SKINDEEP - beauty exploration, with melanin in mind

"Beauty is only skin deep.”

It’s an old adage that you may have heard as a child or maybe as a young teen going through your formative years. It alludes to the fact that being beautiful is really determined by the quality of one’s character rather than the way one looks.

However, in today’s beauty climate heavily influenced by beauty gurus and socialites, we respect the artistry first. We admire how easily some can perfect their contour or slay their eye shadow. We enjoy watching this artwork in motion.

As amazing and fun as makeup might be, it can also be isolating and discriminatory for many, especially black women. When brands fail to create products for underrepresented complexions and the lines between appropriation and “appreciation” get blurred, frustration builds. Anger grows. Problems persist. 

When I was a young girl I would look through the pages of Teen People (remember that?) or Seventeen for beauty looks that would apply to me and often came up short. Even now, in 2016, its hard for me to find makeup specific content that caters to people who look like me (unless the topic is controversial or likely to go viral.)

Cocoa Swatches has always been dedicated to addressing these issues, but its time to take things to the next level.

This is where S K I N D E E P makes its entrance. 

S K I N D E E P is the perfect interstitial to Cocoa Swatches. This mobile publication will address the needs of subscribers on every step of their makeup journey. 

I created SKINDEEP because I wanted to have a place to talk about the everyday makeup issues that are often glossed over or forgotten about, especially when it comes to underrepresented complexions. There are some problems that those with deeper complexions deal with, but are seldom never talked about. (For example, why do products with SPF leave a white cast or make brown complexions look ashy? 😩  We need protection from the sun, too! )

As I said in a conversation with Allure Magazine, “true diversity would involve brands supporting the idea of diversity in every facet of their company: from their hiring practices, to their marketing efforts, to their product development, to their communications to their influencer relations.”

 I want to stress to you all, that this started out as a passion project. It is literally all I live, eat, and breathe because I truly believe something like this should exist. 

This is my one and only job and for the most part, I do it alone. It is my top priority and I am dedicated to making it grow & flourish. And for that reason, I am so thankful of all of the support Cocoa Swatches has received this far.

With that being said, I really hope you check out the Cocoa Swatches app and try out a subscription of SKINDEEP.

xx
Ofunne Amaka