Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

As a first-generation Latina, I was taught to embrace and accept who I am and be proud of where I come from. Merriam-Webster defines heritage as the traditions, achievements, beliefs, etc., that are part of the history of a group or nation. It is what makes us all unique, having different heritages. Although a century ago, Hispanic/Latino culture may not have been celebrated or accepted the way it is now. Let’s go back in time for more history on how this event came to be. Hispanic Heritage Month was first introduced in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown, who represented a heavy Hispanic population area. The celebration actually lasted for a week but later gained attention throughout the peak of the civil rights movement as well as growth awareness of the United States’ multicultural identities. On September 17, 1968, Congress passed Public Law 90-48, officially authorizing and requesting the president to issue annual proclamations declaring beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Week to be observed with appropriate ceremonies and activities. President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first Hispanic Heritage Week presidential proclamation the same day. In 1987 U.S. Representative Esteban E. Torres of California proposed expanding this observance to “properly observe and coordinate events and activities to celebrate Hispanic culture and achievement.” On September 14, 1989, President George H.W. Bush became the first president to declare the monthly period from September 15 to October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Celebrating and honoring those who continue to impact the Hispanic community to show the value of their success and conquering the obstacles they faced to make a difference in the world today. 

Since this is a blog about beauty, I will be sharing the development of the Beautyblender and highlights of its founder and CEO, Rea Ann Silva, a Latina veteran makeup-artist-turned-businesswoman who demonstrated the struggles women of color endured to make their mark in the world of beauty. The iconic pink egg-shaped Beautyblender sponge has become popular among makeup professionals and makeup enthusiasts no matter their background, a brand sold globally, winning 10 Allure Best of Beauty Awards and projected to do $215 million in retail sales this year alone. It began when the hand-cut, egg-shaped sponges were invented while working as a television makeup artist in the early 2000s to help give her clients a perfect complexion, becoming an expertise in working with women of color. Brushes wouldn’t work because they caused streaks, and powder products didn’t mix well with liquid makeup. She started by taking standard triangular wedges and cutting the edges off to give them a round shape. She experimented with various shapes and sizes, but nothing worked as seamlessly as the egg shape. From that moment, actors began “stealing’ the sponges during set; she then realized the attention it had gained from that small creation. “I thought, well, there must be a retail possibility for this product,” she said in Know Your Value, an MSNBC empowering community helping women to grow their career. After the little egg-shaped sponge, it inspired her to create a beauty startup named Beautyblender, forming an LLC in 2003. However, it wasn’t until ten years later when the company went nationwide in Sephora where sales skyrocketed. The Los Angeles native didn’t plan to pursue a career in makeup artistry. Her mind was drawn to fashion illustration, enrolling as a student at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, ”I wanted to become a designer until I realized that my favorite part of my fashion studies by far was sketching,” she told Spotlyte. Soon, she saw herself in a tough situation after an unexpected breakup and becoming a single parent. After leaving school to make ends meet, with “no job, no money and no skills,” she began working as a perfume seller at a local department store, later transitioning to the cosmetics counter which opened up a new direction for her life as a makeup artist. Being a Latina in the predominantly white beauty industry also had its up and down, Silva experienced discrimination due to her ethnic background where directors refused to work with her. By the early 2000s, her makeup artistry challenge began while working for the UPN series “Girlfriends” where actors were under high-def. “Suddenly, in HD, you were able to see every pore, you were able to see every bump. You saw everything on the skin, as opposed to film, where you blast a lot of light and you, you know, you wear 5,000 pounds of makeup” said Silva. Airbrushing was the most natural way to correct makeup but to avoid the hassle of carrying the entire airbrush compressor, she needed to find an alternative way to be able to touch up makeup hence, the Beautyblender was born.

