Hey guys! I’ve been thinking about this subject for a while now but was trying to figure out how I wanted to properly articulate how I feel and now I’m at that point. Ok that and I finally stopped getting sidetracked by other things going on but such is the life when you’re a one-woman business.
I’ve been in this space for almost 8 years now writing about beauty and fashion. Initially my focus was just beauty in general for all women. I had just finished getting a certificate in Image Consulting from FIT and years before that a degree in Marketing from Hofstra so I had all this knowledge about what looks good on people plus how to market to people so I wanted to reach as many folks as I could. Then as years went by and I had a better understanding of the wonderful people who most visited my site, I started to focus more on that segment. Not surprisingly since I have dark skin and run a beauty blog that a great number of people who visit it and interact with me on social media also have dark skin. And since so many people who have dark skin were often wrongfully told what they shouldn’t wear when it comes to makeup AND we’re often excluded from the general beauty conversation (shoot, there’s still brands who don’t make complexion products that come anywhere near our skin tones), I know how seeing bloggers like me willing to try so many products can be appealing. I get dozens of emails and comments on a regular basis saying as much. I also know I have a lot of influence on your beauty purchases—so many of you playfully threaten to stop reading this blog because I make you want to buy so many things…lol. I’ve even had some of you in the past email me when you were at a STAFFED beauty counter to ask if you should get something or not. I take that and my name and my reputation VERY seriously. I may not have 100K followers on social media but I have my loyal base and a very good amount of blog visitors who check into this check and listen to my every word and regularly buy the things I like. I don’t take that lightly at all. It’s why I take my time to review products and always give my honest opinion.
But here’s the thing…
Lately I’ve been thinking more and more about some of the brands I support through buying their products and reviewing them here and thus influencing your purchases. There was a time when I wouldn’t care if a brand had darker foundation shades because I knew that their color products (eyeshadows, blush, lip colors, etc.) would work on me. But as I get older, my views on things tend to shift as they do with many people. With so much going on in this country as of late—particularly with the way people of color are being treated—or MIS-treated I should say, I’ve been looking at things so much more closely lately. One time out of curiosity I clicked on a brand’s IG after I tagged something I was wearing in one of my own posts and was scrolling and scrolling and scrolling and SCROLLING and still didn’t see a single person of color. Like my thumb was ready to cramp up and everything and not a single POC sighting. Now some folks would try to call me a racist for pointing something like that out and to those folks I say “really? look up the actual meaning of racism.” Representation matters and if you can’t think enough about me to show someone who looks like me in your marketing (social media for brands is also marketing) then why am I then going out of my way to spend hard earned money to buy your product and then promote it on my platform?
The thing though with many of these brands is I don’t think they intentionally set out to exclude people of color. Many of these brands have third party agencies running their social media and some of these agencies themselves may not have many people of color working on their teams. So often the person running the account might be someone who doesn’t know very many people of color themselves and posts what they know: other white people. I’ve had conversations with people of color who work with brands (not on a blogger level) and some have told me that many of these brands don’t even KNOW who the “cool Black bloggers” are. Many of these brands have HUGE social media followings and bloggers who get posted on these accounts usually get a lot of followers after being posted. And we know how follower count is currency for many brands looking to spend money on influencers. And obviously I’m not saying that bloggers of color don’t have big followings—there are plenty who have mega-followings but even some of them aren’t prominent on some of these brands’ marketing plans.
SO many of you regularly ask me to review products I don’t own. I’ve explained in this post why that isn’t always possible. In the last year I’ve emailed a few brands telling them how I have a loyal base of makeup enthusiasts who want/need to see makeup swatches on dark skin. My blog traffic is great and can be validated. I also get a lot of organic traffic because so many of you found me by searching for swatches on dark skin. You wanna know some of these brands I contacted straight up ignored me? LOL. Like NO response. I even followed up after because sometimes emails get lost in the shuffle—I know some of mine do because I get so many, but I mean, not a peep. Silence. Nada. Nothing. Sigh.
