A Skincare Product Review & Brand Insight

I am reviewing my purchase from a luxury skincare brand called Epanouie Luxe Skin. This is a Black owned, woman owned company, started in 2017. I made an order online and wanted to try a few their skincare products, but namely their toner, a serum, a moisturizer, and a cleanser. These four products represent your standard skincare regiment, to be used twice a day.

The website is well organized and has a clear branding stylization. You can search products by use or scroll through all products. The packaging is clean but uses gold accent and finishes, that illustrate the luxury appeal. The products are reasonably priced compared to products of similar size and quality. What you are really paying for is the ingredients.

            What I really loved about the purchasing experience is that each product has a sample size that you can purchase, except for the moisturizers. This allows customers to try different products and combinations to see what works best for their skin care needs. The packaging arrives in a gold branded box and each item is wrapped in bubble wrap but also packed with anti-breakage packing material. The package also includes a booklet with instructions, and shelf-life information for each product.

             I chose to purchase four sample sizes and one full size moisturizer. The samples were all labeled and put in small amber colored bottles. The buying experience was quick and easy. The seller even offers AfterPay to increase affordability.

            Using the product is a small moment of joy, the products all smell amazing and feel luxurious on the skin. The products aren’t heavy and don’t leave your skin feeling greasy or dry. A nice subtle shine is what’s left after completing the full routine.

            The creator of this brand wanted to give luxury spa experience to each of their customers and give customers a product that works. According to consumer reviews on the websites, the brand accomplishes its goal.

            I would love to see this product expand its distribution into brick-and-mortar stores so customers can have a quicker buying experience. This may increase the cost of production and the final product, but I believe the quality of the project will justify the means. If distribution is exclusive to a makeup/skincare store such as Sephora or Ulta, the price point could possibly stay the same. I would make no changes to the products; they are effective, and the current customer base is happy.

            Overall, the Epanouie Luxe Skin brand offers great products, packaging, and service. It provides options for new customers, or customers who can’t afford a full size. The product is marketed to and produced for and by Black women, who often report having a hard time selecting products that work for them and their skin type.

Savage By Fenty: A Review of Their Branding Guidelines

https://acceleratetv.com/become-a-brand-ambassador-for-rihannas-savage-x-lingerie/

I selected to use resources about how to become a brand ambassador for singer, actress, and model, Rihanna’s lingerie called Savage by Fenty. Rihanna has taken the lingerie world by storm. Toppling Victoria’s Secret decades long reign as the most popular underwear brand in the world.

While Victoria’s Secret still has a stronghold with shoppers and a ton more brick and mortal retail space than Savage X, Victoria’s Secret does not have the e-commerce appeal that Savage X has. Savage by Fenty line appeals to a younger demographic through inclusive messaging and imagery. Rihanna’s first Savage X fashion show was highlighted with critical acclaim due to the diversity in models used. Something we had never seen with the Victoria’s Secret fashion shows. Becoming a Victoria’s Secret angel, required the status of Supermodel.
            Savage X rejects this notion and instead shows us that any of us could be models, regardless of body type. The Savage X brand ambassador program has seen huge interest and success. The brand has focused its attention on using influencers and celebrities as brand ambassadors. Influencers can submit their photos to be selected as a brand ambassador. The article linked at the top of this post, details what the brand looks for in selecting ambassadors, as detailed by the contest that was running at the time of publishing.

The branding brief calls for influencers to submit brightly colored, high-resolution images, featuring a well-lit set and appealing design. This contest called on influencers to tap into their imaginations and use editing and filters to create a compelling image. This strategy was aimed at influencers being isolated to their homes during quarantine, in the early days of the COVID pandemic.

The examples used in the articles feature designs done by collage artist Rafatoon as examples for influencers to base their work on. Savage X formerly had a brand ambassador program that anyone could apply to, but recently the selection process has changed. Influencers are more curated currently, and most of the brand ambassadors features on the website are music artist, actresses, or famous in some other way.

            I believe this strategy is parallel to the brand’s ever-increasing visibility and wanting to do a bit of quality control about who the faces of the brand are. There has been some negativity publicity regarding former ambassadors, but the Savage X team and Rihanna have moved quickly to address these problems. Proving that integrity is also a significant part of the brand identity.

