Black Friday

“I strongly believe in the possibility of connecting with people from other cultures and creating an environment in which the little things we do throughout or daily lives positively affect the lives of people around the world. Even in something as seemingly inconsequential as our choice of skin care, it’s about a consciousness of the decisions we make every day.”
- Katharine Phillips L’Heureux, Founder of Kahina - Giving Beauty
 
Jasmine Simone here! I love essential oils - they are so nurturing to my skin and have done wonders for scarring, dryness and other skin issues I have had in the past. Recently I discovered the wonders of Argan oil. So what exactly is argan oil you may be wondering? Only found in a few countries, Morocco being the main one, the argan tree oil is revered for it’s numerous nutritive, cosmetic, and medicinal properties. It is pressed from the seeds of the argan tree fruit and has been used for cooking and cosmetics for centuries before modern times (dating back to before the Phonecians.) Presently, argan trees are near extinction due to severe drought seasons and over use for of the trees for wood over the past 50 years. They are now a protected species by UNESCO and must be harvested sustainably to preserve these ancient tress that can live up to 200 years.

Fortunately, the Kahina - Giving Beauty brand adheres to this standard of environmentally-conscious processing. L’Heureux chose the name Kahina as an homage to the Berber queen (Berbers are the indigenous people in North Africa) and prophetess who reigned in Morocco circa 700 CE and “a heroine to the Berber women, Kahina represents empowerment and vision for women worldwide.” And that is exactly what founder, Katherine Phillips L’Heureux, was inspired to do when she created this line of products after a visit to Morocco brought her into the world of Berber women, who subsequently revealed to her the amazing, versatile properties of argan oil. Kahina works with the local women to provide them with a viable and sustainable way to make a living which subsequently improves their way of life. Taking it a step further, Kahina also sources rare essential ingredients from women’s cooperatives around the world, and donates 25% of their profits to support initiatives that improve the lives of impoverished women around the world.

Jasmine Simone here! Flashback to this past Saturday. I’m standing in front of the full length mirror putting the finishing touches on my party outfit.

JS: “Man!” (examining my new ensemble) “I look good!”

(Enter boyfriend, Eric.)

EA: “Hey baby, nice top.”

JS: “Thanks! I’m excited to bust it out. I just got it.” (JS places dutiful kiss on cheek.)

EA: “Whoa, what’s that? Is that dirt?”

JS: “What? No! I just took a shower for goodness sake.”

EA: “Well there’s something on your chest. Oooo-ooohhhh - duh! Those must be scars from the bug bites you got in Belize.”

JS: “Wait...what?” (JS takes a closer look at her chest.) “No....this can’t be...” (Examines her arms and back now...) “NOOO!!! They’re everywhere!”

EA: “I told you not to scratch so much. You know you scar from every little thing.” (Cue smug smile.)

JS: “Shut up, Poohead!” (Cue withering yet guilty look...in my head I’m thinking “Phew! At least they are flat...almost like discolored freckles really...comfort in the small things. Boo!)

Needless to say, I was an-noyed. Now I love my skin, but every little skin abrasion does show up and it is usually here to stay. I have what they call “keloid-prone skin” (the raised discolored skin tissue.) I have tried many things over the years for scars. Some things have worked better than others but I haven’t found the Holy Grail. And yet some of the worst scars I have had in my life - major burn abrasions on my face from a car accident - have virtually disappeared. This has led me to believe in... miracles really... or a at least some chance for me to be fully scar free one day. Undoubtedly, the best course is to start a regimen when you first get the scar as the fresh tissue is at it’s most pliable and scar hasn’t started to form eyes. Though I do hope to find something that works at any stage on both major keloids or minor discolorations. Below is a list of things I have tried or hope to in the near future.

Jasmine Simone here! When I was a little girl I used to HATE having my hair done. My thick tight curs fluffed out into a big afro puff all over my head and it definitely took skill to tame it. I remember countless nights of crying as my mom yanked and pulled my hair into submission - tying down the braids around my head with rubber bands and barrettes; or artfully placing cornrows in various maze-like styles; or the dreaded 3-hour sessions in the kitchen with the hot pressing comb, the smell of burnt hair wafting through the house.