The thing is yes, this is a passion of mine but it’s also a business. It costs money to run this blog. Yes I do get income from it but many times it’s not smart business to keep buying makeup from brands that ignore me. Now understand I’m NOT saying that if brands don’t send me product to review then I’m not supporting their brand. That’s NOT what I’m saying. If I’m out and see stuff I think you guys might like I have MANY times in the past bought product and also I’m STILL very much the same makeup junkie I was when I started this blog so some of this is stuff I would have bought even if I didn’t have a blog, but after I while I had to say to myself, WHY am I basically bending over backwards to support some of these brands when they’re not checking for me. You know—the ones that ignore emails, the ones that you have to get thumb cramps scrolling on their IG to find a single person of color, the ones who consistently only have one shade of “dark” and it’s like Halle Berry’s color. It just stopped making sense for me and so I’ve decided to slowly phase out blogging about them. There’s WAY too many brands who do a great job of including everyone in their product selection and marketing for me to be worried about the few who don’t. It’s 2015. We shouldn’t have to be telling brands to throw a brown face in the mix. Or make foundation and concealer shades that are deeper than the shade they label as “Deep” which might not even be dark enough to match Beyoncé. SMH.
And no AGAIN—this isn’t me being a brat because someone didn’t send me a sample and I’m salty because I think I’m way more important than I am. It’s bigger than me and this post is a long time coming after a LONG period of frustration. I see this issue even among bloggers of color that have followings in the hundred thousands. The other day I was watching Jackie Aina on Snapchat and she made a great point—she mentioned that her followers should tell brands that they’d like to see their product showcased on bloggers with dark skin. Not in a menacing way—but to let the brands know that there’s an audience with a voice out there. She even mentioned she’s reached out to brands as well but she’s right—it makes sense to let brands know that you want them to reach out to more bloggers with dark skin.
So now my focus is going to be on spending my money and time on brands that are inclusive. I really thought of this last weekend when I was shopping (of course…lol) at both LUSH and Urban Outfitters—there was a transgendered woman working at my Urban and recently LUSH sent over their Love soap as part of their #GayIsOK campaign. Earlier this year (or was that last year?) Starbucks announced they would offer tuition reimbursement to their employees. I shop often at Urban and I have NEVER been to a LUSH store where the employees weren’t super happy and like most people, I love Starbucks. Now I’m not transgender, not gay, and not currently enrolled as a student but I appreciate these brands for standing for these things and more.
I know most of this “spending money on brands who foster your values” stuff is NOTHING new (especially for those of you who are passionate about animals and don’t support brands that aren’t cruelty-free), but for many of us—especially me—being a makeup junkie for so long makes you sometimes not dig deeper because you’re so busy trying to buy that limited edition lipstick before it sells out in 30 seconds.
I’m not saying don’t spend your money—just be more conscious of where you spend it. I’m not saying brands need to all of a sudden post a bunch of people of color on their social networks to fill a quota—I’m just saying I shouldn’t have to risk carpal tunnel syndrome before I see someone of color on your page. I’m also not saying you have to know a company’s entire history before buying a pair of jeans or a lipstick (I know we’re all shopping fiends and we don’t have time for that…lol) but just be a little more conscious now. And if you see a brand doing it right, let them know. In this age of social media we all have voices and most brands have a social presence these days. You don’t have to have 10,000 followers to have a voice.
What are your thoughts?
I’d love to know what you guys think on this subject. Have you noticed what I’ve been discussing in this post? Do you buy from brands who don’t have foundation shade options for your skin tone? Are there brands you love who are inclusive? Let me know what you think in the comments!
I think it’s wonderful that you are standing by your beliefs and feelings. I am not a dark skinned girl, and I love your blog because of who you are. Your personality shines through! I follow a few blogs run by women of color and I like them because it’s a different perspective (for me) on the beauty industry and really helps form what choices I make before purchasing. I think it’s a terrible thing that with all the science and technology, these beauty companies can’t make more choices for more people.
Author
Hey Kim!!!
I appreciate you for coming by (and of course for saying my personality shines through…lol).
Yep, it is a terrible thing that more beauty companies can’t make more choices for more people. But now my focus will be on the ones that do AND that showcase WOC in their marketing. There’s some brands who do offer deeper shades of foundation but still don’t showcase it on women who match those shades in their marketing.
