Session 309: Black Women & The Beauty Industry

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly
conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small
decisions we can make to become the best possible versions
of ourselves. I'm your host, doctor Joy hard and Bradford,
a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or

(00:32):
to find a therapist in your area, visit our website
at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. While I hope you
love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is
not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with
a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much

(00:57):
for joining me for session three oh nine of the
Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. We'll get right into our
conversation after a word from our sponsors. Whether your beauty
routine simply includes sunscreen and a scrunchy or is a

(01:19):
bit more complex with lash extensions and leasers. Black women
consumers continue to play a major role in the beauty industry.
This week, we're honored to discuss black women's participation in
beauty culture with former Beauty and Style editor Blake Nuby.
In our conversation, Blake and I discuss what it means
to be a natural beauty in today's beauty climate, how

(01:41):
to vet dermatologists and estheticians for black skin, and ways
to use beauty and self care practices to empower your
mental health. If something resonates with you while enjoying our conversation,
please share with us on social media using the hashtag
TVG in session or join us over in this circles.
To talk more in depth about the episode, you can

(02:03):
join us at community dot Therapy for Blackgirls dot com.
Here's our conversation. Thank you so much for joining us today, Blake.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Thank you for having me. I'm such a Therapy for
Black Girls.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Fan, so excited to hear that. So I'm excited to
dig into all of the beauty news and trends with you.
So a little Bertie told us that you have been
in this beauty game for quite some time. So in
college you had a business called beat by Blake tell
us a little bit about doing makeup in college and
where you saw your career going then.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
So I had parents that were like, you know, your
first few years of college, you don't need to work,
you need to focus on your studies, et cetera, et cetera.
But I'm a girl that likes to spend money, so
I was like, well, this is not gonna work, so
we're gonna have to figure something out. So I'd always
been good at doing my own makeup, and then when
I got there, I was doing like girls on the Hall,

(03:00):
and I was like, you know what, I'm kind of
good at this. So it's beat by Blake. I was
doing full faces for fifteen dollars. The girls would just
bring their foundation, you would get a lash, you would
get everything. And at the time, it never occurred to
me career in beauty. That was not what I wanted
to do. Beauty was just what I loved. It was
what I came by. Honestly, my mom used to like

(03:23):
relax my own hair and like trim my own hair,
so she was always inclined in the beauty space. But
it was never something that I thought, oh, this is
what my career will look like. I wanted to be
a serious newscaster. I wanted to be Sola Dad O'Brien.
That's what I tell people. But I think in hindsight,
I think beat By Blake really was foreshadowing that I

(03:43):
didn't know was foreshadowing. But yeah, for the probates for
the big evenings that would happen at Howard. If you
needed your makeup done, everybody knew go to Blake for
fifteen dollars.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
That is hilarious that you were doing whole faces for
fifteen dollars.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
In hindsight, I'm like, so you were letting people rob you.
But you know it's okay. It all came full circle, right.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Fifty niners was probably about what we could afford in
college anyway, exactly.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
I'm like, had I gone any higher, I probably wouldn't
have had much of a client tele.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
You're right, so Blake. You started at Essence in twenty
twelve as an intern, and then you were back in
twenty twenty one as their beauty and style editor. Can
you talk about some of the campaigns that you've seen
throughout the years that have been really inspiring to you?

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah, geezh, I feel like I could go on all day,
you know when I tell people about Essence more when
I was in high school and even younger, the things
that I was obsessed with, you know, those covers, Remember
the Essence era where we used to get excited for
whatever single cover was going to be, Like the issue
where all of the ladies were uncolorful. M h.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
That's the first one I thought about when you started
talking about the covers.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
It's that one. There was the Will and Jada one
years and years and years ago, right, And so I
think that, you know, when I went into Essence, my
biggest thing was I wanted to create content and pages
that made people feel the same way that I felt
when I was a kid, and we would be so
anxious about who was going to be on the cover

(05:14):
of Essence, And so when I went in twenty twelve,
i went as an intern, and then of course when
I went back, that was one of my main priorities.
One campaign I did where we highlighted beauty and fashion
executives under thirty and we emulated that colorful cover or
you know, even if it was the method Man shoot
that I worked so closely on and that I chose

(05:36):
the style direction on, and like the Simone Biles shoot
where we shot her, in my opinion, the best that
she's ever been shot. And it was things like that
where I just wanted the covers and the way that
people looked to emulate the joy and the beauty of
what we as black people truly are. And so I

(05:58):
think when I think about some of my favorites, Like
I said, it was method Man, it was Simone Biles,
it was Cardi b and her family. Those covers and
those spreads that just got you really excited. M H.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Is there any particular one that you really feel like
solidified your purpose or why you wanted to work in
the space.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
I think I would have to go back to Simone Viles.
So I think, you know, just like anybody else that
releases something super public facing, we were glued to social
media to see what the reaction was. And when I
went on Twitter and there were hundreds and hundreds of
tweets that were just like, We've never seen Simone shot
like this, We've never seen her makeup look like this,

(06:40):
We've never seen her hair look like this. And I
think that was the moment that I was like, I'm
doing exactly what I want to do, because again, what
I felt my role was was making black people the
talent that we had reflected in the most beautiful and
authentic way. And even Simone when we were talking to her,

