The Other Beauty Conversation

Part 2 is here, my bad y’all. Houston real estate agent and hottie Ashley Winters dropped gems and honesty about her journey as a mom to her precious son. We talked about the embedded unrealistic body standards for women, especially women of color after having a baby and so much more.

In Part 1 of this new series, I got to chat with PR maven Gabrielle Gambrell isn't afraid to talk about the changes her body went through after her first, and now second child. She allows herself to be honest about how growing up in California embedded unrealistic body standards for women, especially women of color.

D.C. beauty owner Kendra Woolridge shares her thoughts on how different varieties of Black beauty are treated in the DMV area, the rise of pampering services for women of color and more.

Beauty Influencer Manager Laurice Rawls was very raw and uncut about un-learning the mental self-sabotage she dealt with for years. I could relate. Sometimes, I even catch myself saying out loud, "no, we're not doing that today", when I'm going into overdrive with overthinking. Laurice also was open to sharing her experience trying to heal from a breakup, that took her through a unique breakthrough I feel a lot of us meet in our late 20s. It's like one day, out of the blue, we hit a crossroad of waking up and see that a lot of what you thought about womanhood was true, isn't, and finding ourselves having to make the decision to either reassess and reset the tone of our lives or stay on auto-pilot. Laurice chose the reset.

(Apologies for the audio, I’m learning) There is a difference in how the beauty world is moving now, compared to even 5 years ago. From IG makeup artists to online beauty boutiques...the new careers that have been created in the beauty industry are endless. Let's not even talk about new media. For the most part, the consumer has become the owner. I find myself purchasing from smaller beauty brands more often, waiving the inconvenience #buyingblack or small with ease. I don't care; I want to support the smaller beauty business world. But then...we have our moments when I'm like...y'all get it together.
Lauren Napier understands this. She's a veteran makeup artist (from the Today Show to her own line, CLEANSE by Lauren Napier) who, like me, needed to talk about what's really going on in the black beauty world. Times tamps:
14:30 Who’s gotten the makeup for black women Ans women of color right.

20:15 The history of contouring
22:00 What Oprah’s makeup artist said to Lauren back in the day
27:00 What is real makeup artistry and is it a lost art?
25:30 thoughts on the school of IG makeup or IG makeup artists
28:15 The actual basics you should have in your makeup kit (if you like makeup)
32:00 A black woman’s skincare line for you
42:00 brands need to understand black women are not a monolith
43:00 Stop thinking black womenswear are always aspiring to be good enough.
45:00 The demoralizing experience for black women securing funding in beauty
Enjoy.

You've probably heard of the Must Love Beard party, but if you haven't, maybe you've come across Genese Jamilah's I Don't Do Clubs platform. Either way, Genese has been the brains behind the Black professional party scene for about 5 years now. The catch? The men get in free at the Must Love Beard party, and the women pay. It's been wild watching her build this brand because it helped her to learn and share so much of what she's seen when it comes to Black men and Black women...dating. Plus, building a platform as a Black woman is always a conversational treat, right? G's been working for herself for years now. The Sagittarius in her came out during that discussion and she dropped some nice gems.
Enjoy.

Melanie Yvette and Teen Vogue editor Danielle Kwateng realize they both had the most unusual experience.

We're not complaining about our curves, relax. But when Dani and I were working out, we randomly talked about how we needed to cross the street to avoid the guys that were doing the most on our way to the park. And it just reminded me of the fact that ever since I was like...12...I've had to always weirdly navigate or mentally prepare each day, awaiting being cat-called or harassed. So, I wanted to talk to her about what it's like for her too, since she's bodied up with thighs, chest, and hips. You know, just a chill convo about every day, random things women go through.
Enjoy.