Danielle, I agree with you on so many levels. This has been my biggest problem from day one, I tend to be able to find lipsticks from some brands but that’s it, nothing else. As a woman with deep dark skin, it’s a constant struggle for me, so when I find a brand that offers a range of products I can choose from and that matches my skin tone, I stick to them. I totally understand your frustration because you know, I wait patiently for your reviews so I can purchase lipsticks or blushes etc, it’s not worth your time and money to keep supporting brands who doesn’t seem to care about your opinions or concerns. You’re a consumer and an influencer I would think they would welcome your suggestions. Thanks for writing this wonderful post, it needed to be written. I hope the brands and consumers take notice to your very valid points.
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thanks so much for reading, Nesh! You’ve been such a loyal reader for YEARS now and I really appreciate that :)
Thanks for your comment!!! <3
This was very eye-opening. I appreciate you for taking a stand, and you shouldn’t have to justify you’re reasons for anyone.
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thank you!!!
Danielle, thank you for this! This is so important for brands and other bloggers of color to hear this from a leader + veteran in the beauty blogging game like yourself. We really have to spend our dollar where it is celebrated not tolerated. Especially during the social climate this country is in, paying attention to who brands rock with has been very much on my radar as you said. I think that as a blogger of color – who has gotten the chance to work with brands – I try to make brands aware of our audience if I only see non brown faces before writing them off. But like you, I’ve written many emails with NO response. But stay encouraged, because you encourage us daily with your content, your transparency & your tenacity to bring us incredible content specifically for US while waving your beauty junkie flag proud.
I think I speak for everyone who reads TSABD when I say we so appreciate you.
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Hey Mattie!!!
It’s SO important that we spend our money where it’s celebrated. SO important.
Thanks so much for your comment! You’re much appreciated as well :)
I appreciate you writing this post. There’s definitely some brands that I sideeye for only sending their products to one or two bloggers/vloggers. It can’t be guaranteed that those bloggers/vloggers will swatch/review it because they’re huge and can only do so much. It sucks because it feels like they don’t care about black women seeing the products. Then there’s the people who trot out one black woman on IG as if no other beautiful black women are using the products. There are also brands that have a good shade range but are rude to black bloggers. There are so many levels to this. Statistically black women spend a lot of money on beauty products but you wouldn’t know it with some of these brands.
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I could have written this comment myself…lol. You are so right. I’ve seen brands that actually do have the shade range and deeper colors but still don’t showcase WOC in their marketing. SMH.
We spend SO much on beauty products: makeup, hair, etc. But I heard from someone who works in beauty on the brand end that some brands have a “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” motto when it comes to WOC of color and beauty. We’re buying the stuff anyway—-why spend the money or go through the effort of trying to market to us. SIGH.
This is a great post. Although of course I know (I mean don’t all women of color know that certain brands only do certain shade ranges, which in itself is super depressing) it wasn’t until I was following a certain cosmetics line that it really hit me. They were posting all these beautiful women and even had the audacity to post a white woman with dreads and threaten to block anyone who commented negatively. Like really. I went as far back as I could on their account to see if they had anyone of color. Unless you count someone with a tan of color then nope. It really opened my mind to being more concious. Anyways thank you for this! We should all be more aware. The money that women of color spend on makeup is significant and should we be more selective, changes will come.
Author
Ugh @ that brand :x
Yes, we must be more conscious and aware of where we spend our money. Especially since we’re active consumers.
Thanks so much for reading!
It’s funny how you mention this about beauty brands as I was just questioned of my thoughts about a popular clothing brand and their race/religion accusations. A few of my readers recently asked me “are you still going to support them? what do you think about them now that you know this? are you going to write about it on your blog?” I realize that with the amount of readers and followers I have, they are are affected. They do listen. They want to know my direction now that I know this. So I totally agree that you don’t have to have 10,000 followers to have a voice. Thanks for writing this post. I’ll be writing my thoughts soon as well. I support you supporting brands that support US!
Author
Can’t wait to read your thoughts! It’s heart-breaking when one of your fave clothing brands disappoints you like that :(
I think this is great Danielle. And I think that it’s great that you’re speaking out and making it plain.