Poisoned: A Documentary About America's Fentanyl Crisis

Documentaries are a great way to dig deeper into a subject or expand on a niche or specialization in a way that a book, magazine, or website can’t do. Documentaries feature well organized storytelling through the usage of music, interviews, and footage or images from other media sources.

            Documentaries are often shorter in duration than traditional film, averaging about 90 minutes. In the digital age, we have seen platforms like Vice build their audience off compelling and interesting subject matter. Vice has become a staple in creating content for America’s underbelly, covering subjects like drug addiction/usage, gang activity, and corrupt corporations.

            While Vice is great at creating content for millennials and Gen Z, ABC often creates documentaries for older generations. Which, if done well, can connect to the younger populous too. Therefore, I selected an ABC documentary titled Poisoned to be the subject of my blog post. This documentary presents a different perspective of the fentanyl crisis here in America.

“Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, and 100 times stronger than morphine.”

— ABC's Poisoned

            America has been battling an opioid crisis for nearly 20 years now and America’s youth are the most impacted. Fentanyl has increased in mainstream popularity over the last 10 years and has claimed the lives of average citizens and celebrities alike. The Poisoned documentary discusses the dangers of fentanyl because of its potency. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, and 100 times stronger than morphine. The strength of this drug makes overdose very easy and claims the lives of people who were never seeking the drug due to fentanyl flooding the counterfeit drug market, which is why the documentary is titled Poisoned.

            Poisoned makes use of interviews from families to illustrate to the audience that fentanyl overdoses happen at random and could affect any of the viewers in the same way. Poisoned shows us that if you have ever participated in recreational drug use, you could become addicted to or overdose on fentanyl. This is the perspective that really impacted me. Being poisoned to death by a powerful drug, a person never intended on taking, is destroying communities.
            The documentary starts off showing celebrity victims such as Prince and Mac Miller. The music is also a subtle tool used to set the scenery, but also encourage the emotional reaction being solicited by the images on the screen. ABC produces their stories in a news format but has a high degree of media diversity. It uses aerial shots of the city of Nashville, which currently has the highest overdose death rate in the country, interviews with parents who have lost their children, and high-resolution photography and video clips that match the words of the narrator.

            Poisoned is aimed at an older audience that may be unfamiliar with fentanyl. Increasing awareness for boomer grandparents and Gen X parents. I believe the main goal is awareness. Awareness from the older generations will help them identify signs of what to look for and understanding that all ages and demographics have been affected by this epidemic, with the hope that we can slow the loss of life fentanyl is causing.

Insights vs. Facts

When we are interacting with the world around us, our brains are constantly processing information we are taking in. Some of this knowledge is gathered through our own observations and sensory experiences. Other times, it’s through printed and digital media. Today we will examine the difference between insights and facts, and how to distinguish one from another when our perception feels like reality.

            Insights are based on our intuitive or learned inner workings of a product, idea, or concept.  We all carry insights influenced by our personal experiences engaging with our environment. For example, if your childhood involved horseback riding, you would carry insights about how to handle horses. You could demonstrate an increased knowledge and understanding of horses that the average person does not have. Those insights might include, feeding the horse a treat before attempting to pet them, or what steps are needed to properly saddle and mount a horse. These rules are different for expert horse riders, but may have some familiarity.

            Facts on the other hand are proven through research and data. Facts are universal truths held by many members of the populous. Facts are supported by information that can be referenced as the source. A fact is irrefutable. While insights can be included to support facts, facts stand alone. For example, the freezing point for water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This is proven by repetition of experimentation and through the observations of many. The way an insight would support this statement is the understanding of the process of how water freezes and why.

            We use facts and insights hand in hand but we have to be careful to not consider our insights as fact. Which Is an issue in the information era. We witness enough content, that we measure as accurate and begin to form insights about people and things around us. If the content is not accurate, but instead bias, we can run into problems.

              In consumer marketing we have four areas we can draw insights from, socio-demographic characteristics, such as income, place of residence, or ethnicity. Personal interests and lifestyle, such as being health and wellness oriented or shopping for luxury items. Motivations for purchasing a product. Does it help the consumer feel good about themselves or represent a status symbol that mirrors their career?  And finally, brand perception. Brand perception is built partially by the company and partially by the consumer. The consumers who love the brand can help shape brand perception. Apple products have changed over the years, but they have never stopped being the hardware and software company for the cool and fresh.

