Fashion & shopping

Bread Beauty Supply Makes Frizzy Hair Aspirational

By Keisha P. Crabtree 3 weeks ago

What’s the Black woman’s equivalent of a messy bun? It’s a difficult question to answer, especially when you consider the Western world’s rather violent relationship with Afro-textured hair.  For generations, curls and kinks have been deemed “unkempt” by Eurocentric standards, thus putting pressure on Black people — particularly Black women — to appear in public with their hair always looking “done,” especially when it’s worn in its natural state. Sure, Meghan Markle’s messy bun has become iconic — but would it have been considered chic by mainstream society if she didn’t straighten her hair? I doubt it.

The pressure to have perpetually “controlled” frizz- and kink-free Afro-textured hair is one that brands have capitalized on. There is no shortage of curl creams, edge controls, and defrizzers on the market. But Bread Beauty Supply founder Maeva Heim isn’t about that life.

“I noticed that there was a broadly

… Read More

I’m 45, and These Beauty Products Make My Skin Glow Like Crazy

By Keisha P. Crabtree 3 weeks ago

A decade ago, the term aging was practically a swear word. To ask a woman her age was (and, who knows, still might be) among the most tasteless questions anyone could utter. We’ve come a long way since then, but the truth is that our culture is still woefully youth-obsessed. Don’t get us wrong: Progress has been made. Among the many areas of the beauty industry that have changed for the better is the newfound sense of community and conversation dedicated to sharing the products and practices we’re each using to stay looking our best for longer. No longer are women hoarding their skincare secrets under lock and key. We’re sharing, we’re learning, and best of all, more than ever, we’re prioritizing healthy, happy skin and bodies over all else.

Enter Catherine McCord, author and founder of family-friendly, health-conscious food community Weelicious. Not only is the 45-year-old mother

… Read More

Sad, Boozy Reverie Looks for Truth and Beauty in a Dive Bar

By Keisha P. Crabtree 3 weeks ago

If there’s anything a viewer should take into the Ross brothers’ new film, “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets,” it’s a healthy disregard for conventional definitions of film genres or styles. A carefully staged and meticulously cast presentation disguised as a cinema verité documentary, it’s confounding if you feel compelled to put a label on it but raucously moving if you take it as a day-long adventure with a group of fascinating characters.

It’s “The Iceman Cometh” transplanted to the outskirts of Las Vegas or “Cheers” on the wrong side of town, a fiction/nonfiction blend where verité meets improv and the whole thing is shot through with the skid-row romanticism of a Tom Waits song or a Charles Bukowski poem. And with the action set in late 2016 with that year’s presidential election playing out on TV in the background, it’s a sad portrait of America at the dawning of the Trump

… Read More

The Black-Owned Beauty Brands I’ll Never Stop Talking About

By Keisha P. Crabtree 4 weeks ago
Photo credit: Retailers
Photo credit: Retailers

From Seventeen

The world of beauty is vast. You’d think that with the countless items that make up the massive market, everyone would feel represented by the offerings. Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case—for decades, deeper skin tones were downright ignored. Few products were created with dark skin tones in mind, and many brands mistakenly thought one “deep” foundation shade was enough. Walking through the beauty aisle was an isolating experience.

Thankfully, progress has been made, and more and more products are being created for people of color, by people of color. Black-owned beauty brands aren’t asking for a seat at the table, they’re making one.

What I love most about supporting F.U.B.U (“for us, by us,” which also happens to be the name of one of my all-time favorite songs by Solange) brands is that their intentions are always pure: serving the underserved. In a

… Read More