A sketch of Beautyblender

Working with people of color allowed her to gain more awareness in emphasizing diversity in the industry. Actors and actresses of color have expressed that makeup artists and stylists hired in the industry have no idea how to work with different hair textures and skin colors. “I am Mexican, Portuguese, Spanish, and Irish. My children are black. My career has been centered around women of color, and I became known in Hollywood, and really around the world, as one of the first makeup artists that really understood ethnic skins, learned how to really match those skins, be creative in ways to create the colors that just didn’t exist. I’ve been in the union for over 20 years, so there weren’t people that really specialized in those areas, whether it’s hair, whether it’s makeup, and I’m happy to say that I think there’s a little more diversity happening now, so it’s good, yeah,” said Silva in an interview with Business Insider.

The release of Bounce Foundation and other makeup products 

Due to the Beautyblender’s massive success, it enabled Silva to launch her own foundation line in 2018, Bounce. The line initially released 32 shades, now comes in 40 shades, far more than the limited shades offered for people of color back from when she worked as a makeup artist two decades ago. 

The biggest fail for makeup applications for many years is that there weren’t enough shades for women of color to actually look natural with makeup on, so you had to learn to become like a mixologist,” Silva said. She remembered blending lipsticks and blushes into the foundation to get the right undertones, and even heard stories of makeup artists using shoe polish to darken shades. “They would all be from light to a little bit darker, not really going into other ethnicities, the Latin colors, or African American colors or Asian colors,” she recalled.  

In April 2020, Silva was one of eight women featured in a new Smithsonian, National Museum of American History exhibit called The Only One in the Room, to celebrate female game-changers in different industries like manufacturing, finance, marketing, and beauty in a time when women were prohibited from taking leadership roles within companies and relegated them to positions with low status and little decision-making power. 

Today, she has a variety of makeup products and sponge cleaners available as well as different sized blender sponges proudly Made in the USA.

Silva credits her Hispanic heritage with giving her an eye for color while acknowledging her own work ethic “I always try to do the most and not the least….Being Latina, we are a very colorful people. We are not afraid of color. We embrace color. And we celebrate color,” says Silva. Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 but Silva says her family honors their heritage every day.

I live and breathe beauty, but when I look at my life, it’s more than just the industry and my business.

-Rae Ann Silva

Did you know? September 15th was the chosen date to begin the celebratory week due to the Independence Day of five nations or as President Johnson would call, “Central American neighbors,”—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua whom declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Coincidently, Mexico also declared its independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. Chile also celebrates its independence from Spain on September 18, 1810, and Belize declared its independence from Great Britain on September 21, 1981. 

Cover image: Rae Ann Silva copyright

It’s National Lipstick Day

Many online retailers are celebrating with some good sales in honor of National Lipstick Day like Ulta BOGO offer such as this one, a favorite from Smashbox.

Stepping Out

Ulta offers, the ones marked as X are not cruelty- free.

Sephora is having 50% off selected lip products. Keep in mind, not all on sale are cruelty-free.

$9.99 in Amazon

Sephora To Stop Selling Mink Lashes

Cruelty-free beauty consumers can finally celebrate some good news this year. Sephora has just vowed to stop selling mink lashes both online and in-store. After receiving some pressure from PETA to end the sale of mink lashes, Sephora has decided to phase mink lashes out of its stock.

PETA shared the great news on their Instagram page with the following statement: “After a powerful PETA campaign and more than 280,000 emails from concerned shoppers like you, Sephora has BANNED fur eyelashes! The world’s leading beauty retailer will only purchase synthetic or faux-fur lashes going forward.”⁣


PETA’s campaign also included a video of a fur farm highlighting the horrors minks endure for false lashes.

“As we pointed out in our letters to Sephora, mink fur typically comes from fur farms, which are often laden with maggots, feces, and dead animals (along with COVID-19 now, too). PETA’s undercover investigations have revealed that on these hellish, filthy farms, stressed minks frantically pace and circle endlessly inside small wire cages—during one eyewitness exposé, a mink even chewed through a cage until her face was bloody.” a statement from PETA reads.

Sephora confirms its remaining stock mink lashes will be the last it ever carries. “At Sephora, we have always been committed to upholding the highest standards of beauty, and we take our responsibility to communicate transparently and honestly with our clients about the products we carry seriously,” the statement reads. “As we shared with PETA, earlier this year we had already decided to begin phasing mink products out of our assortment in 2020. We have only ever offered products our clients can trust and we stand by the people and partners who have made the Sephora experience what it is today.”

