Discover Top Posts Tagged with #black impacts

Picnic 101: Your Quarantine Guide to Celebrating Juneteenth

Happy Juneteenth Ladies!

Well if you are reading this then it is Thursday and tomorrow is Juneteenth but you get the point. More than ever I feel like we, Black people, are taking back our voices. Not that I feel like we lost it but we are demanding people to listen. I feel like in the Jewish community when they want to be heard they make sure they are no matter what. In the Chinese community, they make their own. Only in the Black community do I feel like we get silenced - I truly believe the days of that happening are over.

This year and the years to come - instead of celebrating others - let’s start to celebrate us!

Before we start with the festivities, let’s learn a bit of information.

For those who do not know why this is such a major holiday for African Americans, keep reading!

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth - On June 19th 1895, Major General Gordan Granger arrived in Texas to notified the people that the war was over & the enslaved people were now free.

Why is it important?

This is important because of the date. June 19th 1895, this is two and a half year after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all persons held as slave would be free. The slave owners in Texas knew of the freeing of slaves, however because they did not like the choice the President made they simply did not follow it.

What can you do to celebrate?

Due to the Covid-19 situation we are living in celebrations are limited but here are two options to do with your friends this year.

Picnic with the Gang

Grab your girl gang & have a picnic in your favorite local park.

Grab drinks from your favorite Black owned restaurants or even grab a bottle of a Black owned wine.

Here are a few of our favorite drinks & places:

@mcbridesisters

@duskowineandspirits

@bottlebronx - not a wine but a place - visit if you are in the NYC area

You can also extend this invitation out a bit more to some other friends - just remind them to bring their own blanket, snacks & drinks.

Dinner with the Gang

While we are still in quarantine it is important to also celebrate & have fun. If your girlfriends are too far for a picnic - time to make this a virtual experience.

Grab your girls and have a zoom party!

Pretend that you are all at dinner together and cook something. We recommend making the Fried Catfish with Cajun Cream Sauce over Grits by Alex (@justaddhotsauce_)

Remember that Juneteenth is about celebrating and having fun.

Whatever you do - make sure you do something.

The Working Girl: 5 Black Owned Beauty Brands

As a woman of color, I understand how hard it is to shop for beauty products. Majority of prestige brands do not have an extensive shade range or the right undertones to match our rich, brown, or golden skin. We are left with ten (or less) shades to choose from, which includes an undertone range of casket sharp grey to Donald Trump.

Last year, Nelson Insights published “Black Impact: Consumer Categories Where African Americans Move Markets” and highlighted the Ethnic Hair and Beauty Aids as the number one category impacted by the black dollar. Approximately, 86% of the total spend in 2017 was attributed by black consumers. Men and women of color spent $54 million of the $63 million total industry spend!

“Mainstream manufacturers across other industries are also seizing the opportunity to create specific products that appeal to diverse consumers.”

Nelson, Black Impact: Consumer Categories Where African Americans Move Markets)

As black and brown consumers continue to outspend, a lot of brands continue to have a hard time being inclusive. However, the beauty industry has made some progress within the last two years. After the launch of a new mainstream brand (cough Fenty Beauty), brands are celebrating brown skin more than ever.

Let’s highlight five black owned brands that are killing the beauty game. These entrepreneurs have created their own lane in the industry by creating remarkable products and makeup looks used by many around the world.

Carol’s Daughter

It’s 1993 and Lisa Price is creating transformative haircare products and mixing fragrances and body oils in her Brooklyn, NY home. With the great response from her family and friends, Lisa knew she needed turn her hobby into a business. She named her brand after the woman who encouraged her the most, her mother. Today, Carol’s Daughter is a prestige hair, body, and skincare brand made with natural ingredients catered to all hair and skin types.

Carol’s Daughter can be found at some of our favorite retail stores including, Target, Ulta, Walmart and Amazon.

Lip Bar

Melissa Butler, the Founder and CEO of The Lip Bar, is changing the way we see beauty – one stunning lip at a time. Her non-toxin, vegan, and cruelty-free brand provides bold and vibrant lip shades that stand out beautifully on brown skin.

“… I am passionate about creating an inclusive narrative on what beauty is and reminding women that we don't have to settle for anything.”

- Melissa Butler, thelipbar.com

Butler launched The Lip Bar based off her frustration with the beauty industry and their standards. Today, The Lip Bar sells over 30 lip products and is exclusively sold on their website and Target.

PAT MCGRATH LABS

According to Vogue’s Anna Wintour, Pat McGrath is the most influential make-up artist in the world. Pat McGrath, also known as Auntie Pat by the beauty community, has been a sole creator for many beauty trends seen around the world, on runway shows, and in the media. Auntie Pat continues to be a leader in the beauty industry. Last year,

Pat McGrath Labs outpaced Kylie Cosmetics by becoming a billion dollar company. Auntie Pat’s collection is exclusively sold online and at Sephora.

We tried the lipstick and are IN LOVE !

NATURAL CLUB

27-year old Muhga Eltigani embarked on her natural hair care product journey back in 2012. She started by cutting her hair in college and creating her very own avocado deep conditioner and sharing her products and hair journey to her YouTube channel. After six months of seeing four inches of growth, Muhga decided to continue to make her homemade hair care products and later share with the world. Natur-all Club caters to kinky/ curly hair and includes natural, handmade, non-toxin products that are safe for the hair and body.

“ A few years ago I became frustrated with commercial hair products that seemed to work for a while, but ultimately left my hair dry and brittle.”

Muhga Eltigani, link

In February 2019, Rich Dennis, the founder of Shea Moisture, invested $1M in Natur-all Club - making this his first hair care product investment.

thE CRAYON CASE COSMETICS

Wuzzam Supa, also known as Supa Cent, is the Founder and CEO of The Crayon Case Cosmetics. Supa’s launched her business in 2017 and her brand instantly became a viral sensation. The Crayon Case Cosmetics caters to brown and black consumers who are beginners at makeup. Her brand packaging and colorful pallets became a viral sensation, which resembles school supplies. Last year, The Crayon Case Cosmetics sold $1 Million worth of product in 90 minutes.

“When we was in school and when I was younger - even in my adult life, they [society] made it seem like colorful things on dark skin was not right.”

- Essence