            It is important we use insights to support our facts, because they can help us understand how to outline our account planning and expand our digital storytelling. We can use facts in our marketing but we should be able to validate them through other reputable sources. Facts help us learn and grow, insights help us understand.

College for the first time

I have been working on my bachelor’s degree for over 10 years. If we’re being technical, it’s been 12 years since I left school, and 15 years since I graduated high school. A pregnant 19-year-old me, promised my grandfather, on his deathbed, that I would finish my education. So with that mission, I set out to make his spirit and my family proud. In an act of divine love and purpose, I recently found out that my diploma will show the date of my grandfather’s birthday. Confirming that my persistence has not be in vain.

It has been a journey of enormous adversity. At many points I didn’t think I would finish. I picked up a ton of hobbies, hoping one of them would turn into a viable career. I invested in relationships, believing we could build a more fortunate life together. I didn’t completely fail; I was able to build an illustrious career as an executive administrative assistant. A career path that is surprisingly well paying in the Seattle market, but I always knew I deserved more.

The decision to finish my undergraduate degree, actually started with me finding graduate programs that interested me. Programs I knew I could do well in, and a nagging quote from someone I can’t remember. “You’re too smart to not have any letters behind your name.” I couldn’t take a single class as a graduate student without securing my undergraduate first, so I buckled down and decided I was going to finish. One class at a time, until my Associate Degree from the local community college was completed.

In July of 2020, while the rest of the world was at a standstill, I received notice that I was readmitted to WSU, to complete the degree I started 13 years before. I was excited but I was anxious because I knew the road in front of me was not long but dense with adversity. The academic world can be a gauntlet, but I made it through.

My grandfather was passionate about education. He dropped out of school at 13 years old to help his aunt raise her 11 children. My grandmother smiles fondly when she retells stories of him sneaking into classes on Texas Southern University’s campus to listen to lectures, while never actually being registered as a student. After starting his own family, and growing his own business, my grandfather finished his high school diploma at 40. If he could stay persistent with his goals, it is necessary that I stayed persistent with mine.

My grandfather died the summer before the start of my sophomore year of college, I gave birth to my daughter that December. Now at 13, she will get to walk across that stage, as we prepare her for high school and eventually her own college experience. For Black Americans, education is an act of rebellion. An affront to all those who wish to still us still enslaved. A violation to the many laws written to squash our desires to read and write, because an educated mind is a revolutionary mind.

I still have plans to attend graduate school, I will reveal the program of choice in a later post. I am excited to see the trajectory this path takes me on, and glad to know my ancestors are smiling down on me with pride.

Broke, Alone, and Dangerous, but Still in Search of a Date

It’s easy to scroll through our numerous social media timelines and see complaints about the dating scene. We’ve discussed those difficulties right here on the blog. According to a recent report from a NYU professor, Scott Calloway, the ‘dating crisis’ is real.  The result of more women becoming educated, means that many men who have never received formal education are being left without dating options.

            Wall Street Journal recently reported that nearly 60% of college students are women. This is great news for women, not so great news for men who aren’t considering education. Women with degrees are usually looking for mates whose education level is the same or surpasses their own. Men who have difficulty staying employed and who never pursued formal education are being left out of the dating pool. Prof. Calloway believes that the lack of viable mating options for the class of men who are broke and alone, makes them a dangerous group, but I don’t believe that dating is the answer to this problem.

            What Prof. Calloway is describing, is a growing number of men who are being fed by anti-women, anti-progressive rhetoric. On the internet they’re called Incels. Incel is an abbreviation for the phrase ‘involuntarily celibate’, people who self-define, as being unable to get a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one.

            There are numerous articles covering the danger and rage of incels , so why do people think providing a violent group of men a family to funnel their rage toward is a good idea?

 “I don’t think men have to go to school to make money, or even to not be dangerous. If someone wants a family, money is important but not as important as character.”, said John Rogers, 35.

Rogers has an accounting degree but drives for InstaCart while he pursues other interest. He is a father already, but still unmarried. He doesn’t fall in the incel category by any measure, but he agreed with me that love doesn’t cure violence, but it certainly does prevent love from growing. 