Arrow Click Sticker by Orange Identity for iOS & Android | GIPHY

You can also read a past blog post on mink lashes published a few months ago.

Madam CJ Walker

February is the month when black history is celebrated. African American hair care products wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for the legendary Sarah Breedlove, born in 1867 to parents who had been enslaved. She is better known as Madam CJ Walker. In 1905, Walker released her own specialized products after suffering from scalp alignment that later resulted into hair loss. The company became so successful that it soon made her one of the first American women to become a self made millionaire. She owned and operated her own successful business, the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company.

Discovery collection kit at QVC
Newspaper ad from 1915

Before the Madam CJ Walker Beauty Culture products, there was an original product called Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower, specifically made to condition and heal scalp issues after she started losing her own hair. Though loss of hair was very common due to infrequent hair washes at the time and not many hair products for black women were available then.

Walker explained how her products came to be: “God answered my prayer, for one night I had a dream, and in that dream a big black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair. Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, mixed it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out. I tried it on my friends; it helped them. I made up my mind I would begin to sell it.”

In 2016, Sundial Brands launched the hair care line Madam C.J Walker Beauty Culture which is available at Sephora.

To keep her legacy alive, Sundial, (acquitted by Unilever as of Nov 2017) the company that now owns Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture products, has taken their part in donating financially to continue the mission to create educational platforms and opportunities for women. Sundial announced a fund of $100 million dedicated to support women of color entrepreneurs.

The Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture line

“I want the great masses of my people to take a greater pride in their personal appearance and to give their hair proper attention.” ~Madam CJ Walker

KVD Beauty Sale

Sephora is having a sale on a selection of Kat Von D beauty products as well as the KVD site. They are cutting down on certain collections to make room for new ones at Sephora retail stores. KVD beauty made it clear on their Instagram that they’re not going anywhere so they’ll remain in business.

Say goodbye forever to their Everlasting Liquid Lipstick that will be discontinued in:

A-Go-Go, Armageddon, Ayesha, Bachelorette, Bahau5, Beloved, Crucifix, Dagger, Damned, Dreamer, K-Dub, L.U.V, Malice, Melancholia, Muñeca, Noble, Ophelia, Requiem, Sanctuary, Susperia and Woolf.

Studded Kiss Crème Lipstick in:

Crush, Coven, Crucifix, Gold Blooded, Ludwig, Mercy, Nayeon, Ophelia, Ozzy, Piaf, Prayer, Poe, Sanctuary, Zero

Everlasting Glimmer Veil is $5!!! (Reg $22)

Cute bundle that makes a great Christmas gift

Get 10% off when you sign up for email alerts.

Oh My Lashes!!

If you’re like me with little lashes then you understand the struggle of having to reapply false lashes constantly. Lashes have become popular throughout the years, lashes became a fascination because they made the eyes appear bigger and brighter. It wasn’t until 1911 when a Canadian woman named Anna Taylor received a U.S. patent for the artificial eyelash; creating the strip lash. Hers was a crescent of fabric implanted with tiny hairs and adhesive according to The New York Times. 1911-taylor.jpg

Nineteenth century hairdresser, Charles Nessler (1903) began selling boxed pairs of artificial strip eyelashes made from human hair attached to ‘fish-skin’ – also known as isinglass – made from fish swim bladders. Later versions of his strip lashes, became known as Nestolashes which were available in Brown, Dark Brown and Black shades.

The first person that comes in mind when I think of false lashes is Twiggy. Fast forward to the 1960’s, this trend took a turn when cultural icon Lesley Hornby also known as Twiggy began wearing both top and bottom faux eyelashes (a strip on top and painted out lashes on the bottom). It increased the demand for false eyelashes. The 1963 release of the film ‘Cleopatra’ also stimulated sales.

In 1962, Eylure introduced fur lashes often labeled as ‘mink’ made from seal skin. They were heavier and hotter to wear so they weren’t recommended to wear generally  during cold climates or used for evening wear.

