Hello February! Week 1 Brand Spotlights

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬!  𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡…..#𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 ✊🏾⁣⁣

Seeing that I myself am a black small business owner and content creator, I want to spread the love as much as I can, and want to take this month to not only educate but to also spotlight some amazing black-owned brands that everyone should know and love!⁣⁣

Hair Care Brands

So to kick things off, we are going to start with one of my favorite brands that needs absolutely zero introduction, because they are absolutely KILLING it already in 2023.  #𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 was founded and created by TraciEllisRoss where she set out on a mission to “𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧!” ⁣⁣

I have been #𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 for a little over about 6 years now, and finding products that truly bring out the best in my hair was a struggle for several years.  Then a couple of years ago, Pattern was born and I rediscovered a love and passion for my natural curls.  The haircare products are absolutely amazing, and there is something from everyone.  There are hair tools and accessories now too.  But while everyone is raving about the shampoos, conditioners, and stylers; I want to show some love to one of my favorite daily tools…..𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡! This is great for using in the shower to detangle my super thick hair, but also great for out-of-the-shower styling to define my curls. If you’ve been looking for a brush that doesn’t snap your tresses and easily glides through each strand, definitely check out this brush! ⁣⁣

Mielle Organics is a hair care and beauty brand that believes healthier ingredients encourage healthier hair and skin!

“I created this brand due to the limited access to quality products for and in our community. My goal was to not only change the narrative but to make sure that Black women globally are able to have access to products that meet their needs,” says CEO and founder Monique Rodriquez

If you’ve been following me for a while; you all know I’ve been on this natural, HEALTHY hair journey for a little over 6 years now. With that has come lots of ups and downs with products, and finding quality products that don’t break the bank is a struggle! Well if you followed my blog a couple of weeks ago, I shared my updated #naturalhair routine, and of course, Mielle made the list! Without these products, wash day would be absolutely terrible! 

If you are looking for top-notch ingredients in your hair products, and truly a brand that offers something for every hair concern and type, definitely check out Mielle!! 

Cosmetic / Beauty Brands

“IT ALL BEGINS IN AFRICA! Created to celebrate the rebels, rulers, and queens of the African kingdoms who honored beauty through their innovative and soulful techniques that we still use today!”

Let me introduce you all to Juvias Place. Necessity and inspiration spawned the creation of Juvia’s Place. Founder Chichi Eburu struggled to find makeup suited for her deep skin tone. What was available were muted colors and products that didn’t enhance the true richness of her skin tone. She searched for years to find cosmetics that would enhance the dark hues of her skin tone without making her look lighter or grayer, makeup that offered colors that weren’t muted against her rich skin color.

I have been a customer of this brand for quite some time, and I always find myself drawn to the amazing eye shadow palettes. The colors are rich, bold, and highly pigmented. Not to mention the formula is A+ and blends like a dream.  

If you’re in the market to branch out and try some amazing cosmetics that can beat any wear test and all-day performance, definitely check out Julia’s place during your next shopping haul!

It’s time to start baking ya’ll!!  Beauty Bakerie has been cooking up all of our favorite makeup staples since 2011! If you haven’t heard of them, then let me introduce you!

This cult-favorite beauty brand has founded by Cashmere Nicole with the mission to be sweet and sweeten the lives of others. During a challenging, but successful fight with breast cancer, Cashmere became extremely health-conscious and research-driven about the products we put in and on our bodies. The Beauty Bakerie brand is a direct reflection of Cashmere’s perseverance and passion for both high-quality, healthy ingredients that enhance the beauty in everyone, every day. Cashmere continues to grow her brand which is now sold in 1000 locations worldwide. She embodies the sweet life not only by developing cruelty-free, all-inclusive cosmetics but more importantly while implementing initiatives such as the 501(c)3, Sugar Homes that she founded in 2016 which supports the needs of orphaned children worldwide.

I have a number of the brand’s products and tools, but these two palettes here are staples in my collection. Perfect for everyone, but made with us in mind! PS. – If you are a liquid lipstick junkie like me, their matte liquid Lip Whips are heavenly!!!

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t apply SPF. It’s a crucial part of my daily routine. However, I hate the ashy white, blue, or purple cast it often leaves on my darker skin tone. Most sunscreens are definitely not made with ALL of us in mind. ⁣

⁣Let me introduce you to one of my skincare staples: Black Girl Sunscreen ☀️ “𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟼, @𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘺_𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘢 𝟹𝟶 𝘚𝘗𝘍 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳. 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘉𝘎𝘚 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦-c𝘢𝘴𝘵.”⁣

⁣This brand offers a few different SPF options for you to choose from based on your skin type! The SPF 30 works perfectly for me! It dries down clear and leaves my skin with a healthy glow; Perfect for my bare face days, or when I want a full glowing beat! ⁣

⁣If you are on the hunt for a new sunscreen, definitely check this brand out!!

Food & Beverage

“𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜: 𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧, 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱.” All of my wine-loving followers, this one is for you!!

Let me introduce you to McBride Sister Wine Company! It’s time to throw out all of the rules you thought you knew about wine pairings, and start drinking what you want when you want!! 

These wines are absolutely amazing, and these ladies are raising the bar! They even made the Top 100 Wines list in 2022!! With 3 different product lines under one umbrella, I’m sure you will find something that is perfect for your next event, or just a relaxing evening at home! 

It’s time to pour yourself a glass of #blackgirlmagic and relax! You deserve it!

𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 #𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐬!?! Talk about starting them young!! Mikaila Ulmer started her lemonade at youth entrepreneurial events and at her lemonade stand out in front of her home, donating a percentage of the profits to local and international organizations fighting hard to save the honeybees. That is why she touts: “Buy a Bottle…Save a Bee.”

Her little idea from more than 10 years ago continues to grow and grow…by more than 500 percent since the company’s humble Austin, Texas-based beginnings. Today, the award-winning, ready-to-drink Me & the Bees Lemonades in five refreshing flavors is buzzing off the shelves

Ya’ll, when I tell you this Me & the Bees Lemonade #pricklypear is FIRE! I have been drinking it all day and I can’t wait to restock this weekend! They currently carry 5 different flavors! All made with

Made with REAL lemons. NO high fructose corn syrup. Made with flaxseeds

If you love an ice-cold lemonade like me, be sure to check this brand out! This young lady is out here doing her thing!

Support Year Round

So even though this month of February may be titled “Black History Month,” I encourage you all to support small business, black-owned businesses, and any business that sells products that fill your need, and that you truly love all year long! Not just one month out of the year!

Stay tuned for next week’s round-up!