(07:00):
you know, there have been covers that she's been on
that that did not get that reaction right where she
wasn't lit properly where she wasn't given the proper glam,
And not just how it looked at the end, but
the fact that I was able to cultivate safe spaces
for black talent behind the scenes. Right, It's like when
you were on a set that I was an integral

(07:22):
part of. You knew that you didn't have to worry
about if a hairstylist could do your hair properly. You
knew you didn't have to worry about if a makeup
artist could do your makeup properly. You knew you didn't
have to worry about if you were going to feel
uncomfortable because it's black women around you rooting you on
and telling you how beautiful you looked. And so I
think that's how I felt for Simone. She was so

(07:43):
excited both while we were shooting in afterwards, and I
think that definitely was the one. And then, you know,
special shout out to methand Man, because I do think
of all the spreads that I worked on, Method Man
did get the largest reaction, and for good reason, for.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
Very clearly, for a great reason. So according to Mackenzie
and Company, black brands make up only two point five
percent of revenue in the beauty industry, yet black consumers
are responsible for eleven point one percent of total beauty spending.
Talk to us about your work with brain Trust Founder
Studio and how your work in that space really supports

(08:20):
black beauty brands.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yes, So the thing is, I know that the number
one thing that is standing in the way of black
founders and their brands funding success is funding. To your point, right,
the statistics that you just said, I feel like really
kind of lay it out there. And the beautiful thing
about brain Trust Founder Studio is that we only invest
in black founded, black run beauty brands. And the beautiful

(08:47):
thing about it is that not only do we give money,
but there's also the studio portion, which is really an
incubator that gives smaller brands that are still waiting to
get to the point where they're able to scale, the
opportunity to get to know other founders, to interface with
names and big brand powerhouses that they wouldn't otherwise get
to do. And then, of course, you know, some of

(09:09):
them get access to the fund and to the money.
And so I think that for me, it was more
of a putting my money where my mouth is, you know,
I know in essence. The beautiful thing was that I
was always able to highlight beauty brands, but I think
that there's a difference from highlighting and actually kind of
helping them level the playing field, because the playing field
is everything butt leveled. But we look at these incredible

(09:30):
black beauty brands that are scaling and that are beloved,
and all that they need. We see how effective the
product is, but all that they need is funding, right,
they need improved marketing plans, They need the space to
be in a place where they can grow and further
scale their business. And that is exactly what brain Trust
is creating, both with the fund and with the studio.
So I love being able to work on both sides,

(09:52):
right with the studio in more of a capacity of
talking with the founders, lending expertise, consulting, mar things like that,
and then on the fund. What has been the most
fantastic is watching these brands that I've interfaced with for
years and being able to take them to the brain
Trust team and say, you know, this is a brand
that I know is going to be scaling big, or

(10:12):
this is a brand that is already scaling big and
we need to further invest. So it has been so
rewarding because I feel like the playing field is not leveled,
and it really is not showing any signs of improving drastically.
You know, people have asked, well, how do you feel
after twenty twenty? I think that the pendulum swung to
one side, and I think that we are saying that

(10:34):
ninety percent of it was performative, and so now the
onus is back on us to continue to uplift these
brands and these founders.

Speaker 1 (10:43):
So I don't know that we always make this connection,
but I'm curious to hear how do you feel like
your beauty and self care practice is support or empower
your mental health?

Speaker 2 (10:53):
Huge? I think it has been integral, you know. I
think the reality is, and you know, you know better
than everybody, you can't self care yourself out of depression, right,
and you can't necessarily self care yourself out of anxiety.
But what I have learned is that routine plays a
huge role in that, and so part of that routine

(11:14):
is the self care practice. And so you know, when
I think about beauty and the things that I have
been doing, it's like, you know, Blake, even when I'm tired,
I'm like, we need to do our nightly skincare routine.
When it's the morning, I need to do my morning
skincare routine. Because what I found, especially in the past
three years, is my mental health had really deteriorated. Was

(11:35):
the biggest issue with my life was that it didn't
have routine. And my life still very much does not
have a lot of routine. Right. My days are very unpredictable.
When somebody is like, what's an average day? What does
an average day in your life look like? I really
can't tell them. And so that's why it was like
I had to create routine in the spaces that I could.
And so for me, beauty is the skincare rituals. For me,

(11:59):
when my nails and toes are done, I feel good.
If a nail is popping off, I won't leave the house.
I promise you, I will not leave the house. So
it's like really creating those things. I'm a huge candle
and fragrance girl. I feel like, you know, Aroma's play
an integral part and mental health for me at least,
and so I've really tried to hone in on merging

(12:20):
the beauty and the wellness thing right when it comes
to you know, guasho when it comes to meditation and
those things. This year to really try to create routine
in a life where I don't get much of that.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
I appreciate you sharing that because I do think for
some people it feels like it's like this silly little thing, right,
But it is true that a lot of times when
people are struggling with things like depression, one of the
first things you see go is like their daily care
kinds of activities, and so being able to kind of
just start your day and even just wash your face

(12:53):
sometimes is just kind of you getting the day started,
which can really help to manage depressive symptoms.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
Is because there was a period of time where like
I wasn't you know what I'm saying, Like it was
like I have to go out, I would, but it
was like the best I could give on some days
was just getting up and just what I had to
do professionally, and I didn't have anything else to give myself.
And so now my thing is like, if I am
not caring for myself, then not only am I not

(13:21):
the best blake, you know, everything that I pour into
my career that won't be the best either. So it
has to start with me. And so that is where
to your point, managing those depressive symptoms has really been routine,
has been imperative.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
Yeah, So professionally, you have sat in so many different spaces,
so you've been on the editorial side. Now you're kind
of dabbling more into like the content creator side. So
I feel like you have a great perspective on this. So,
in what ways have you seen black beauty influencers, bloggers, etc.
Really combat the white beauty standards?

