“A lot of brands need to cater to more black women.”

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“The worst thing is going to a makeup shop and trying to get your color tested, and then they turn around and tell you we don’t have your color. It makes you feel down. It makes you feel like… “am I not worthy for people not to have my color?”

Tayo

Makeup to me is all about enhancing my beauty. I like to wear makeup, and I also like to not wear makeup. The reason I like to wear makeup is to show my features, show the beauty I already have, and let people know that with it I can be beautiful, and without it I can also be beautiful.

How old were you when you started to wear makeup?

I think I started wearing makeup when I was about 18. I started off with eye shadow and I went a little bit overboard with the eyeliner, I could never get the wings right. And then when I was about nineteen I started wearing foundation.

I remember my first foundation was the dream matte mousse and it was a disaster because it wasn’t my color. They didn’t have my shade and I would look like a ghost! It’s actually funny, but now there’s a lot of brands out there that are catering to my color which is absolutely amazing.

How has it been seeing brands come out with more inclusive shades?

I still feel like a lot of brands need to cater to more black women or people of color, but I will say that there’s a huge improvement in the market and in the industry.

It’s so appreciated that people actually care for people of my skin tone.

Because the worst thing is going to a makeup shop and trying to get your color tested, and then they turn around and tell you we don’t have your color. It makes you feel down. It makes you feel like… “am I not worthy for people not to have my color?”

But now I don’t feel as such anymore, and it’s so refreshing, and it’s so beautiful and it’s so amazing that they have my color.

When did you start noticing the trend towards more inclusive shades? It seems to have only begun recently.

And I agree with you, I just believe that through social media and how powerful social media has been a lot of voices have been raised regarding this issue. And honestly, I’m so grateful for the influencers, the top influencers like Jackie Aina who have stood up for young, beautiful women of color like myself, and they put their voice out there to make a difference and that has been really awesome.

You’ve lived in a few different countries like the UK and Ireland, do you think the beauty standard differs from country to country?

In general when it comes to UK and Ireland, the beauty standard between those two countries are kind of the same.

But when you go to places like America, when I go there to holiday, I know that they have a certain type of woman that a lot of the men like. I’m just speaking from my experience, I know a lot of the guys who make comments about you being light skinned, or being too dark for them, or they don’t to date dark skin girls, or they like white women, so there’s a lot of preferences out there, but from what I can see in Europe, we don’t really have a standard. But in other places like America I feel like they lay too much emphasis on the outer appearance, that’s what I feel.

It’s unreal how much pressure there is. Do you think, especially for young women, that there’s a lot of pressure to look or be a certain way?

Oh wow, yes. Nowadays when you click on social media you see young women who are like seventeen and they looking twenty five.

And you think to yourself wow, when I was their age I didn’t put so much pressure on myself to look perfect or to try and look beautiful, I was just myself. But now, social media and the world are telling young girls you’re not good enough. Like so many messages that are coming out, it’s too much.

So whether you’re wearing makeup or you’re not wearing makeup, the fact that it’s still your skin. In the next fifty years what you look like in twenty five years is not even going to matter to you, because we’re all going to grow old and wrinkly anyway. But I do feel like there’s need to be a shift of where younger people need to start appreciating who they are and what they have.

What advice would you give to someone who’s just wearing makeup who’s maybe not finding the right tones or who’s feeling insecure?

One thing I would say is I’ve been there. I was there. I’m still currently there because sometimes I still have to mix a little bit of two shades together to get my perfect shade.

One thing I will say is don’t worry about it. Makeup doesn’t define you! It’s only supposed to enhance the beauty you already have. And don’t worry if like your friends are wearing makeup and you don’t fit in.

When you start getting into the real world and you’re twenty five, and you have a lot of responsibility, makeup is not going to be one of the things that will be in your mind! You’ll be worried about making more money and getting more money in your bank account!

I will definitely say take your time with it, experiment with your face, go shopping with your mum or your friends, and figure out what you like. If it’s mascara, if it’s lip gloss, if it’s eye shadow, you know, check out what works for you and your skin and you’ll be fine. Trust me, you’ll be fine.

Do you have any last thoughts?

I’d like to say check out my website, where I talk about beauty, fashion and lifestyle and sometimes I share some personal messages like meditation, how to be yourself, how to appreciate your beauty. Everything positive. 2019 positivity vibes, all year around.

Real conversations with real women about the impact makeup has on their lives.

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