I think it’s important for men to invest in their own future, as well as their mental health if they truly desire building healthy families and not just being coupled out of pity, or male entitlement.

The current social climate sees an emergence of nontraditional couplings of a large variety. People no longer feel restricted to only forming family structures under the traditional framework of the nuclear family that is, man, woman, and child. This shift in societal norms is revealing who was previously protected by the stringent laws of the past that were solely designed to protect a patriarchal hierarchy. A group of men who could shield themselves behind entering a legal marriage with a child bride, abusing single mothers, or their own biological families.

Sasha Travis, 32, is a single woman currently finishing her master’s in social work at the University of Washington, she had this to say about her dating goals, “Starting a family is not my priority right now. I will be done with school soon, but I still need time to start my career, and while dating is fun, you meet a lot of creeps and weirdos. They can ruin it for the larger group. It gets exhausting after a while. It’s easier to just focus on myself.”

  Focusing on yourself is paying off big time for women. The increase in degree obtaining women, means larger salaries and a more equal distributions of resources. This is better in the long-term for women, but what to make of the dating scene? That’s still to be seen. What I do know is that if incels are dangerous to the society around them, we need a culture shift, not more dates.

Programs used: Word

Date: 9/30/21

Al-Arshani, S. (2021, September 25). An NYU professor says fewer men going to college will lead to a 'mating crisis' with the US producing too many 'broke and alone' men. Yahoo! News. Retrieved September 30, 2021, from https://news.yahoo.com/nyu-professor-says-fewer-men-021341108.html.

Tolentino, J., & Farrow, J. M. and R. (2018, May 15). The rage of the incels. The New Yorker. Retrieved September 30, 2021, from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-rage-of-the-incels.

Birthing in the Pandemic, Welcoming Life Into This New World

The pandemic has claimed many, but new life continues to spring forth. Families are still growing in this time of great loss and uncertainty. Inspiring a source of hope for many families that have faced loss in the nearly two years since the first outbreak of COVID-19 was reported.

Michelle Williams 31, Seattle, is a few days from birthing her third child. Her 1st in nearly 10 years, a baby girl.

“It’s already scary with all the news about Black women dying in the hospital. Now we have to worry about being sick too.” Williams said, regarding her upcoming birth.

Williams is referring to the recent headlines warning of the inequity in maternal mortality rates. Black and Indigenous women in America are three to four times more likely to die while in labor or due to birth related complications. Williams has been scorned by this birth system and is doing everything she can to ensure a safe birth for her and her baby.

“I previously suffered from a still birth and the birth of my son was hard. I made sure I had help this time around. Went through the steps to get a doula and take birth classes.” Williams shared tearfully. The pain still fresh over a decade later.

A small upstate New York hospital has stopped delivering babies to accommodate more COVID patients. Leaving families to seek refuge at other hospitals or consider birth centers and home births. Families have had to be agile and flexible with their birth plans which has put birth workers, such as doulas and midwives in high demand.

Other mothers prove to be more optimistic. Jasmine Davis 27, Seattle, birthed her daughter in July of 2020, at the height of national lockdowns.

“I hated missing out on having a baby shower and stuff like that, but it was nice to spend time at home with just me and her dad. So much about my body and my world was changing, it was comforting to stay in my own little bubble.” Davis stated.

Davis spent most of her pregnancy in quarantine, away from family and friends. While she admitted it was lonely, she was grateful for the time to adjust to motherhood without all the usual traffic that comes with a new baby being in the home.

Families in the pandemic have seen all their worlds meshed into one. School, work, and childcare are all remote and each family must adjust to this new, hopefully temporary, way of life. This fall marked the return to in person learning for schools across the country. Some parents are returning to work as well.

Davis talked about her slow return to the workforce,

“I worked in childcare before I got pregnant, and I plan to return to the field. I’m also in school, getting my associates degree in early childhood development. I’m looking, but not too hard. It has to be worth putting myself and potentially my daughter at risk.”

Normalcy makes it return this fall. Some are ready for it while others are not quite prepared. The pandemic has taken a lot out of all of us. No two births are the same, and complications from the pandemic adds an additional layer of fear. Babies offer a look toward the future, one that is bright and ripe with opportunity.

