01. Unleash Your Curls
Tracee Ellis Ross has a fabulous mane, and it’s even lovelier when she wears it wild and free. Lucky for us, the actress has come up with a hair care line to help women of all curl kind meet their hair goals and celebrate it for what it is: beautiful. “For the past 30 years, I’ve been dreaming of creating products I have longed to have,” the actress says. Pattern, Ross’s new luxe yet affordable collection, is a dream come true. “Seventy-four samples later, and I am so excited about it,” she says. Sold exclusively at Ulta Beauty, it comes in gorgeous packaging that subtly alludes to the cherished legacy of our hair. And the bottle sizes are generous. The entertainer and hair-preneur is on a mission to give everyone access to their most beautiful hair and to make us all feel like royalty. And best of all, proceeds from sales go to organizations and programs that empower women and people of color.
02. Live in Color
The complexions of women of color are as varied as the rainbow. So Jacquelin Carrington founded People of Color, a nail polish brand that supplies a selection of brilliant shades to complement our vast and vivacious skin tones. The company, which launched in May, provides vegan, cruelty-free pigments made without the most common nail-polish toxins—and with our melanin in mind as the first thought, not as an afterthought.
03. Skin Goals
Think of all the products that are layered onto the skin daily. Remnants may be hiding underneath the surface, and large pores are a sign. Shrink them down to microscopic proportions by removing impurities with this double-duty face mask that clears up congestion while restoring radiance and suppleness. This K-beauty formula is packed with natural ingredients that have anti-inflammatory properties, making it a suitable solution for all skin types.
04. All That Glitters
Opposites attract, so when Chanel launched its fall/winter collection, inspired by black and white, we knew it would be a hit. The hues are an homage to the French luxury brand’s iconic double C logo and the romantic architecture of Paris. Expect a range of selections in satin, matte and iridescent finishes and a touch of color thanks to lip shades from rich burgundy to velvety rose. The mascara is as black as they come and pairs brilliantly with the line’s creamy gray-white eyeliner, which looks chic along the eyes’ waterline. But our absolute favorite item is the transparent, shimmering gel that can be used on the face and body. It’s so mesmerizing that we have affectionately deemed it “diamond sweat.” Enough said.
Beauty Beyond Borders
I don’t always have to travel around the globe to uncover the world’s best beauty offerings. Sometimes they end up on my desk, like the Bomba Curls Dominican Forbidden Oil by way of Villa Mella, a community in the Dominican Republic.
“It’s generations’ worth of Dominican hair secrets packed in a bottle,” says Lulu Cordero, the brand’s founder, who grew up in AfroDominican culture, where you learned early which natural items work to address specific hair issues.
The Dominican Forbidden Oil is infused with ingredients (including coffee, castor oil and black cumin seed oil) for stimulating the scalp, reviving dry, tired tresses and boosting curl definition while adding softness and shine. Although it’s been touted as the total package for its lengthy list of hair benefits, I like to use it for keeping an itchy scalp at bay.