Speaker 2 (13:53):
Phewh I don't know if anybody's been tuned into TikTok
right now, but we're witnessing it right now. But I
think just sharing our experiences has been enough. You know,
there's been a lot of chatter, like I said right
now around some of the og beauty influencers, Black influencers
that really used to call out and very much so
stand firm in breaking those those beauty standards. We think

(14:18):
about the Jackie and ANDAs we think about the Alissa Ashley's,
we think about, you know, the Nima tangs, and I
think that what was so different about them was just
that they talked about it, right, We just never spoke
about it. We never it was it was something that
we just assumed that we had to assimilate to and
if we couldn't, then we would be insecure. But we

(14:39):
never spoke up about it. And what they did was
they just talked about it. And I think it's the
same thing when we think about therapy and things like
that in the black community in general. Right, Black people
just have a history of just not speaking about the
things that make us feel uncomfortable, make us feel sad,
make us feel insecure. And I think that the way
that beauty influencers have done and that is the exact

(15:00):
same way. They've just spoken about it. When they were
displeased with something, they spoke about it. When shade ranges
weren't up to par, they spoke about it. When campaigns
reflected only rail thin black women who looked a certain way,
they spoke about it, and they spoke about not feeling
represented and things like that. And you know, I think

(15:22):
what we're seeing right now is a reckoning in once
black women were allowed into the space, so many black
women believe that we should just be happy to be
in the space. And when I say the space, you know,
on brand trips right at these high end beauty events,
et cetera, et cetera. And what has been so beautiful
is that beauty influencers now are saying, not only is

(15:43):
it not enough just to be in the space, but
we have to be treated well in the space. We
have to feel reflected in the space. Don't invite me
to your brand trip if the product that you are
launching doesn't accommodate women of my skin tone. Don't invite
me to a brand trip if I'm going to be
the own only black women, the token black woman. And
so I think that those conversations are continuing to be had.

(16:05):
But I think that in short version, black women and
black beauty influencers and black editors and black bloggers, they
are just talking about it. And for the longest, we
were scared to talk about it.

Speaker 1 (16:17):
So you bring up a really good point around the
difficulty that brands have had like matching shades. Right, Like,
for the longest point, you could not go into a
store even online, order a shade depending on your melanin complexion. Right,
So why do you think makeup brands have continued to
have such difficulty diversifying their shades.

Speaker 2 (16:37):
I think, in short, they just don't care. And I
think I think it's not that difficult, right, brands have
been able to do it. I think they just don't care. Right,
when we talk about the science of makeup, we'll just
talk about foundation shades. In order to create a truly
diverse foundation shade, it's not enough to just darken every shade. Scientifically,
what you have to do is you have to adjust

(16:59):
the form of every single shade as the complexion deepens.
So that takes time, that takes money, that takes real resources.
And that's why when brands don't genuinely do it right.
There have been brands that have launched fifty shades and
every single shade is gray, right. That is because that
brand has not put the resources or the thought into it,

(17:20):
into doing what they know they need to do. These
brands know that you have to change the formula for
every single foundation based on the shift and color, but
they don't do it. And so the thing is, you know,
Jackie Ina said at once, and I think it is
so true. Let's stop trying to bully these brands into
being inclusive if they don't want to, when there are
truly inclusive brands out there. Right. When I think of

(17:42):
long Com, even before finty, before the finty effect when
everybody wanted to create forty shades. Long Comb Truly had
diverse shade ranges. Like Truly had diverse shade ranges. Gnars
had a diverse shade range, and it's only gotten more diverse.
So not have to strong arm and try to bully

(18:02):
and shame these brands when they just don't care. My
parents have always told me only go where you're wanted,
and so I think that is also indicative for us, Like,
let's as a people, let's as a collective go to
the brands that, even if they necessarily haven't always been
doing it right, like a long hom or aurs. Let's
go to the brands who are at least putting in

(18:23):
the work and listening to the consumer, investing the resources
and the time and the care that they do in
their customers and clientele that don't look like us. Mm hm.

Speaker 1 (18:34):
So you mentioned lunk Home and Noise and Fancy as
kind of being some of the ones that have the
most diverse shades. Are there other companies that you feel
like are getting in right in that space?

Speaker 2 (18:44):
I do. I think one thing that black women have
been very serious about right because it does impact us,
is using more natural products, so that is very important.
So a brand that I think for women who value
a cleaner ingredient cosis is really doing a wonderful job.
A Mi Cola, which is a black owned brand, is

(19:05):
doing a fantastic job. They have a lip oil. It's
not a complexion shade, but they have a lip oil
that I think every Black woman that is super into
beauty right now is absolutely obsessed with. And it was
founded by a former Loreal executive, so it's a black
woman who truly has a deep knowledge of not just
the brand side, but the corporate and the business side.

