#BlackBeauty of the Day: Erica Ash Rocks the Perfect Summer Shadow
"Survivor's Remorse" star Erica Ash attended the screening of the show's third season sporting a gorgeous TWA, and the perfect summer shadow and gold lip combo.
Actress Erica Ash attended the “Survivor’s Remorse” season 3 screening in New York City yesterday in all of her carefree Black girl glory.
The actress, who plays M-Chuck on the popular Starz show, ditched her character’s usual edgy blonde strands in exchange for her natural curls and spruced up her lids with the ultimate summer shadow. Needless to say, Ash is #BeautyGoals.
To get superdefinedcurls like Ash’s, wash and condition hair using your favorite products and apply a dollop of your favorite leave-in to your strands. Bend over and shake your head so your curls separate, and follow by diffusing. This will stretch your curls and give them definition and body as seen here on Ash.
For makeup, start with a clean base, and opt for a gel-based formula that offers a dewy finish. We love Marc Jacobs Beauty Gel Genius Gel Super Charged Oil-Free Foundation, especially for oily/combination skin. Use a champagne shadow on the base of your lids and add an espresso-hued shadow to your crease. Line your lower waterline with an olive green kajal and highlight the inner corners of your eyes with a liquid shimmer liner. Complete the look by grooming your brows, lining your lids and topping your lips with a frosted gold lipstick. If you’re feeling particularly magical, dust the bridge of your nose and the high plains of yourcheekboneswith your favorite highlighter and head out the door.
If you’ve ever been to ESSENCE Hollywood House, you know it’s more than just a series of panels—it’s a gathering of visionaries. A space where Black creatives and leaders come together to share stories, strategies, and solutions. This year’s conversation, Let’s Talk About LA: Preserving Our City, presented by AT&T, was no different.
The discussion brought together three voices, each deeply invested in shaping LA’s future: D. Smoke, the Grammy-nominated rapper and educator; Olympia Auset, founder of SÜPRMRKT, a grocery service tackling food apartheid in LA; and DJ HED, a radio personality and advocate for independent artists. Though their paths differed, their mission was the same—creating opportunities, protecting culture, and ensuring Black spaces in LA don’t just survive but thrive.
For Olympia Ausset, the work she’s doing with SÜPRMRKT goes far beyond providing fresh groceries—it’s about laying the foundation for a stronger, healthier community. “The LA we love, the cultural beacon it’s known as today, was built by people who worked hard to create their own spaces,” she shared. “The reason I do what I do is because it’s essential. We can’t achieve any of the changes I want for my community without being in good health and having access to affordable, organic food. Without places where we can gather, heal, and support each other, none of the other goals will be possible. It starts with taking care of ourselves and building those spaces together.”
From Olympia’s focus on wellness and accessibility to DJ HED’s belief in the power of self-worth, the discussion explored what it means to dream beyond individual success and invest in collective progress. “I see a lot of people who aren’t proud of where they come from, what they look like, or where they’re at in life,” he said. “I had to learn to give myself grace, to grow. I grew up in Inglewood, raised by a single mom. We lived in a car, we were on welfare, but I knew I wanted to be bigger than my circumstances. That’s what dreaming in Black is—believing in something greater and nurturing it until it grows.”
DJ Smoke also touched on this, emphasizing the importance of intention and fulfillment. “You don’t want to climb that ladder and realize you went real high in the wrong direction,” he warned. “A lot of people in LA are ambitious, but if you don’t understand your ‘why,’ you can get to the top and still feel empty. The goal isn’t just to make it—it’s to make it mean something.
Sometimes, as Black creatives, we only dream as far as the next gig or the next check, but dreaming in Black means going beyond that. “It means thinking bigger than what’s right in front of you,” said host Donye Taylor.
This conversation was a call to action – a reminder that preserving LA’s Black culture means investing in community, honoring our history, and building a legacy that lasts.