I know for myself personally I’ve always had an affinity for MAC because I feel like they were making shades for dark skin long before other brands (this could be a distro thing; lots of brands make shades/products for POC that just aren’t available in Canada). And I’ve long had a grudge against Benefit for either not offering a full range of shades or making one super light product and saying it will work on ALL skin tones when clearly they mean all white skin.
It’s not about punishing brands, but rewarding and giving support to people who are checking for us. And again I think that’s great.
Author
omg Benefit and their peach concealers drives me nuts! They do have a concealer and foundation that comes in deeper shades but not deep enough to match me and obviously not anyone darker than me. Exactly—all about supporting people checking for us!
Thanks for reading :)
I am an avid follower of your blog and Instagram, and a blogging novice myself, and I really appreciate that you are using your platform to send a much-needed message. With the current state of affairs in the U.S., the #BlackLivesMatter movement must extend beyond the political justice arena. Just as you mentioned brands like UO and Lush showing their support for causes they care about, we as Black consumers and influencers must require that the brands we love love us back. And to me, that doesn’t mean throwing one racially ambiguous model into the mix once in a blue moon. It means completely changing the company culture so that beauty execs begin asking, why are we refusing to serve this market–or choosing only to serve a very narrow segment of this market? It means that marketing teams begin mandating that the entire customer base be represented in social media campaigns and marketing initiatives. It means that the concerns of Black influencers like you are being acknowledged (at the very least) and addressed. I think that your conscious decision to carefully consider the brands you support can make a huge impact, so thank you! (My apologies for the lengthy post!)
Author
No apologies AT ALL! I loved reading it! You’re exactly right—the #BlackLivesMatter movement definitely does go beyond the political justice arena. We need to vote with our dollars (and vote period—that’s another passionate topic of mine that I could go on and on about). It’s tough as a beauty fiend to make the decision to not support brands who make makeup you love but I’ll practice the restraint because I cannot any longer support brands who don’t think of me.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
I loved this post! I’m starting to come to the same point in my blogging career and I rarely seek out samples lol. We are constantly left out and, I agree, that’s it’s very telling we’re still having these problems in 2015. Especially with so many talented black makeup artists and bloggers available who are just as involved in the beauty community. These days, I try to stick with brands who support people of all colors and not just recognize the million shades of “beige” and ” tan” while giving a half-assed nod to the REAL tan folks with just 2 shades. I look forward to the day black women are heard and seen in the beauty industry-not just playing some supporting role in the background
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Hey, Fancie!
Yup—getting told there’s no more samples then seeing someone white with wayyyyy less reach than you touting that same product. SMH.
But we definitely have to make an impact with our dollars and when we do collectively we won’t be playing supporting roles.
THANK YOU!!! I’ve been thinking about this issue so much lately…I want to support brands that include WOC, are cruelty-free, and do generally great things. Why should brands who dgaf get all the attention??? I am really looking forward to this shift and hope it catches on with others.
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Hi Lexi!
EXACTLY. Shift that money to the brands who do it right.
Wow! I thought of writing an essay on this matter but you’ve articulated the problem perfectly. Many brands I’ve been supporting and promoting for years (*cough*Free People) still see no need to hire models of any but one complexion. How can I support you when you don’t acknowledge me?
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Hey Kari!
Noooo write your essay, too! We need more voices out there :)
Ugh, I really like Free People, too :(
And this is the thing, many of us here are shopping enthusiasts whether it’s fashion or beauty and it’s really sad when brands we love don’t seem to care to represent us in their marketing. We’ll shift our dollars to brands who do though.
Kudos to you for taking a stand for us! As a dark skinned brown lady, I feel like you’re using your platform to represent & speak up for all of us who seemingly go un-noticed by some major players in the beauty industry/makeup category. I’m definitely a fan of this cause :)
Author
Thanks so much! This issue has been on my mind for a long time now. We have the power to change things through our dollars. I KNOW how much of us are makeup junkies (me especially) and it’s so important that we all be more conscious about the brands we support through purchases.