(19:28):
I think Do Your Beauty is also doing a wonderful
job because they've listened right. They're a luxury brand that
has not always had a diverse shade range, as we know,
but they have done the work to push shades that
truly are wonderful. So yeah, those are two others really
doing it right. When we speak about makeup, right like,
I can go on for days about skincare, hair, but

(19:50):
when I think about makeup and when I think about
those products that I absolutely cannot live without, it would
be them. And then Minted as well. Minted Cosmetics, which
is another black owned brand really doing fantastic things and makeup,
And when I talk to makeup artists, professional makeup artists
and ask them what some of their favorites are. Black
makeup artists right now are loving Black Opal and the

(20:11):
researchers of Black Opal. They did a rebrand and almost
every makeup artist that I know has those Black Opal
foundation sticks and their kit. So you know, the brands
are coming back and I love it for us.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
Mm hm Yeah. My makeup artist definitely does a lot
with Black.

Speaker 2 (20:27):
Opal contouring foundation, highlighted. You can do anything with.

Speaker 1 (20:33):
Those sticks more for my conversation with Blake after the break.
So it does feel like, you know, the pendulum kind
of swings back and forth in terms of like what
is on trend for beauty styles. So you know, right

(20:54):
now we're hearing a lot of people talk about like
soft glam and clean girl, and it kind of feels
like the trend now is to have your face look
as if you're not wearing any makeup, but you're actually
you know, having a whole beat. What do you think
are the trends or what are your predictions for trends
for the rest of this year as well as twenty
twenty four.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
So I think that we're going to continue to venture
into that. Right. The issue that I have with like
the clean girl and the soft girl aesthetic is that
I think when the clean girl aesthetic came out, it
was rooted in again white beauty standards, right, and that's
when black women hopped in to kind of say, you know,
we've been doing no makeup, a high gloss and a

(21:36):
slick bund for decades. That's been our thing, and a
hoop in the air, that's been our thing for decades.
But what I do like is that as we are
having conversations about people liking this clean look, we are
also having conversations around there's absolutely nothing wrong with the
full glam either, and we should just let black women
do what the hell they want to do. And I

(21:58):
think that's really important because I think that black women,
with our hair, with our makeup, with everything, we have
been policed since the beginning of time. And so I
think that we are going to continue to see a
more part down aesthetic, which, do not get me wrong,
I think is absolutely lovely. Even as a girl who
loves high glam, I absolutely love the super sleek, super

(22:23):
easy going look. It's not something that I feel I
look my best in or something that I am most
comfortable in, but I absolutely love it, especially particularly on
Black women. So I think Black women in general are
just very tired of being policed, and so I think
that it used to be a lot easier to predict
beauty trends for black women, but I think Black women

(22:45):
are just doing whatever they want. And because Black women
are so creative and we are so not a monolith,
that spectrum is so broad. So I think that, like
I said, we definitely will continue to see a lot
of the parts down beauty moments, but I think that
we can expect to see the not far down. You know,
one thing that I talk about a lot on my
social media's and I'm seeing a lot of other black

(23:06):
women talk about is black women and injectibles. So I
think that we're going to start seeing black women are
no stranger to injectibles. This isn't new, but I think
we're going to start seeing more Black women talking about it,
which I think will remove continue to remove a lot
of the stigma, which will result in, you know, a
lot more Black women feeling more empowered to do so,
So I think that we will start seeing not just

(23:28):
in the things that we put on top of our
skin and our hair, but I think that we will
start seeing a lot of trends around what we put
into our skin and into our bodies.

Speaker 1 (23:39):
Hmmmm. So I definitely want to go there. But I
have a little game I want to play with you
before we talk a little bit more about injectibles. So
this is called worth the hype or keep it pushing? Okay,
So I'm going to read off some trends or things
that people are, you know, kind of getting into, and
I want you to tell me is it worth the
hype or should we keep it pushing? So the first

(24:00):
one is celebrity skin and beauty lines. Should we keep
it pushing or is it worth the hype?

Speaker 2 (24:06):
I'm gonna say keep it pushing?

Speaker 1 (24:09):
Any commentary to offer there.

Speaker 2 (24:12):
So here's the thing. I think what people are just
jaded by it, right because I think the industry is
so oversaturated, so people want to feel like whatever they
are buying, their's reputability behind it. Now, what I will
say is there are some beauty brands out here that
truly are fantastic. That skincare and makeup brands I love,
rare beauty. I want to make that clear. I think

(24:34):
Rare beauty is fantastic. Not to bring up their names
in the same conversation, but you know, when we talk
about road In Haley Bieber's skincare line, that is fantastic
because it is helmed by a black chemist named Bron Robinson,
who has his own beauty brand called beauty stat, which
in my opinion, is the best vitamin C focused skincare
brand on the market. Some of these beauty brands are

(24:56):
out there and really are fantastic, but the reality is
when theelebrity is so much at the forefront, it can
almost take away from the reputability that we're seeing because
people don't know that, right. People don't care to know
that a brand like that is helmed by this fabulous chemist, right.
They're more concerned with the celebrity aspect. I played a
huge part in the beginnings of Tamari's hair care line

(25:20):
for You by Tia. There's a dynamic, dynamic chemist who
is also a woman of color, who is leading the
charge for their ingredient science and things like that. So
I think that if celebrities are going to continue I
think that maybe they need to market the brands as them,

(25:42):
plus the science to add to the reputability, because I
will say the general market is over.

Speaker 1 (25:47):
It, got it. Appreciate that. So what about chemical PILs?