Mink lashes have become popular in this century that many cosmetic companies have been releasing their own. I have noticed many different brands of mink lashes and most of those are labeled as “cruelty free”. But are they really cruelty-free? Mink eyelashes can never be “ethical.” The majority of the lashes may be labeled as cruelty free but suppliers of mink fur serve one purpose and that is to deceive consumers.

Most brands marketing mink lashes refer to them as being ‘cruelty-free’ made from hair collected by brushing minks or by collecting fallen hair.

Truth is, these animals are naturally scared of humans so being forcefully held to have their fur combed would be terrifying for them and likely lead to aggression. The reality is that minks are kept separately in cramped wire cages on fur farms in highly unsanitary conditions. A typical mink cage measuring 70cm by 40cm. Minks that are trapped on fur farms are electrocuted, bludgeoned, or gassed, or have their necks broken, and their skins are torn from their bodies while they’re still conscious. European minks have become endangered species due to negatively being impacted by human activities. Minks are always kept in those conditions because they are ‘aggressive, solitary animals,’ meaning that those ‘free-range’ claims are a lie.

According to a PETA investigation, minks were denied the opportunity to bathe, swim, burrow, or do anything else that’s natural and important to them and often denied even basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care.

Although you may not be directly purchasing lashes from a fur supplier, mink eyelashes and eyebrows support a terrible industry and animal suffrage. There is nothing humane or “ethical” about depriving these animals of their behavioral and physiological needs. Fur-farming is nothing more than a horror movie. So before you apply your lovely lashes, make sure they are ‘Faux Mink’ or synthetic. We are living in a new century where fur is no longer needed not even in eyelashes.

Here are some brands that sell cruelly obtained mink lashes:

  • Cosmetic Laser Clinic
  • Flirty Lashes
  • Klepki Lashes
  • Lash Bar Australia
  • Lash House
  • The Lash Store
  • MINK MINK
  • Velour Lashes by Redefining Beauty
  • Lily Lashes (Faux mink option available)

img_4738.jpg

 

There’s many great alternatives available like

thumbnail-1.jpg

These are my favorite by far

Make the right choice and ditch mink lashes, trade them for cruelty-free faux mink lashes, featherlight or human hair lashes.

 There’s many more selections available as long as it’s not “(real) mink lashes”. Beautify yourself the ethical way.

 

Ulta is having a great deal on certain lashes for 30% off until Nov 17th. Get this deal now!!

National Ice Cream Day 🍨🍦

National Ice Cream Day falls on the 3rd Sunday in July.

Did you know? In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month making National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in July.

Fun fact: In the United States, the Quaker colonists opened the first ice cream shops in New York and other cities during the colonial era.

Celebrate this day by applying some ice cream inspired makeup using #NationalIceCreamDay in social media.

Bite Beauty Lipstick

Sephora is having the Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick on sale for half price. I brought Cava and Winx. Although I like both colors, the results weren’t so great. It doesn’t last long since it’s more like a lip gloss. So if you’re a lip gloss type of person then this is definitely a must have.

🍩National Donut Day🍩

Mmm….donuts as Homer Simpson would say. This later became a popular phrase used by many. These fresh baked goods inspired The National Donut Day during the Great Depression in 1938 by The Salvation Army.
To celebrate NDD I’ve decided to post some donut makeup that you can’t actually eat but wear. The exclusive I Heart Revolution collection (only available at ULTA) has five intensely pigmented shadows in matte and shimmer finishes. The palette is sugar-coated with a squishy exterior, the eye shadows have a scrumptious scent sweetening the mix even more. Best of all, it’s vegan and cruelty-free.

I HEART REVOLUTION Donut Eyeshadow Palette $7.00

A trio of Winky Lux’s top-selling products wrapped in a sweet donut bag.
WINKY LUX Sprinkle Donut Lip + Highlight Kit $32.00

Forever 21

Donut Lip gloss $3.00 $2.73

La Petite Donut bath bomb $8.90 $6.23

Ulta.com

Winky Lux Glazed Lips donut lip gloss $13.00

Online Only Glazed Lips Donut Lip Gloss Duo Kit $23.00

Online Only Glazed Up Kit $22.00