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Kerry Washington Is Dropping A Scandal-Worthy Makeup Collection
Still looking for your go-to, glo-up makeup palette for the summer? It's handled.
Shonda Rhimes recently announced that Scandal would end after the seventh season and I am in tears. Kerry Washington effortlessly sashayed through those White House doors, on to our television screens and into our hearts. But, thanks to her newest collaboration with Neutrogena, we'll be able to channel our inner-Olivia Pope long after the series comes to an end.
It's a first for the actress and Neutrogena spokesperson - and we couldn't be more excited about it!
Neutrogena
Kerry Washington recently teamed up Neutrogena to release a new collection that will debut in Ulta Beauty stores on April 22. The ultra-talented actress/director was creative director on the joint project and hopes that the launch will assist in the execution of our summer slay by highlighting the characteristics that make us naturally beautiful. Kerry said:
"Beauty — for me — is not just about how we look, it really is about who we are. So I wanted the names in both palettes to reflect who we are on the inside, the qualities that make us shine bright. Because our makeup should do that. It should reveal those inner qualities."
The Kerry x Neutrogena collab is proof that the beauty industry has taken the hint that inclusivity is lit.
Washington began working with Neutrogena in 2016 and was an ambassador for women of color. She took part in collaborating to create a more diverse selection of foundations for women of color - work that the actress is still diligently hard at work at diversifying. In an interview with PeopleStyle, she said:
"Inclusivity is a value that is core to my beliefs and a passion of mine, so to be able to be hands-on making this technology available to everybody and also coming up with lip colors that look good on everybody … There's no reason why women of all ethnicities should be like 'Oh, I love this technology but there is no color for me.'"
She told Allure:
"I think it's exciting that we're living in a world where we're beginning to be in touch with the idea that beauty comes in a lot of different packages. I think the more that we can honor that, the [truer] we're being to who we are as human beings. Beauty comes in so many different shapes, sizes, and color ranges."
The new collection features a cheek palette and eye palette inspired by natural beauty. The Essential Cheek Palette will enhance your glow, and comes in three versatile shades: Grateful (bronze), Captivating (blush), and Elegant (highlight). The Essential Eye Palette includes 5 satin neutral shades with a built-in primer designed to enhance and highlight your natural features. Both the Essential Cheek Palette and the Essential Eye Palette will be available at a retail value of $9.99 and 12.99 respectively - yas!
Neutrogena
The collection consists of shades that Washington rocks on a regular basis. She said that she can rock these shades anywhere from the red carpet to on-set as Olivia Pope. Washington told Allure:
"On a busy day, if I keep these two essential palettes in my purse at all times — I can have other products that I toss in and out — but if I have these two, I'm armed with everything I need, no matter who I am, no matter where I'm going. I wanted it to work for everybody, for every situation, to take the complexity out of it and just have your essential kit."
Even though Scandal is ending soon, I still plan to live vicariously through Olivia Pope with the new products from the Kerry x Neutrogena collection.
Kerry said that the line is inspired by both simplicity and extravagance and her belief that beauty shouldn't be hard.
"It should feel like a bit of luxury in your life, but it shouldn't be hard. That's where the idea of the Essential palettes comes from: It's something that you can put in your purse and know that you've got what you need."
Featured image via Neutrogena
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
This Black Woman-Owned Creative Agency Shows Us The Art Of Rebranding
Rebranding is an intricate process and very important to the success of businesses that want to change. However, before a business owner makes this decision, they should determine whether it's a rebrand or an evolution.
That's where people like Lola Adewuya come in. Lola is the founder and CEO of The Brand Doula, a brand development studio with a multidisciplinary approach to branding, social media, marketing, and design.
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
Feature image courtesy
The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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Feature image courtesy
Exclusive: After Focusing On His Career For So Long, David Banner Is Now Ready To Find A Wife
During the Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heistpremiere, David Banner, who stars in the film, opened up about his weight loss and his desire to get married and start a family. At 50, David has accomplished many feats, from rapping, producing, and acting, and now he's ready for the next phase of his life. "I want to get married," he tells xoNecole.
"I'm tired. I want to find my wife, have some kids. We chase all of these esoteric goals, and sometimes we look back, and we left the things that really matter. I looked up one day, I had all of them, the music accolades, the film accolades, not all the ones that I want, but a lot of them. I had accomplished my goal, had chased my goal so long that when I looked up, I saw that I ran off and left everything else."
He also shares how working in the entertainment industry can sometimes affect his life and relationships with others. "We forget to be human beings, and people don't allow us to be human beings," he continues. "So, that's the reason why I said what I said, because I know what y'all platform means, and I want people to know that there are still some human beings that's up on that camera, and sometimes we hurt too."
Back in 2016, the "Like a Pimp" artist released the single "Marry Me" and shared in an exclusive interview with us how he is working on becoming his best self for his future wife.
"I just want to be the man that most Black women want to marry. I want to be a Black man that stands strong," he said. "I'm not perfect, but [I want to be the man] women want to marry and that kids want to be their father. I want to be that man. [When I die] I want people to say that that's a strong African man, I am proud that he's a part of my culture."
During our most recent interview with the "Get Like Me" rapper, he also revealed that he lost 35 lbs and dished on how important it is to take care of your body. "I have this thing that I want to be our children's superhero on the screen and off, and people always talk about mental health, but part of your mental health is what you put in your body," he says.
"People always talk about God. People always talk about the church, but the real church is your body, your temple. So I am treating my body and my temple as if God is in there."
Fight Night is out now on Peacock.
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Feature image by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images