Speaker 2 (25:52):
Oh? Yes, worth the hype every single time I think
that chemical peels are particularly helpful. You can find a
black esthetician to do that, you know. I think the
thing that we all know is that black skin it
is more sensitive by default, scars more easily, things like that.
So when doing anything chemical related with black skin, it

(26:13):
is important to go to someone who understands your skin.
I have a fantastic black dirm that I absolutely love
doctor ingleton and I say absolutely, but proceed with caution.
Do not go buying those intense peels on Amazon. I
personally do not suggest. I think chemical peels guided with

(26:34):
proper expertise, yes, absolutely all the way.

Speaker 1 (26:38):
Okay, what about bucle fat removal.

Speaker 2 (26:41):
Oh, bucle fat removal, We're going to have to keep
it pushing on that one. We are going to have
to keep it pushing when it comes to bugle fat
removal for really a myriad of reasons. And this is
coming from a girl who wanted bucle fat removal, right, Like,
I've always had a really face. It's been since birth,

(27:02):
and you know, now that I'm on camera a lot,
like recently, I've been telling people my empathy has grown
so much for women who we look at and we're like,
what the world is wrong with their face? Because, for
the first time ever, being in front of the camera
this often, I now understand how women get severe body
dysmorphia and facial dysmorphia and things like that, because when
you see yourself under lights and in cameras, you feel

(27:24):
like you look like a completely different person. So my
empathy is very much grown in that space. But every
single doctor that I have gone to has refused to
do it. And reason being is because as you get older,
you need that fat. And so what we're seeing now
is a lot of people who have opted into bucle
fat removal now have to inject their faces as they
get older with a whole lot of filler to combat

(27:47):
the fact that with aging, the collagen and the face
does inevitably diminish some So we're going to have to
keep it pushing on the bugle fat removal.

Speaker 1 (27:57):
Okay, what about eyelash extensions?

Speaker 2 (28:00):
I say absolutely. The issue with me is I am
allergic to eyelash extensions very bonous. So I am allergic
to the glue. And what is so interesting is I
had gotten like maybe five or six sets, was fine,
and one day I just started losing it. I thought
it was just that Lash tech tried another one, tried
the non toxic glue. I can't do Lash extensions, but

(28:21):
I love them, and I feel like, you know, we're
beautiful regardless when we wake up. But what I loved
about Lash extensions when I had them is that I
felt like I woke up cute. I felt like I
didn't have to do I felt like I woke up
and could just go. And I'm a huge Lash girl.
But now I've just really perfected strip lashes for myself.
So I wear strip lashes religiously. So I'm all for

(28:41):
full lashes period, got it.

Speaker 1 (28:44):
And the last one is jel X.

Speaker 2 (28:47):
Oh. I don't leave the house without my gel X on.
So I to say that I am a huge gel
X girl. I think past it just being more user friendly, right,
it's something that I think, well, I don't do it right.
I have a fantastic nail tech. I think that the
beautiful thing about Gelx is that if you wanted to
learn how to do it yourself. You could, but it's

(29:09):
just it's so much healthier than acrylic. You know, I
think there is a misconception that like, oh, jel X
doesn't do any damage to your nail. I think that
we do have to come to peace with the reality
that anything long term sitting on top of the nail
will inevitably weaken the nail. But it weakens it far less.
The chemical ramifications are far less, which I think very
much matters to the nail technician who is doing the nail.

(29:32):
And they're easier. The shape is already there, you don't
even have to shape it. So I love them. I
think that they're not only healthier, but I do think
that they add a sleeker look to the nail bed.

Speaker 1 (29:43):
Perfect. Thank you so much for playing that with us.

Speaker 2 (29:46):
Of course I like that one. Those are good ones.
Those are great ones.

Speaker 1 (29:52):
So getting back to your comments around injectables, you know
you've been pretty public and talking about getting fillers, botox
and other cosmetic enhancements. So why do you think it
is important for us to speak candidly about these procedures.

Speaker 2 (30:04):
I think now more than ever it's important to speak
about these procedures because not speaking about it is killing
Black women. And I know that might sound drastic, but
the realities are in this day and age, there are
women getting braces and veneers in the basements of people's homes.
There are people getting body augmentations in the basements of

(30:26):
people's homes. There are people getting injectables in nail slans.
And I think that it's important to have these conversations
because the reality is that black women aren't not going
to do it, so we need to do it safely
and having open conversations and sharing who we go to,
sharing the proper preparation, sharing, the proper post care, sharing,

(30:49):
price breakdown right so that someone understands that if you
want to get this done the right way, right, then
this is a price range that you might need to
be in. And if you're seeing that wherever you go
the price is either far lower or far higher, you
might need to reevaluate. So I think that it's important
just to talk about it because for the safety of
black women. Right it's like non black women we're doing

(31:11):
breast augmentations in droves. In the eighties and nineties, it
wasn't like black women weren't doing them too, right. You know,
we were doing them, but we weren't speaking about it,
and so not speaking about it and it goes back
again to like we talked about earlier with the therapy piece,
as black people, not speaking about things doesn't make it
go away, and so we might as well talk about it,

(31:32):
and we might as well share our experiences so that
we can make sure that one another is safe as
we do it. Because the reality is, this is what
I found. You know, even when we look at these
instances when we talk about body augmentation, women are not
going to stop doing it right. We can preach self
love and self care and all of these things till
we're blue in the face, right, but when I look

(31:54):
in the mirror, if I don't love what I see,
it will not change. It will not change that I
would want to enhance it or I would want to
fix it. But why not have the resources from women
who look like you, and have the community from women
who look like you, so you can at least make
sure that you are doing it right.

