer Louis Réard and first made its debut on July 5, 1946! Since then, the bikini has evolved into different styles, shapes and looks for every body type – which means more of you are rocking two pieces! Make sure your melanin is protected with sunscreen. Darker skin tones need just as much protection as lighter ones – so lather it up! Check out a few of our fav brands that will give you protection without leaving that thick, white cast on your skin.
