Brands to Know: BEAUTIFUL IN EVERY SHADE

A grassroots movement powered by the people, BEAUTIFUL IN EVERY SHADE is attempting to transcend colonized beauty standards. Reflecting on societal expectations and norms about beauty, they are seeking to transform what is considered “beautiful.” The brand is committed to The Beautiful Struggle; to find freedom and liberation for all by providing artists an opportunity to connect with local communities in meaningful ways that harness the power of art to bring about positive change.

Signature projects for BIES include 50 Shades of Black (focusing on sexuality, skin tone, and the spectrum of Black identity), 50 Shades of Latino (capturing the spectrum of Latino identity), Black Men Smile (celebrating the way Black men see themselves), and Typical American Families (focusing on the ethnic, generational, and geographic diversities of families in Georgia). They also have a signature apparel, such as the BEAUTIFUL T-Shirt that promotes the narrative that every shade is beautiful.

BIES’ take away message is “none of us are beautiful until we realize that all of us are.” To check out their mission and view all of their projects and clothing, click here.

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All images via BIES.

Brands to Know: Eugene Taylor Brand

Eugene Taylor Brand is based right here in Chicago, and apart from selling sick contemporary streetwear at an affordable price, the brand is driven by values of inclusion and diversity that are refreshingly unique in the fashion world and necessary in our current political climate.

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Created by Letesha Renee, a young Chicago designer, Eugene Taylor Brand lies at the intersection of fashion and activism. Unlike any other fashion brand I have encountered, the Eugene Taylor Brand promotes distinct values beyond that of sustainability and ethical production, promoting a bold worldview rather than supporting one or two political causes or radical practices.

Eugene Taylor Brand's mission is to "create a profitable, honest, global fashion community" and  "promote equality and create harmony through collaboration and love while providing quality products that reflect these values." Through the seven collections that the brand has released, these values remain the common thread.

Eugene Taylor Brand's most recent collection is called "4All," designed with the intention of "bringing different ideas, colors, fabric, and people together to create harmony." The athleisure-ish collection features track pants, hoodies, t shirts, and more, all with bright color blocking (and some velour. What more could you want?). The pieces are relatively affordable, with prices ranging from $10 to $165.

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Check out the Eugene Taylor Brand here and peruse their Instagram here.

All images via Eugene Taylor Brand.

"Kim's Convenience" & The Rise of Asian Representation in Media

Netflix is difficult. I’m the type of person that has officially run out of everything worth watching on Netflix, mostly because I’m not going to watch the rest of Grey’s and because horror is a forbidden genre for me. All rom-coms offer me only an hour or two of respite from the horrors of senior year and writing a BA thesis, and I’ve already finished the new season of Bojack Horseman.

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So it was a true breath of fresh air when I discovered Kim’s Convenience, a Canadian sitcom based on a Korean-American family and their daily life shenanigans. The show revolves around the Kim family and touches on subtle yet poignant family dynamics and drama, and provides as refreshingly non-stereotypical bildungsroman.

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A heavily Asian cast with a storyline that warms just about anyone’s hearts, Kim’s Convenience started out as a play in 2011, but quickly grew to become one of Canada’s most popular TV shows. Holding over twenty nominations and awards combined, Kim’s Convenience has a clear message beyond its family friendly comedy: representation matters.

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With that sentiment, the show does well. The situations that occur are universal to families, but also carry a uniquely Korean tone that I found myself really connecting to.

Simu Liu, a member of the Kim’s Convenience cast, is currently touring universities around North America, discussing the recent surge of Asian and Asian American representation in popular media after the success of movies such as Crazy Rich Asians. On the impact of being on Kim’s Convenience. Liu notes,

“[Crazy Rich Asians has] identified a market where there was no market before: Asian American. This is something that, for some reason, has taken studios forever to kind of wrap their heads around — that this is a market that’s separate and distinct from Asia, and they have very different needs and very different wants for what they see on screen, for what they consider to be accurate representation. So I think just the fact that it did so well puts a pin on the map. This is a market now. This is a thing now. So my aspiration is to be more of a creator rather than just somebody who waits for the opportunity to come. I want to be able to tell the stories and I think we all have a lot of stories to tell.”

The cast is pretty fresh-faced, but still performs crazy well. The show joined Netflix in 2018 with its two broadcasted seasons. Its success has renewed the show for its third and fourth seasons, and I can’t wait to see them!

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Beauty Brand Review: beautyblender Bounce Foundation

Sometimes you should stick to what you're good at. And in this case, the news that beautyblender was coming out with a foundation had me thinking, "keep making your overpriced egg-shaped sponges that I will keep buying every three months because personal hygiene will be my excuse to feed into consumerism."

Of course, this reaction came warranted, as beautyblender teased the foundation through Trendmood with a picture showing a confusing shade range. You'd think after the Tarte Shape Tape foundation disaster that people would learn... but they really don't.

Here's the rundown: it's called Bounce Liquid Whip Long Wear foundation, is currently available on Sephora, and retails for $40 for a fluid ounce of product. Thankfully, we don't have to be worried about the strange shade names, since beautyblender opted for a number system that strangely minds me of GPAs.

As shown above, there's 32 shades including a whole lotta vanilla and for some reason, a literal orange shade. The CEO of beautyblender spoke out and says she intended on making an inclusive shade range for medium skin tones, as those are often ignored.

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If anything, the few special features of the beautyblender Bounce foundation is its packaging, including a blending reservoir on the back of the foundation resembling a beauty blender.

My experience with the foundation isn't super special. The foundation performs well, though I wouldn't choose it over my new favorites–Fenty and Laura Mercier. I would say it is long-wear, full-coverage, and everything else you want in a foundation, but is this something I want to support? I'm not sure. Inclusivity in the makeup industry doesn't seem to be improving. What do you think?

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Our Latest Beauty Obsession Is a Brand Called Flesh

Allure's founding Editor-in-Chief launched a makeup line called Flesh, and to be honest, it's lit. Founded on a belief that "beauty is more than pigment and powder [... but] about how you imagine yourself and how you bring that vision to life," Flesh has committed itself to shade and product inclusivity through 40 shades–something that makes me pretty happy.

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In its introductory blog post, the creators of Flesh write:

"When you were little, you probably reached into a box of crayons and found a peach one labeled “flesh.” Naturally, you assumed that’s what you should use to fill in the people in your coloring book. When you fell off your bike, your mom pasted a bandage on your knee. It was made to match your skin, but it was beige, regardless. The point is, the word “flesh” was a fallacy that entered your consciousness before you were even old enough to question it. We’re here to state what should be the obvious: that’s simply unacceptable."

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In their effort to redefine Flesh, the brand has released products such as stick foundations, concealers, glosses, and palettes to complement all types of consumers.

The packaging for Flesh products is simple, sleek and foolproof, if not somewhat reminiscent of Milk Makeup and Glossier products. The simple tubes with corresponding shades as well as the smaller blushes and bronzers imbue the whole collection with a youthful, personalized feel.

The price point for Flesh products are also quite reasonable, ranging from $18 for a foundation to $38 for an eyeshadow palette. You can shop the whole collection here.

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