Keep Your Day Job

In this new millennial era, it seems the most uncool thing any young person can have is a 9-5. Everywhere we look there are young people starting businesses, creating career lanes, and encouraging each other to chase their dreams before chasing a paycheck. For most of us, working the same job for 30 years sounds like the closest thing to death by monotony. So what do you do when you have a 9-5 and a dream, and all your peers seem to be thriving with their dreams but without their jobs? You keep working.

Perception is everything, but reality is a different thing. The struggling artist/entrepreneur prototype is still a thing. For millennials who have complex identities besides being born after 1985. For those who are raising children, supporting their parents, or trying to keep up with the gentrifying surroundings of their city, quitting your day job is not only a bad idea, but it could set you back from your ultimate goal.

Bills are still relevant. Now more than ever. Rising healthcare cost, staggering student loan debt, and skyrocketing cost of living make it impossible to drop everything without a plan. It is not wise to quit your day job without being able to keep your day to day needs afloat. Everyone’s situation is different. I know artist who will always have a safety net either in the form of friends or family that will support them by providing a roof and a hot meal. I also know artist who have to work all day and stay up all night perfecting their craft.  I am an artist who is also a single mother, who manages to draw, paint, write and edit, in between cooking meals and keeping my home organized. Not to mention my 9 to 5. My dreams are a priority but fall at number 3 on the list with my daughter and bills sitting at one and two. There are creatives who busted their ass to build a career while simultaneously maintaining a day job. Crissles, from the ground breaking podcast “The Read”, detailed how she didn’t quit her day job until she was absolutely sure she could maintain without it.

A day job provides parameters around your work, a system that requires discipline to create in a home environment. Whether starting a business or creating art, you need to write emails, you need to take calls, and you need to maintain a calendar. No one gets to their version of success without organization and systematic progression.

Providing for yourself and your family is a noble cause. Not all of us will have a team of supporters, help from parents, or a million-dollar loan from our fathers, word to Donald Trump. Our day jobs are a means to an end, not a life sentence. Your ambition and work ethic will be the difference between success and complacency. As long as you keep working, little by little, day by day, you will continue to progress. The one thing most entrepreneurs fail to say is that it took them years, sometimes even decades to reach a point of no longer needing a day job.

Get off the internet and focus on your craft. The reward will be the life you always dreamed of and a career you designed yourself. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, being an artist is even harder. Most of the greats died without ever seeing the impact their work had on the world. Being an artist and being an entrepreneur are two different things, and while there are more lanes to profit off of the creation of art, the decision to create artistically shouldn’t be based on profit, but that’s a story for a different piece.

j.h.

I Sold My First Paintings & Cried

A couple weekends ago,  I participated in my first art/fashion show. I had modeled before but it has been a 15-year hiatus and I’m 70 pounds heavier and 1000x more body conscious. I invited a selective handful of loved ones, but didn’t really want any of them to show up. I was nervous, I felt unprepared, and I just wasn’t ready for close friends to see my work. Only 2-4 people have ever really laid eyes on my paintings, and like Erykah Badu once said “I’m an artist, and I’m sensitive about my shit.”

One friend in particular asked me how much I planned to sell my art for. I replied “I don’t know; I’m not expecting anyone to buy it because I’m not that good yet.” After weeks of rehearsing, the night finally came and the show was a success. All the models were beautiful, the audience encouraging, and the paintings amazing. I was honestly really intimidated by the level of skill the other featured artist had. I took a painting class in 2010 that I half assed through and have only been painting consistently for the last year.

I left my paintings to be displayed over the weekend since our show was Friday (Feb. 10th) and other events would be taking place on Saturday and Sunday. I got a call from the show curator around 9:00pm on Saturday. I answered and she excitedly responded “Someone wants to buy your paintings! All of them!” I was flabbergasted. I hadn’t prepared to sell any of my paintings and didn’t think anyone would care to take an interest in mine. I went high with the price and then low, I was grateful that someone cared enough to want to take a piece of me home.