Speaker 1 (32:11):
So was it a difficult decision for you, Blake, to
decide to do things like fillers in both hots or
was it something especially because you're in the space that
you thought like, oh, yeah, I'm definitely going to do this.

Speaker 2 (32:20):
Oh no, I was like, poke me up. I personally
was look in my face.

Speaker 3 (32:27):
I mean, I will say, the thing is to your point,
access made it easier, right, because it's like, you know,
my injectibles for the most part, especially when I was
an editorial I never had to pay for it, right,
And I had access.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
To these wonderful doctors who do the injectibles for celebrities
and things like that, So I always had access. But
I only think the reason for being so eager was
because I knew that I had access to some of
the best doctors and estheticians, so it wasn't scary to me.
But it also wasn't scary to me because I do
think when we go into these spaces, we need to

(33:01):
be comfortable speaking up, and I've always been comfortable speaking
up and letting doctors know, like, look, I don't want
to go overboard, right When I tell people all of
the fillers or injectibles that I've gotten, they're like, you
have injectibles where you have injectibles where? Because I was
very comfortable on speaking up and saying like I don't
want to look like this, or I do want to
look like this, So please be extra conservative in how

(33:24):
you're injecting and things like that. So I think that
I was always very okay with it and very experimental.
I will say now I have done enough trial and
error and not like certain things to where now there
are certain injectibles that I won't do right. There are
certain places I won't put filler because I've been able
to experiment, and that is now. That is the great
thing about filler is that you can remove it. But

(33:47):
the thing is, like I said, I always and I
implore anyone who is looking to do filler go conservative first,
because it is much safer and much easier to add
than to take away. And sometimes, as we're seeing now,
you know when we talk about black China and things
like that, if you stretch the skin so much when
you choose to dissolve the filler, that can present its

(34:08):
own set of problems in the skin that it leaves behind.
So I just implore women to number one, make sure
that you are going to someone who is trained. Please
do not get lip injections in your hair salon. I
beg you to not do that. I know that's something
that's going on a lot. Anything that is going into
your body is worth a real investment. And I'm not

(34:30):
saying you need to go to the most you know,
botox is so easy. You know, neural modulators in general
are so easy to access, so you know, when it
comes to neural modulation, that's a little different. But when
it comes to filler, I implore black women to number one,
go conservative and number two, find someone who actually knows
what they are doing so you are not spending the

(34:50):
rest of your days trying to repair what you might
have overfilled.

Speaker 1 (34:54):
Those are great suggestions, And what tips would you give
people for how to vet dermatologists and estetution and cosmetic surgeons,
especially to make sure that they know what they're doing
with black skin.

Speaker 2 (35:04):
Well. Social media has made, of course, this a lot easier.
Right If you go on to someone's Instagram or TikTok
whatever and their clients don't look anything like you, and
you see no one that looks like yourself, then you
might want to reconsider. But it's also important to do
your research on the doctor because there are a lot
of Instagram instagrammy doctors who people have real life stories

(35:30):
about that aren't so positive. So social media makes it easier,
but also do your own research outside of social media,
right hit the Googles. You know, there are chat rooms
and their forums that I've heard about, you know, or
more on Facebook and Reddit and things like that. So
Reddit is a great place to find out. You know,
if somebody has a really terrible experience and they're scared

(35:51):
to speak out publicly, a lot of people might speak
out or Reddit and things like that. So just do
real research, but look for someone who looks like you.

Speaker 1 (36:00):
Thank you for that. I appreciate that. You know you've
used these terms before today, Blake, natural beauty, clean beauty.
It does feel like those are a little bit of
buzzwords kind of in the industry today. What does being
a natural beauty mean to you? And does that mean
that you don't have any cosmetic enhancements?

Speaker 2 (36:17):
I think, like I said, going back to the policing thing,
is I think that natural beauty by definition, right, if
we want to go by definition, then yes, it is
someone who doesn't have fillers and doesn't wear a ton
of makeup and doesn't have many augmentations. Right by definition, yes,
But if you are not a natural beauty, it doesn't

(36:40):
mean that you are not a beauty. When I got
a relaxer, people were like, you don't love yourself. You
want to feed into your ow central mind. You I
had been natural for twelve years, right at that point,
it was never about that. How we like to show
up matters just as much. Right, Because if a woman
has decided, oh, well, you know, I'm going to be

(37:01):
a natural beauty, but she looks in the mirror every
single day and feels like she really doesn't like what
she sees, or she's not her happiest when she steps
out the house, well then that's not good either. Right.
It's just as bad in my opinion as the woman
who has done far too much to augment or to
change things about herself. So I think that yes, by definition,

(37:23):
that is what natural beauty is. But I don't want women,
especially in this era of clean beauty and the clean aesthetic,
to think that if they do not operate within those parameters,
that they are not natural beauty. But also to understand
that a lot of the celebrities and these big you know,

(37:43):
social media personalities that you see that you assume are
natural beauty, those people too have a lot of access
and a lot of augmentations just because it doesn't look
like it I have a lot of filler. I don't
look like I have a lot of filler. Do what
you want to do, and don't let this natural phase

(38:03):
make you unhappy or make you feel like you have
to do things that you just simply don't want to do.

