BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL!! Period. There is nothing else that matters. In a world where Black people are bombarded with images and words that insist on telling us that black is synonymous with ugly, dirty, and less than, we need to know how beautiful we are. There is something so special about melanin. I love my Black skin and my Black people. We are beautiful. From our hair to our skin and down to the way we walk, Black is beautiful. I just need people to know that. We need to love ourselves, embrace each other. We need to protect Blackness at all costs. We are the change we need to see in the world. I have never wished to be anything other than my Black self. I love the color of my skin. I love the range of skin tones in my family. Love it. Our skin is kissed by the sun and blessed by the Most High. Also, my love for all things Black is not a swipe at whiteness or otherness. I am just partial to who I am and what I came from. Everyone should get into it. Black IS beautiful.
#Blackgirlsinredlipstick was a topic on Tumblr a while back. Until a few years ago, it was not a shade I purchased. I am just getting into red lippie's. I had to fight all those stigma's I've heard all my life about dark skin and red lips and that only loose women wear red lipstick. Red lipstick just never seemed like something a brown skinned girl such as myself should wear. Shaking all of this off, I decided to step out on faith. I am in the habit of putting on red lipstick just to clean the house. I wear it doing random things to make myself more comfortable with the idea. I take pictures of myself in red lipstick for the same reason. I just feel happier, lighter and more fierce when I have on red lipstick. It does something to my attitude and ego. I can't fully explain it, it's just a feeling.
It isn't about how others think I look in it or what they think about me. This is about me accepting myself in everything. So, if I want to wear a red lippie, then damn it I will. And, I will be fierce doing so because nothing is sexier than intelligence and confidence. I happen to possess both by the boat loads. Since I am a red lip novice, buying the right shade of red for a brown girl was a task. I spent at least 45 minutes in Target agonizing over two shades. I purchased two different shades from two different companies. One was a "Oh hell no" and I had to give it to my cousin who is two shades lighter than me. But, the second was a total win. It was the Kate Moss line by Rimmel. The shade has no name, just a number: 107. It is a berry red that compliments my skin tone. I desperately needed it for my brother's red and black color themed birthday party almost two years ago. Since then, I've worn it sporadically.
I'm getting more comfortable with shades of red adorning my lips. Just last night, I was hit with another red lippie dilemma. My cousin's all white bridal shower also called for everyone to wear red lipstick. I needed a new shade. I instantly knew that Revlon's Colorblast in Fire was a win. I loved that it was a lipstick and a gloss all in one. I loved it so much that I wore it again today. I am really digging the way it looks on me. It is very glossy which I am always looking for. This is how this Black girl learned to embrace a red lipstick for the greater good. Here's hoping you guys find your perfect shade as well.
