Kellie Brown continues to grace this world with style, beauty, and much-needed advice. If you need a confidence booster, check out Brown’s blog And I Get Dressed or her YouTube channel, which are filled with fashion, beauty and amazing Target hauls.
Along with her successful career in public relations and marketing, she makes time to travel, enjoy the company of her friends, and spruce up her home all while looking fabulous. Brown reminds us to take in all that life has to offer while being your best self – never dim your shine…or curves. ESSENCE touched base with Brown about her favorite fashion, beauty, and style must-haves. Check it out!
1. What are your favorite fashion and beauty brands for curvy women?
ASOS Curve for affordable high impact tends, navabi.com for high quality accessible luxury, and Premme and as for beauty I can’t get enough NARS lip colors and Mario Badescu treats my skin very well.
2. What is a feature you love to accentuate?
My brain. I love to flex my creativity when it comes to fashion. Whether it’s mixing color, texture and patterns in an outfit or playing with interesting proportions – I love pushing boundaries.
3. What do you say to curvaceous women that say and/or think that nothing looks good on them?
It’s simply not true. Women of every size are guilty of picking themselves apart. For so long, plus size options were so incredibly limited, many women never had a chance to develop a sense of style. Things they might have imagined liking simply didn’t exist. I think the key now is the seek out inspiration and try things on. Most of us are great at saying we don’t like before trying something.
4. When did you learn to accept your curves or have you always?
Our current culture and climate are very accepting of and celebratory of curves. It’s fat that most people have a problem with. Accepting my body as if there was some sort of heinous diagnosis never really occurred to me. I’ve always loved myself inside and out but we all have insecurities. Mine is my larger arms. My conscious mind knows it’s total BS but, it’s a work in progress.
6. What is your favorite swimwear line/brand?
I wore quite a few suits from Eloquii recently. They are very chic and fit well.
7. What’s something you think curvy women should have in their closet?
Clothes that bring them joy but, mostly sequins.
9. What’s your favorite fashion staple/timeless piece?
Leather jacket!
11. What’s your favorite pair of jeans?
My mom jeans from ASOS Curve
13. What shoe brands do you love?
Shoes are HARD but I love Long Tall Sally for large size shoe options. Shopping above a size 10 is hell.
15. What’s your best fashion or beauty investment?
Fashion investments would be my bags, I’ve never worn one bag more than my black chain strap Saint Laurent. Beauty would be anything from Pat McGrath – Love spending my money on her genius.
18. What are your “must have” beauty products (hair, skin care, makeup, etc.)?
Hair – Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls, Skin – Youth To the People Kale Green Tea Vitamins face wash, Vichy Liftactiv Supreme moisturizer and Sol de Janiero Brazilian Kiss, Makeup liquid black eyeliner and red lips.
19. What do you hope the fashion and beauty industry will either add or improve on?
I hope the fashion and beauty industries continue to move in the direction of inclusivity. I’m still blindly hopeful for a world that includes fat Zara.