Speaker 1 (38:09):
More for my conversation with Blake after the break and
thinking about like this clean beauty and like clean products,
what does it mean for products to be clean? Because

(38:30):
don't most products require some kind of like chemicals to
be able to sit on the shelves?

Speaker 2 (38:36):
They absolutely do. It's interesting. I recently was actually talking
to the founders of brain Trust founder Studio, and I
referenced an article by The Cut and the title of
the article it was something around how much does clean
beauty actually matter? Right? And they were talking around how
much do these ingredients in products actually matter in the

(38:59):
grands of things, right when we are also inundated with
so many other chemical things. Right. So it's like, let's say,
the arguments that they made were, like somebody who is
adamant about not wanting certain things in their skincare but
dyes their hair every three months, or is adamant about this,
but goes and gets her nail done in the nail
salon with the Crylix everything. So I think the reality

(39:22):
is that we are living in a world where it
is very hard to figure out what clean is. But
the thing is, if that is something that you are
emphatic about, and you are like, I only want products
that are clean, there are websites and apps out there
where you can actually type in the ingredients of your products. Right,
you can take photos of the back of your products

(39:42):
and they will break down the ingredients and let you
know they're clean. Levels. There are certifications, very rigid certifications,
like if a product is Leaping Bunny certified, then it
truly is and I'm saying this in quotation marks clean
that is I think the cleanest that it gets in
terms of beauty products, in terms of the way that
the un United States regulates. So yeah, so if that

(40:02):
is something that is very important to you, then there
are ways to decode ingredients. But we've seen it when
I think about the scaling of honeypot, right and the
way that women lost their minds when they thought that
it was no longer clean. No, honeypot is still clean, right,
but there are certain ingredients that have to be added

(40:23):
to produce at certain levels or else we would not
have access to it. And so therefore that is how
it lost its Leaping Bunny certification. But it doesn't mean
that it is not cleaned by most people's standards, just
not by Leaping Bunny, which like I said, is very
bare bones in the ingredients that they allow for. So,
like I said, do your own research, but I do

(40:45):
employ people to not get so caught up in certain ingredients,
like I said, like with the honeypot debacle, because in
some instances there are some ingredients that have to exist
for mass production.

Speaker 1 (41:00):
Right right, So I'm curious, Blake, do you feel like
in your experience has been a point where you have
felt the need to disclose to either friends or romantic
partners that you have had like certain augmentations or do
you feel like that is something that is better just
kind of kept personal.

Speaker 2 (41:16):
Well, I will say, me and my friends are like
the black girls that talk about injecticles and all the things.
I also reveal it on social media. So here's the thing,
like I said, I am in my what Blake wants
to do. Blake is going to do Era and so
if I happen to come across a romantic partner who
that makes him uncomfortable, well then he's just going to
have to go find someone else, because Blake is not

(41:38):
changing what she likes to do right now, and that
would be his prerogative, right If his standard is that
he wants to as we spoke about earlier, by definition
and natural beauty, then he can go and find that.
But the thing is, I do want to be honest.
I don't present as natural beauty, right, So it's like
io up with twenty four inches of weed and a

(42:01):
full face and lashes. A romantic partner who might that
might be a requirement. He probably is not even speaking
to me in the first place, so we probably would've
been there. So yeah, but I have no problem disclosing,
But I wouldn't be disclosing for them. I'm disclosing because
to be honest, like beauty is a day to day
part of my life. I talk about it all the time.

(42:22):
Me telling my partner that I went to get injections
or I want some other form of augmentation. To be
honest is like regular dinner combos is somebody like me
got it?

Speaker 1 (42:34):
Got it? So I feel like we have covered a
lot of ground here, Blake, and I feel like it
is easy to kind of get overwhelmed by all of
the beauty stuff. If somebody who is you know, enjoying
our conversation today wants to get started on a beauty
journey or learn more about makeup and skincare, where should
they start?

Speaker 2 (42:52):
Okay, so what I would do first? Funny enough, when
I was an editor, because I had so much access
to so many things, I ended up ruining my skin barrier.
And so essentially what that means is the top layer
of my skin. I had ruined it from using too
many products with actives, and so my skincare routine is
now bare bones. And so what I implore people to

(43:13):
do is start bare bones and incorporate and don't do
too much. Right, So, the best thing that you can
do start with a great gentle or simple cleanser. Right,
I have very acne prone skin, So for somebody like me,
a simple acne cleanser. Brands that I think that are

(43:34):
wonderful for people that are starting off their skincare journey,
polished choice is great. I think the ordinary is wonderful.
The ordinary is wonderful. Because they just have one ingredient,
one active in each, right, so you're not doing too
much to the skin. Start with a great cleanser, start
with a great moisturizer, and start with a great SPF.
I think that for black people, the perfect SPF to

(43:55):
start with either start with Black Girls Sunscreen or Super Goop.
I think those are that you really can't go wrong
with and they're made for our skin tones, which is
very important. But you cannot forget the SPF. So I
think skincare always cleanser, moisturizer, SPF. And then as you
start to incorporate or hear about, you know, let's say

(44:16):
you want to incorporate a retinal because you heard that
a retinal is fantastic for skin, which it is. I
love a retinal. Then just do one product with retinol.
Just incorporate that to the part down routine. And the
same goes for hair. Right, we're seeing a lot of
curl specialists and hair specialists basically say that black women,
we have applied too much product to our hair and

(44:37):
that's why our hair doesn't retain water. And so it's
the same thing with hair. Right, start their bones and
then incorporate when it comes to makeup. I think that
the things that everyone needs is a great foundation, a
great mass scara, a good concealer, and blush. Blush adds
so much dimension, particularly to black women's faces. So start there.

