Where to begin? Looking all around me, I am bombarded with images of beautiful women, of all races and colors.

Growing up, I felt like I could never compare to those gorgeous women. For years, I never felt pretty. I felt like “the ugly one” out of all my friends. I was stuck in an awkward phase for years it seemed. I was too tall, my eyes too squinty, my face was too round, cheeks too fat, lips to full….the list went on forever. I towered over most people in middle school, even the boys

At the time I didn’t realize that my search for beauty was actually my own self destruction.

Freshman year in high school was terrible. There was so much pressure. You had to wear certain clothes, look a certain way, and act accordingly. It was a lot to deal with, so I began to pick myself apart. I found everything that I felt was wrong with me.

And the biggest problem? I had all the typical traits of a black girl, yet none of the good ones.

As they years progressed, thing just seemed to get worse. Growing up in a family full of curvy women, I remained slender. Its clear that most black women are usually curvy and “thick” and that men found that attractive. Most black girls wanted to be a sex symbol. That was beauty at its finest. Long hair, light skin, huge butt and large breast made you something to desire.

I had none of that. My hair was short, no butt at all, and I was stuck as a dumb B-cup. I was shape-less. I had nothing to desire. Why would anybody think I was pretty? Hell, I didn’t even believe it myself.

I tore myself part piece by piece. My friends never really noticed I was struggling internally. I never talked to anyone about it.

And as far as fashion goes…I felt like I had to wear whatever was in. I had to wear the best, it was all I could do to feel somewhat pretty. The clothes made me feel better somewhat, but still, I just knew people only thought the outfit was cute, not me. It got to the point where I hated for people to look at me for more than a few seconds. Even though people in my family constantly said I was “such a gorgeous young lady”, I felt they only aid so because they were related to me; they HAD to say things like that.

The term “inner beauty” meant nothing to me. It was all, or nothing.

Around junior year, I began to get more into the fashion scene. I loved reading fashion magazines and looking online at major fashion collections. Those pictures were not only of beautiful white girls, or perfect black girls, but of different girls of all races. They all were different and had lots of features to admire. They were not the typical picture of beauty I grew up knowing. These girls had beautiful big eyes, full lips, small eyes…all their imperfections added to their beautiful appearance.

Discovering that all the things that made me stand out made my beautiful, slowly I began to appreciate myself more.

Slowly but surely, I became confident in my looks. I grew to love my height. My full lips made me feel sexy.

My fat face, ok, I’m still not to fond of that. But my height became something I took great pride in. My slim body looked good in so many styles and fashions. How amazing….

I love who I am and how I look. It took time, but I learned that imperfections are truly beautiful. I grew up thinking that as a Black girl, I had to have a huge butt and be the object of affection to every guy.

But as long as I have the ability to catch just a few eyes, then I’m pretty enough.

And If my butt never fills out, I won’t lose any sleep over it.

Although it would be nice….

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HELLO BEAUTIFUL♥

“African-American women spend $7.5 billion annually on beauty products, which is 80 percent more than the general market. The reason it’s such a dramatic difference is attributed to the fact that African-American women have to sample more products to find the right ones for their skin.”

That’s what a new study by Essence magazine revealed.

WHAT????!!!!!!

Well, actually, when I stop to think about this, it does seem more than true. I’ll admit, I have spent hundreds of dollars on make-up over the years. Since my mother finally got off her high horse and gave me permission to wear it, every time i stop in a store, the beauty department is the first place i go.

Looking at the results form the Essence it all makes sense. As a Black women, I feel i spend more money on make-up because it takes so long to find the right product for my skin color. I have bought the same foundation in numerous shades because the one i purchased was not the right color. I’m sure other women with darker skin tones can relate. The media always portrays beauty as a blond, blue eyed, rosy cheeked, crimson-lipped, leggy white woman. How an we as women of color look up to and try to imitate that??? Of course, the mode is beautiful, they always are. But the lack of Black, Asian, Native American, and island models leaves us darker skinned women to fend for ourselves. We can’t  just look at the models and say, “oh, i look just like her, I’ll go out and get the exact same make-up she’s wearing.”

It seems that a few major make-up companies are marketing off of this sad trend. The more money we spend on their merchandise, the more money they make.

Huge deal for us….

No big deal to them…but their are a few exceptions.

Beyoncé and Halle Berry are black celebs who are featured in beauty ad campaigns. but how can they even really be considered, compared to the dozens of white women?

And even then, most of those campaigns feature minimal things, like mascara, nail polish, or lip gloss….all products which can be used on virtually any skin tone.

But some companies are trying to help. Covergirl seems to be the leader in marketing towards women of color. Such actions as making Rihanna a Covergirl, and introducing Queen Latifah’s new collection, Covergirl Queen Collection, are making them favorites of darker skinned women.

Will the rest of the beauty industry follow their example? Who knows? Hopefully they do. But until then, women of color will continue to waste more and more money on products that were meant for white women.

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THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!!

I am an avid user of bronzer.  It makes my entire face seem to glow. I don’t wear blush at all,  so a bronzer is my best friend when it comes to color on my cheeks.

There are many different types of bronzers. From doing much research and testing, I’ve found out that cream-based bronzers  usually work well for normal to dry skin, but if your skin is oily, try a liquid-based bronzer. The oil in your skin can break down the cream in the bronzer. Powder bronzer tends to be too glittery for most people. For a natural, everyday glow, mix your bronzer into liquid foundation. Doing so makes it looks as if your skin is naturally bronze, and not like you have a layer of it on top of your skin. This is something you’ll need to experiment with to get the right mix.  You have to find the perfect neutral foundation for your skin; the added bronzer will enhance the color.

Basically, the key to finding the right bronzer is looking for one with lots of pigment. It takes time to find out what bronzer is just right for your skin tone. Finding the perfect match will result in a beautiful, glowing look, suitable for all season.

Black Voices features a list of some of the best bronzers for all skin tones.

http://blogs.blackvoices.com/2007/10/10/best-bronzers/

Not all smokey eye looks have to be full of intense blacks and deeps blues. As a young woman of color, this color combination is too harsh and tends to make me look like I’m suffering from a terrible black eye. So after much research, I have found looks and colors that works well on my skintone, and similar skin tones as well.

You don’t have to use just gray or black eyeshadow to create the smokey look, women of color can go with purples, emeralds, and maroon….etc. So pick your favorite colors, or the colors you fell look best on you.

smokey eye look for dark skin

1) Apply a neutral color eyeshadow at your brow bone or over your entire eyelid. Sometimes I apply color from a white pencil exactly right underneath my eyebrow to really define the neutral color, but you don’t have to.
2) Apply a brownish color from the crease of your eye down to the lash line and blend.

3) Apply the darkest black at the lash line and blend.

**blend, blend, blend!!!!  One thing you don’t want is for everyone to see is where your eyeshadows begin.

4) Line your eyelids with black eye pencil.

5) Define your eyelashes with at least two coats of mascara.

6) After you are sure that everything’s blended well and you’ve done all the prior steps, take your powder brush and whisk away the loose powder that you had underneath your eyes. And follow with a neutral lip color of your choice (any color would do, but if you’re wearing a smokey eye you want people to notice your eyes, not your eyes and lips).

This look is all about the eyes. You don’t want to take the focus off of them. Let the rest of your look be very natural. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get it just so the first time. It takes practice to get the perfect look. Remember, everyone is unique, so play on these directions, until you find the look that is just right for . Soon you’ll be so good at it, you’ll be able to give your friends beautiful smokey eyes as well. Good luck….

my smokey eyes!