I agree with you 100 %. I read your blog faithfully because you offer content that meets my needs as a dark skinned woman & that is not easy to find. I have spent so much time & money on products that did not work for my skin tone, but were not really developed with my deep skin in mind anyway. I appreciate your honesty & most importantly your integrity????????
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thanks so much for reading, Tiffany! I appreciate you so much for reading this blog faithfully.
If only there was a “like” button for this post…you said it and you said it well Danielle.
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thank you!!!
Yes, Danielle! Well said. We support YOU!
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thanks so much! I appreciate the support :)
This was so well written! You’re the first place I come to when looking for new products since I am blessed with dark skin. Thank you for writing this. Representation does matter. Now more than ever! Keep up the amazing work.
Author
Thanks so much, Bianca! You’re also someone doing amazing things for beautiful imagery of women of color and I can’t even say how much I love your brand. Thank you :)
Never commented before.
I totally agree with you.
i think it is courageous to stick to the brands who include us.
Author
Thanks so much for coming out and taking the time to comment! I appreciate the support :)
I agree with you 100%. Companies should consider us like I considered them when I spent money on their product. I recently had a disappointing experience with the owner (African American) of a haircare line. While attending her event at Sephora (BTW, I was the first person there and eager to learn more about what product in the line worked best for my hair) totally ignores me when introduced to me by the Sephora associate and catered to another racial group. This haircare line is marketed to curly girls but on that day was offering blowouts using a new oil and leave-in product. I came with my kinky ponytail, they came with straight no fuss hair so I guess they were more appealing to her. When I approached her after being ignored, she quickly passed me to another brand rep who was there (also African American) and that lady was so excited to share info with me and suggested I get a blow out and walked me to the blow out station. Immediately when we got there the owner told her Sephora had ask that we keep the time of clients in the chair to 5 mins. The girl that was currently in that chair had been in it more than 5 minutes. Truth be told I didn’t want my hair strengthen. Her continued responses to me were so off putting. So even though I bought a product before leaving, within a few hours I returned it because I wasn’t going to support a brand who didn’t value me as a customer. *Sorry so long but your post really tugged this experience out of me.
Author
Hi Shalema!
Ugh—so sorry to hear that happened to you especially with an AA owner of a brand you wanted to support :( It’s tough because if they were limiting blowouts to 5 minutes, they should have had a better plan for those who need WAY more than 5 minutes. But ugh, your experience makes me sad :(
This is why you’re the best. The post is perfection.
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thanks so much!!!
I completely agree with this post. I never understood why certain brands seem to exclude women of color. I sadly spent most of my teen years spending my allowance trying to find a foundation that was in my shade. It always was like 2 shades too light.
Finally certain brands get it. If you have good makeup in dark colors….black women will definitely support!
Advertisers are silly to ignore this demographic. I definitely have bought tons of products because they were on this blog and I trust Danielle’s opinion.
Author
Thanks so much, Ash!
Yes, it’s so mind-boggling how some of these brands don’t include women of color in their marketing. Oh well, we’ll focus our makeup money on the ones that do :)
I appreciate the support!
Many years ago my first jump into makeup was with Fashion Fair. Great company, unfortunately they don’t get the recognition they deserve. One particular WOC that I follow NEVER even heard of the brand! (and her IG following is in the tens of thousands). Now of course years later there are many brands that I love/like. All cater to women of color. I feel if you don’t have a foundation that matches me (NW45) then I won’t buy any of your other items. I’ve always felt that way. I work to hard for my money for you not to appreciate me. While I understand you won’t mention brands, the balm and laura geller to name a few, I REFUSE to give them my coins.I agree with everything you said. Great article Ms. Danielle. I salute you.
Author
FF is awesome! I’m going to assume that blogger was really young. Now that I’m in my 30s I forget that people who are much younger are actually adults, too but also weren’t around for some aspects of pop culture. But even still, FF??? She had to have had a mom or auntie or grandmother that had a bottle of FF foundation…lol.
I have to keep my eye on thebalm—-I have two of their highlighters that I love but I don’t really hear much news from them especially since they’re not in Sephora anymore. But there’s a list of brands I’m currently side-eyeing. I didn’t include them in the post because there’s a lot I’ll take into consideration before writing a brand off plus I’d rather just focus on celebrating brands that do a great job of including a wide audience.