I was on my way to a birthday party at a friend’s house when I got the call, and I didn’t really begin to process how I was feeling. When I was talking to one of the guest at the party, about how my paintings were never coming home, how I had created them in times of boredom or pain. How incredibly beautiful it was that someone wanted to take home the little weird things I created in my alone time, the tears just started flowing. I released a very special part of my heart to the universe and someone answered the call by giving all three of my featured paintings a home. I still feel a tinge of sadness when I look at my art wall at home and see three empty spaces. I guess all artist go through this when they’re separated from their first pieces, maybe not, but this was my experience. Very grateful to the lady who cared enough about my art to give it a new home, very grateful to the ones who have supported and pushed me (I needed the pushing the most) to this point of expression. I taught myself how to draw, how to paint and I’m still learned a lot every single day.

 4 years ago I was a mess barely understanding what direction I wanted my life to be going in. All I knew was what I didn’t want and not what I did.  It still changes every day, but I am finding my way. I’m proof that whatever you want you have to create it, connect with the right people, and watch your seeds prosper. I am beyond grateful to see the day that I’d find peace in my purpose.

Young, Black, and Corporate: 3 Ways I Went From 18k to 57k in 5 Years

In September of 2011 I moved into my first apartment, post break up with the father of my child. I was making $8.65/hr plus tips being a barista at a drive thru only Starbucks. I loved my job. I had a manager who was nearly the same age as me and all my co-workers meshed well together, I even grew to call some of them my friends. I looked forward to going to work because every day was a lot of laughs sprinkled in with hard work. My rent was $765 a month not including utilities and although I had to combine my bi-weekly paychecks to pay it all, I was comfortable and happy.

My only complaint was my unpredictable schedule. With a small toddler, who was spending more and more time away from mom at pre-school I hated having to take her to school on my days off and most of the time I didn’t. But being the futurist I am, I knew I couldn’t maintain this balance forever, especially when my daughter started elementary school, I decided it was time to find the dreaded 9-5.

Ahead of the millennial wave, when social media was still in its infancy, working a 9-5 was not the curse we’ve made it out to be. For many of us that are still in school building skills, trying to identify what our passion is, or just trying to keep a roof over our heads, a stable job with moderate pay is still essential. I had a limited work history and an incomplete college degree I had to formulate a plan. 

In a year I managed to grow my salary from $18,000/yr to 35,000/yr. Present day, I’ve made the leap from $35,000/yr to $57,000/yr. I did this all by strategizing and making pay my priority. I started with a temp agency and sorted through a ton of Craigslist I worked 7 jobs in the span of 18 months, in a variety of fields. From hospitality to start ups to marine insurance. I finally landed a job I wanted to keep at the Federal Home Loan Bank in their Business Technology department. I did well but not great enough to stay on with the bank permanently.

After leaving the bank I did a two year stint at the biggest retailer in the world, Amazon.com, which took my resume and profile from random submission to recruited candidate. I now work as an Executive Assistant at a prestigious University and my goals are bigger still. Read below to find what three rules I’ve carried with me.

Always be Impressive, Never Impressed

Being Black in corporate America has often called for ass kissing but I don’t partake in that tradition. What I choose to focus my time and talent on is doing the job and doing it well. While my movement in my varied positions has been lateral, my pay has always increased. Why? Because I focus on building skills more so than being impressed. My boss is my boss, no amount of ego stroking and praise will change that. I can influence my boss with my value. Once you’ve established yourself as a valuable employee, you gain more flexibility to take on projects that of one’s self interest. Self-directed projects allow you to learn new skills outside of those which fit your job description, which makes you an even more valuable employee.

Collect Skills not Contacts

Happy hours are weaved into the structure of the corporate world. A great opportunity to network and build relationships with your co-workers, being introverted (like myself) makes this difficult. If your goals are similar to mine and your more focused on entrepreneurship than a promotion, your attention would be better used building skills. As I stated in the previous paragraph building skills creates value. Gaining new skills also gives you well rounded experience to take on several aspects of managing your own business. Gaining new skills can increase your pay without taking on an entirely new position.

Create an Undeniable Resume

Resumes are your first impression. You want to make sure you’re as impressive as possible. You always want to align your resume to the job or industry you are applying for. Study the job description and extract the skill you’ve perfected in your previous roles. Use varied but relevant vocabulary and keep your resume confined to one page. An impeccable resume will get your foot in the door and the rest is up to you and your interview skills. I’m far more charming in person, at least when I can talk about myself.

Stay tuned for more tips on networking and resume building, but I hope my readers have found this useful.

Love & Light