Needless to say, I wanted the long, flowing, untangled hair like the girls I saw on TV. Though a girl could only dream. However, around age 11 I began to see other beautiful girls of color in the media - Brandy, Beyonce, SWV-  that created this type of long flowing hair for themselves by braiding fake hair into theirs; I became obsessed with getting some for myself. For about 3 years, I constantly wore fake hair, getting it braided into different styles using different colors and textures that afforded me long hair, sometimes left loose and wavy. The best part was that it gave me a reprieve from the pain of styling my natural thick, afro curls in 3-month long intervals. I was in heaven.

JasmineSimone here! When I was a little girl I used to love watching my mom put on her makeup. I would sit under her arm, arms around her waist, as she rummaged through her massive selection of powders and colors getting glamorous for whatever event she had planned for the evening. There were blushes in every shade of red, vibrant eyeshadows, and flamboyant lipsticks. And speaking of flamboyant- there was one lip color that my mom wore more often than the others. A magenta-red from the brand Fashion Fair (you all remember them? Anyone still use their products? I wonder what they have going on these days... hmm... an idea for an upcoming feature?) ;) I love my mom to death but I gotta say this lipstick was one  of the most ill-suited pieces of makeup that she owned. It was more hot-pink than red that bordered on garish. And when it feathered- whoa! - the effect was even more off-putting to me (no-offense mom... love you!) It was her favorite. My whole life, I always thought that finding a great red was a difficult feat for people of color, especially in the heavy matte of most lipsticks  - I feel they are usually over the top for my style. I was a self-proclaimed lipgloss girl until 2008, and didn't even consider reds until earlier this year.

Ladies, I have found it! Oona Noir from Julie Hewett is a winner! Her fabulous lip products are my new obsession. Based in Los Angeles, the Julie Hewett brand prides itself on producing make-up that is beautiful but still organic and healthy for your skin. (You go girl!) Oona Noir is one of the most amazing reds - nay most amazing lipsticks, I have ever tried. Not only is it organic made with the oils and emollients, but it goes on like butter, so smooth and moisturizing with no fragrance or bad taste (unlike almost every other lipstick I have tried.) It has a deep, yet subtle pigment - allowing me to control how strong I want the color to be on me. Two to three applications for a nice day look. Four+ layers to create a dramatic, siren look for a night on the town. Either way, with an impressive and utterly delectable ingredient list of camellia oil base (said to be closest to human skin oil), lanolin oil, beeswax, grape seed oil, vitamin E and pure essential oils (i.e. orange, rosebud, etc.) for fragrance, you can't lose. Other lipsticks I have attempted to love in the past turned out to just be a disappointment. I have always avoided them when I could - I hated the feathering and chapped look by the end of the night but if I put chap stick underneath to combat the effect, the color never lasted longer than 20 minutes. Thank the heavens for Julie Hewett. Because of how moisturizing it is, no protective balm layer is needed, just "Julie layers" which ensures that your color will be vibrant yet still long lasting.

Jasmine here! As the official Black Friday of the market place as well as my first official posting for Black Fridays, I thought I would use today as sort of an informative piece that I hope will help you with your holiday shopping as you take advantage of the great sales and product offerings going on today.

Have you ever used a moisturizer for your skin, a conditioner for your hair, or a moisture balm for your lips that worked so well in the first few applications only to find the awe inspiring results quickly fade with use? Have you ever looked at the ingredient list wondering what you have gotten so used to in the product that your hair/skin is no longer responding? I think almost everyone has had this experience at one time or another.

The most common reason for this is that some beauty products contain various synthetic fillers - mainly because they are much less expensive and easier to obtain - that coat the areas of concern giving the illusion of repair instead of actually treating and replenishing with whole ingredients. Today I'm focusing on mineral oil - one of the most prevalent ingredients you will find in beauty products (especially ethnically targeted brands) yet the least effective and most damaging in my honest opinion. Don't worry ladies...I will lay out my whole list of synthetic products to avoid in the near future.. Mineral oil - also known as petroleum, petrolatum, paraffin and squalene (though the latter two are less harsh / concentrated forms) - is a by-product of crude oil that gasoline companies view as unusable waste. Now if this stuff is not good enough to put in our cars why would we want to use this on our bodies?