Thanks for your comment!
Excellent post! Very proud of you!
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thanks so much, Tavina!!! :)
Thank You my fellow spender…my mother was a Fashion Merchandiser throughout the 80s-90s I saw the struggle she had in her make-up her clothes. ..the struggle was NOT TO WEAR WHO DOES NOT SUPPORT us WOC… I grew up in an environment of We are just as good as they and We won’t spend our hard earned money in places that miss treat us…point and period… I as a shopper to this day am on the lookout for these persons and brands…in like expensive things however in refuse to spend a penny on a company or brand that doesn’t consider me… I’ve cut a lot of items out and I am very vocal about where I will and won’t shop… and I let people know around me…” you purchased that bag? From the man that says he hates blacks?? Then I Google the add or comments for them and I get looked at like I’m slow
..really ???, I do care we have spending power too.. my sale might not hurt you however 1000 sales will.. Thanks for your time glad I found you
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Hey Darci!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Your mom is totally right! We’re not spending our hard earned money on brands that treat us as a third or fourth thought or no thought at all.
I’ll be exerting my energy supporting the brands that get it right.
I DEFINITELY feel where you’re coming from! I haven’t had all the experiences you’ve had, but I think we all can relate to the frustration from seeing unrequited love from a brand you regularly support. That’s why I love certain brands like Cover Girl – CoverGirl doesn’t only hire diverse spokesmodels (Sofia Vergara, Janelle Monae, Queen Latifah) but they SUPPORT them by doing things like live tweeting the BET Awards and ALMAs. I can’t promise I’ll be shunning brands at the first sign that they don’t have “people like me” on their promos but I will definitely become more conscious of who I support!
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Hey Esta Fiesta!
I totally agree—CoverGirl does an AMAZING job with diversity. They commit to the communities they intend to market to and that’s reflected in their marketing and in their social media.
Yep, it’s not about immediately shunning brands but becoming more conscious of who you support and being vocal about it.
Hey Danielle, let me echo what someone said that your personality shines through all your posts. I appreciate you bringing this to light. Just the other day Zara was having a sale and being a zara addict that i am, i began scrolling through their website to score some pieces. But for the first time ever i was like wait a minute, where are the models of color? With the social climate the US is in, i have become quiet conscious of such things without realizing it. Again thanks for articulating what many of us have been thinking both in the beauty and fashion industry.
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Hey kathyKyriè!!!
Awww thanks!!! I appreciate that :)
I have an order pending from Zara (waiting for it to get here from UPS) and after reading this comment I went to check their IG because I certainly don’t recall seeing models of color in their clothing when I browse their site. There’s only a few but definitely some people of color there.
But mostly I’m hoping that this discussion leads to brands really thinking twice and twice again about diversity in their marketing. We’re not trying to punish brands that aren’t inclusive, we’re more celebrating the ones that do a great job of being inclusive.
Danielle this was a great post!! I have deep dark beautiful skin (NW58 to be exact) and it is very frustrating not being able to have as many options as women with fairer complexions. In addition to following you (btw you are my favorite!!!! and I do not think you get as much recognition as you should…..*sips tea* but we are not gonna go there LOL ).I follow a few beauty bloggers of all races as inspiration and I cannot tell you how many times some have raved about products that I was excited to try only to get to Sephora and realize they do not even come close to my shade. Its as if we do not exist. As Nykhor Paul said “I am tired of apologizing for my blackness!”. I think as community we need to come together and make these companies realize we do have buying power and we do matter! Thanks for lending your voice and not being afraid to speak your mind.
Once again great post and great responses!
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Hey Milika!!!!!
OMG you’re so sweet! Thank you so much! LOL @ sipping tea! While recognition is always really nice, I do think I’m doing pretty ok—I have awesome readers like you, I’ve met so many amazing bloggers over the years who I also call my friends, I’ve got to go and do some amazing things and work with great brands because of this blog so I’m super happy to have that :)
Thanks so much for reading!!!