(44:59):
Get a good bra set you don't have to spend
a million dollars on it, and a good beauty blender.
And I feel like that is the perfect starting point
for someone who is, you know, just trying to start
the beauty journey. And then you incorporate, but don't do
too much because we end up doing more harm than good.

(45:19):
As you mentioned, the industry is so saturated and every
single day TikTok is telling us that we need this new, incredible,
wonderful product. And most of the time, yes, it is
a great product, but it's not always a great product
for you. So start there and then build as you can.

Speaker 1 (45:35):
So I would love to know some of your favorites
for mascara and blushes for black girls.

Speaker 2 (45:41):
So Nars has a fantastic mascara, the Climax mascara. That's
for if you like volume, right, So if you're a
volume girl, then I would go there. If you like
more elongation, do your show mascara is absolutely wonderful. Some
blushes that I love Nars, of course, I mean orgasms.
One of the first blushes that I ever use. Nars

(46:03):
has fantastic blush. Rare beauty of course, has been the
blush that has been holding black girls down these days,
even her purple blush. Black women are absolutely in love
with it. And then I think, you know, when it
comes to liquid blushes, I mentioned them earlier. Mikola has
a new blush that is absolutely fantastic. It's like the
most beautiful flush that it adds to the skin. So

(46:25):
those are some of my personal favorites. And then, like
I said, you can just continue to experiment. But every
brand is creating blush these days because it is back
and in demand more than ever. So yes, I'm a
huge proponent. I'm almost like, there's no such thing as
too much blush right now, but yes, blush it up
as much as you can.

Speaker 1 (46:44):
So what message do you have for Black women who
might feel a little hesitant or unsure about exploring cosmetic
surgery or other beauty procedures.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
If you are hesitant about it, don't force yourself to
do it. Don't force yourself to do it because your
friends got it, or because the girl that you love
on TikTok got it, because your favorite celebrity got it.
Don't do that. But if it is something that speaks
to you and it is something that you feel you
truly want to explore, then like I said, number one,

(47:12):
you need to make sure that you go to an expert.
I do not believe in cutting costs in that space.
And the reality is, I know that it is wildly expensive.
But we saw the terrible happening that happened to the
black women who went to Mexico, and we hear it
every day. They are black women dying overseas. I understand that,

(47:34):
especially in this day and age, times are more difficult
financially for so many of us. But your safety, I
don't think you can put a price on your health
and a price on your safety. So you need to
go to an expert with wonderful reviews, with very sound
sanitary and medical practices. And yeah, so I think that

(47:54):
that is the next step, and I think with that
everything will follow right because we talk about some women
who you know, the way that it looks now is
you know, has come under fire and things like that.
But what I will say is I think that if
you go to a sound doctor, then you won't go
to a doctor that will overfill you or will over
augment you, or things like that. So I think that
it starts with the specialist that you go to. But

(48:16):
do it for you, don't do it for anybody else.
Don't do it for a romantic partner. Don't do it
for your friends. Don't do it because Instagram told you so.
If it is not something that you truly want to do,
then do not do it. But if it is, then
make sure that you go about it the right way.
And it might take a little longer if that means
that you have to go a more expensive route. But again,
we as black people, we cannot afford to put a

(48:37):
price tag on our safety.

Speaker 1 (48:40):
Mm hmm. Thank you for that. So you have shared
so much great information with us, Blake, I know that
the community will once to stay connected. Where can we
find you online and continue to support you and stay
connected to the work that you're doing. Do you have
a website and any social media handles you like to share?

Speaker 2 (48:56):
Yes, so you can find me on Instagram. It's Blake
Low but Laurena spelled lawr e N. Don't ask me
ask my mama, I'm just as confused, biet you. And
then my TikTok is Blake Newby Underscore. I'm also launching
my YouTube channel, so you will be able to catch
me there. That's just Blake Newby, so yeah, that is
where you can find me. I post quite a bit

(49:18):
on all of the platforms, so so I'm not hard.

Speaker 1 (49:20):
To find perfect. We'll be sure to include all of
that in the show notes. Thank you so much for
spending some time with us today, Blake. I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (49:27):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (49:32):
I'm so glad Blake was able to share her exercise
with us today. To learn more about the work she's
doing or to do more research on this topic, be
sure to visit Therapy for Blackgirls dot Com slash session
three oh nine, and don't forget to text two of
your girls and tell them to check out the episode
as well. If you're looking for a therapist in your area,
check out our therapist directory at Therapy for Blackgirls dot

(49:54):
Com slash directory. And if you want to continue to
get into this topic or just be in community with
others sisters, come on over and join us in the
sister Circle. It's our cozy corner of the Internet designed
just for black women. You can join us at Community
dot Therapy for blackgirls dot com. This episode was produced
by Frieda. Lucas and Elise Ellis and editing was done

(50:15):
by Dennis and Bradford. Thank y'all so much for joining
me again this week. I look forward to continuing this
conversation with you all real soon. Take good care.

Speaker 2 (50:29):
What's

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Session 309: Black Women & The Beauty Industry