Standard of Beauty Sundays

On Sunday (or any day of the week that I have free time) I usually treat myself to a mini spa day at home. I'll do my hair, nails, exfoliate, do a facial mask or play around with makeup. So starting today, I'll post my thoughts and suggestions on the standard of beauty unique to Black women. More specifically, not about what that standard is, but about ways in which we can improve our personal standard, be it by more attention to grooming, new habits and products that are generating buzz in hair, makeup and fitness circles that I frequent online. I definitely won't turn this into a beauty blog.. there are other more talented, devoted and thorough bloggers (please see my blogroll) who can provide beauty tips. I'll be presenting more of an overview to certain aspects of beauty, and how those aspects relate to black women's self-esteem and standard of beauty overall.

The first brand featured in this new aspect of Black Women and Girls is M.A.C. makeup.



M.A.C. stands for Make-up Art Cosmetics. To industry insiders, M.A.C. is the go-to brand, the highest quality, and is used by celebrity as well as every-day makeup artists alike. M.A.C. used to be one of my obsessions in grad school, but now I have less time and disposable income to invest in it. One of the reasons why black women love M.A.C. so much is that M.A.C. loves us: for the foundation alone, M.A.C. has a hue that matches almost every African-American skin tone. There are varying textures for the foundations, which allow a woman to choose the amount of coverage she can get in her daily makeup look. Don't get me wrong... Fashion Fair, Black Opal and Milani are wonderful in that they cater to black women exclusively... but if you belong to the cult of M.A.C. then you know there is no comparison in terms of quality, coverage, wearability (I find Fashion Fair to be too heavy for my oily-prone skin) or availability. Iman makeup is also wonderful, but I can't find Imani as easily as M.A.C. and there are more resources on the internet for one to become well-versed with M.A.C. products.

The reason that I advocate M.A.C. for black women is because they did not have an economic epiphany in order to include us. If I had known about M.A.C. in high school or early college (I was introduced to M.A.C. during my senior year, but didn't begin wearing it until 3 years later) I wouldn't have felt like I was playing catch-up with my beauty regimen. I am glad that there are drugstore lines such as the Queen Collection but I also feel like the brands that cater to black women now have previously left us out of the beauty loop for years. It seems that only in recent years have large cosmetic companies tried to appease the black female spender by including a few shades in each product line. But with so many shades to cover, a few shades just doesn't cut it.

Speaking of those few shades, I frequently see women who are either wearing the wrong shade of makeup or are wearing poor quality makeup. I'm not assuming that drugstore lines are always cheap; but you can definitely see the difference between a good quality eyeshadow and a cheap one. I invest in my foundations, eyeshadows and blushes, and buy my mascaras, liner pencils and some glosses from the drugstore. I don't really wear lipstick as I have a hard time finding shades that compliment my dark lips (I spent weeks looking for the perfect red lipstick.. and I'm not 100% happy with the one I finally chose). And I'm sure that other women, when confronted with this hunt for quality brands that have foundations to match African-American skin tones, either give up or settle for what's accessible and affordable.

Another aspect of black women's relationship with makeup is the age-old stereotype of being a jezebel. One of my grad school professors once commented on the fact that she never wore red lipstick or a certain style of dress because she did not want to be perceived as a jezebel. My thing is, if you will judge me based on a lipstick shade and not my character, then you are not someone worthy of my time or presence. Sistahs I urge you to not live your life based on the perceptions of others. If you act or abstain from action based on how someone at church feels about makeup (I never really understood why wearing makeup was frowned upon in church), how your significant other feels or a prohibition that exists only in your mind, then the issue that you face is much greater than which foundation most closely matches your undertones. You show these people how spiritual, queenly and worthy you are by the level of self-care you give to yourself. Makeup is only a way to enhance the beauty you already have; if someone does not agree with that, don't let their perceptions cloud up your life.

So if you're on the hunt for a great foundation, love quality makeup or are just curious about the M.A.C. experience, just stop by a counter in Nordstrom or a free-standing M.A.C. store. Also, here are some of my favorite links and videos related to M.A.C. Enjoy and stay beautiful!

Common Makeup Misconceptions and Questions by Black Women


Studio Fix Guide


Applying Eyeshadow for Beginners


Scandalous Beauty - this is the makeup artist that made the videos I posted. She's great, check her out!

Coastal Scents Online Store - inexpensive cosmetics brushes

Makeup Addict website - amazing resource for all thing M.A.C.

M.A.C. Sistahs - a Livejournal community for women of color who use M.A.C.

Specktra.net - another indispensable M.A.C. resource