Thank you Danielle ! I really appreciate you writing this !
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thank you, Lidia!!!
Great post. You are absolutely right. We need to send a message to cosmetic companies that our money is just as green as everyone else.
BTW, those sandals in the post? They are everythang! Who?? Where??
Author
thanks! check it out here: https://www.thestyleandbeautydoctor.com/2015/05/jogger-pants-outfit-2/
Hi Danielle
This is so true. I have boycotted Revlon because of the comments the CEO made about black people (and Revlon’s pathetic response to the whole situation). And look at Too Faced. They have been hyping up their “Born This Way” foundation but their current darkest shade can maybe match a mixed person with an NC40-42 complexion The darker shades that may match African-American women are coming out later this year- seems like women of color are an afterthought to them. And people have complained about this on their website too. As women of color, our collective buying power is nothing to be messed with. Let’s give our money to brands that value that buying power and us as consumers.
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Hey Zee!
There is a lot to consider with some of these brands and for me it’s not always cut and dry with the brands I choose to support and the ones I don’t. There’s a lot to consider in my decision to showcase a brand or not. For instance Too Faced had a beauty blogger of the month program in 2011 where they celebrated bloggers they loved each month and I was in the first group of bloggers: https://www.thestyleandbeautydoctor.com/2011/11/too-faced-beauty-blogger-of-the-month/. That was actually one of the first times ever a big brand acknowledged me in that way. Plus they have me on their mailing list and have been regularly sending me product over the years. They make great product but yes, of course they can do a better job of being inclusive in both foundation offerings and in their marketing but I do see they at least try. There’s brands that don’t…lol. From being on my end of the beauty industry and working with brands and brand reps, sometimes it is complex to make deeper foundation shades that truly flatter deeper skin tones well. I think Cover FX does an amazing job of being inclusive and having a great range of both shades and undertones and while they’re making even more deeper shades (I got to see some of the in-progress shades at an event a few months ago) they did say they want to make sure that when they create the really deep shades that it doesn’t make those with beautifully chocolate skin look flat so they went back to the drawing board a few times. Not making excuses for these brands but saying I can understand in some ways why it might take some time to develop the deeper shades. Two of the bigger makeup brands that cater to women of color black | Up and Fashion Fair didn’t have foundation matches for me when I tried their products. I feel like those brands cater to those with either strong golden or strong red undertones which aren’t great matches for me (although I can use lighter shades for highlighting and darker shades for contouring). Again, not making excuses for brands but just saying it’s not cut and dry for me.
Then with Revlon I wouldn’t fault an entire company on something one person said plus I think I read that the employee who brought the suit was in the process of being let go because of job performance issues and then also took a settlement in his case (not sure if that info was made public as part of a PR plan). I worked with them on a blog post a few months ago and they obviously know I’m Black…lol. With Revlon I look at their track record more than what might be an isolated event. They’ve had deeper shades for as long as I can remember and have been wearing makeup and have had Halle Berry as one of their spokesmodels for yeaaaaars.
Again, not making excuses just adding that it’s not all cut and dry for me and that’s one of the main reasons why I didn’t name brands in the post. It’s not an easy decision for me to purposely not support a brand being the makeup junkie that I am but this problem has been happening way too long for me to not address it and put action to it.
I agree I found your blog from one of your 50 shades of lipsticks posts and have been reading every since. I am dark skinned and I share the same sentiment. I Love Coloured Raine the indie brand for showcasing “us” on their social media and I have been buying more from Black Radiance, Black Opal, etc since I found out they were black owned. I also love the new movement from Shana Moore with the hashtag #thepaintedlipsproject and it helps to see so many dark skinned beauties under that hashtag sharing how beauty finds look on us.
Hi Danielle,
I love that your focus in this post is not on “punishing” brands that you feel don’t acknowledge customers outside of a narrow racial group, but to support and reward those brands that are inclusive and celebrate all beauty. I appreciate your positive approach, and I found this a very refreshing read in the beauty blogging world :)
It takes courage to go beyond a product review on a beauty blog and talk about some real issues. Please continue to write what’s on your mind and to speak from your heart on issues that you feel strongly about. You do it well.