Naked Beauty

“I couldn’t compare myself, so there was no way for me to diminish my own beauty against somebody else’s” - Bozoma Saint John 

When it comes to tapping into your most authentic self, Bozoma Saint John is unmatched. With an exceptionally fruitful career at companies like PepsiCo, Beats, Uber, and now Netflix, one might think that Saint John has always played by the corporate rulebook. That couldn’t be further from the truth. With an endless array of bold lipsticks, hairdos, and fits, she is living proof that a Black woman's right to self-expression and beauty doesn’t have to deter her right to success. In fact, this is what illuminates it. Tune in for an incredible conversation on Ghanian skincare, rejecting outdated beauty standards, learning when to let go of your job, and so much more. Enjoy!

If Doechii’s Paris Fashion Week looks had you obsessed, this episode is for you! I had the pleasure of talking with her makeup artist Chelsea Uchenna and hairstylist Malcolm Marquez about their collaboration with the icon in the making. Despite growing up on opposite sides of the world, both artists had innate creative sensibilities, decided early on that they would have careers in beauty, and were inspired by iconic queer and trans communities. In their respective interviews, Chelsea and Malcolm discuss how they came to be part of Doechii’s team and how they help one another push their creative boundaries. They also dish on the behind-the-scenes chaos that resulted in one of the most iconic series of Paris Fashion Week looks ever. While each interview revealed unique differences in their approaches to beauty, they both underscored how important mutual respect is when visionaries collaborate. 

Tune in as we discuss:

• Chelsea’s tips for creating flawless dark-skinned glam
• How drag queen’s beauty and stage makeup influences them
• The engineering process behind Doechii’s connected braids 
• Why we need to see dark-skinned Black women pushing their creative boundaries with color and style
• Their beauty ethos of showing things that aren’t meant to be seen

Products Mentioned:

Makeup

It’s official, Naked Beauty is the winner of the iHeartMedia’s Best Fashion and Beauty Podcast Award! Join my producer Mbiye and me for a recap of the night we found out that we won, from the looks we wore to the after-parties we went to. Thank you so much to the Naked Beauty family for all the support you’ve shown me over the years – this award would not have been possible without you! 

Thank you so much for listening! 

Hi beauties! This week, Naked Beauty is headed to Austin as a nominee for Best Beauty Podcast at the iHeartMedia Podcast awards. I can’t wait to share more updates from Austin, but today we have an incredible conversation for you with Annie Jackson, co-founder of Credo Beauty. We discuss the importance of transparency in beauty products, the harmful impacts of certain ingredients, and how Credo Beauty's stringent standards ensure safer, environmentally-friendly products. Annie also shares insights into her career journey from Estee Lauder to Sephora and eventually Credo Beauty, along with tangible steps we can take as consumers to be more eco-conscious in our beauty choices.

Tune in to hear…

• Key steps any beauty consumer can take to be more sustainable 
• How Credo beauty has removed sheet masks from their store and how consumers reacted 
• Annie’s journey in the beauty industry from administrative assistant to founder and sustainability trailblazer

In this episode of Naked Beauty, I dive into the ongoing battle for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as it relates to beauty. This conversation is multifaceted, so I knew we had to talk with some industry experts who have been championing inclusion throughout their whole careers. I talked with my mother, Jerry Devard, to gain her insights from a corporate viewpoint, as well as Sir John, global artist and advocate for multicultural beauty, and Kendra Bracken Ferguson, a venture capitalist committed to supporting black founders. Together, we explore the rollback of DEI initiatives, the significance of mental health as we live through unprecedented times, and actionable steps for supporting black-owned brands and businesses.