Shades & Layers
Shades and Layers is a podcast focused on black women entrepreneurs from across the globe. It is a platform for exploring issues and challenges around business ownership, representation and holistic discussions about the meaning of sustainability in an increasingly complex global context. Conversations are wide- ranging and serve not only as a Masterclass in Entrepreneurship but also provide wisdom and tools for Successful Living. It is a space for meaningful conversation, a place for black and other women of color to be fully human and openly share their quirks and vulnerabilities.
Guests include prominent figurers in the beauty, fashion and wellness industries both in the Northern Hemisphere and the Global South.
Dr. Theo Mothoa-Frendo of USO Skincare discusses her journey from being product junkie to creating an African science-based skincare range. Taryn Gill of The Perfect Hair is a brand development whizz who discusses supply chain and distribution of her haircare brands. Katonya Breux discusses melanin and sunscreen and how she addresses the needs of a range of skin tones with her Unsun Cosmetics products.
We discuss inclusion in the wellness industry with Helen Rose Skincare and Yoga and Nectarines Founder , Day Bibb. Abiola Akani emphasizes non-performance in yoga with her IYA Wellness brand and Anesu Mbizho shares her journey to yoga and the ecosystem she's created through her business The Nest Space.
Fashion is all about handmade, custom made and circular production with featured guests like fashion designer Maria McCloy of Maria McCloy Accessories; Founder and textile/homeware designer Nkuli Mlangeni Berg of The Ninevites as well as Candice Lawrence, founder of the lighting design company Modern Gesture. These are just a few the conversations on the podcast over the past three years.
Shades & Layers
Introducing: Madame Speaker Says with Magogodi oaMphela Makhene
BONUS EPISODE
📣 INTRODUCING our new podcast bestie Madame Speaker Says hosted by Magogodi oaMphela Makhene.
For this special bonus episode, we did a podswap and the featured guest is skin educator, beauty editor and founder of ThisThatBeauty, Felicia Walker.
The skin is your largest living organ and Felicia believes it is not vanity to care for your skin. It needs care like any other part of your body and she'll tell you how you can radiate beauty from the inside out in every space you enter.
You'll love this episode which is about a personal and professional journey, because it features all the themes you've come to expect from and love about Shades and Layers: being seen, representation, authenticity and successful living.
✨ GET: Your Glow Up Guide
📲 FOLLOW Felicia: @thisthatbeauty
ABOUT MAGOGODI AND MADAME SPEAKER SAYS
Author, Speaker and Storytelling Coach Magogodi oaMphela Makhene helps helps women founders become famous experts.
She knows that being an "expert" isn't about being perfect - it's about being brave enough to share what shaped you, often the experiences that felt most shameful.
🎧 Listen to Magogodi’s podcast, Madame Speaker Says and subscribe to her newsletter for bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.
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Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers. I'm Kudronos Kwasana Ritchie and usually your host, but today I'm doing something different. I want to introduce you to a podcast that I think you will like. Before we get into it, here's a little bit of background. When podcasting or in any industry for that matter you often come across people who light you in a fire, and this is how I felt when I saw Mahuhudi Wanpele Makhene's email in my inbox. Her energy, the fact that she's written one of my favorite short story collections, inerts and the work she's been doing in uplifting women of color resonated very strongly with me and I just knew instantly that we had to work together. So this Pod Swap is our first collaboration, and there will be more on the way.
Speaker 1:Maho Hudi is an author, speaker and storytelling coach who helps women founders become famous experts. Her podcast is called Madame Speaker Says and, as you'll hear on this featured podcast episode, she's truly passionate about getting women to the next level of their professional and personal journeys. She's been transforming how people show up and speak for years and she's helped leaders move from a shame-based activism to what one of her clients called a more loving activism that can affect more change. I can't wait to tell you more about her own journey and her coaching practice in a future episode, so you need to stay tuned for that. What you need to know right now is that she is the woman you can consult if you need tools to help you fully inhabit the person you were meant to be, and she's more than qualified to do that, having spoken on stages that include Georgetown University, the BBC and the New York Public Library, to mention a few, and her short story collection Inerts received rare reviews from the New York Times and was named 2023 Best Book by the Guardian, so today I'd like to introduce you to her podcast.
Speaker 1:Madame Speaker Says, do consider giving her a follow and liking it. Wherever you listen to podcasts, I've selected an episode that features beauty editor and founder of this that Beauty, felicia Walker. I thought you'd like it because it echoes many of the themes that are the backbone of Shades and Layers. Felicia Walker is a skin educator and an entrepreneur, and she takes the guesswork out of caring for your body's largest living organ your skin. In this episode, she shares her journey to becoming a beauty editor and an entrepreneur in the beauty space and, without further ado, let's get into it.
Speaker 2:She literally is the queen of pretty. Okay, she is the queen of pretty, and let me qualify what I mean by that. We're talking to somebody who is a skincare expert. We're talking to somebody who is a beauty editor. I'm talking to somebody who understands the science of how beauty meets, the depth of what it means to be a woman and how to glow, not just with products but from the inside out. When you see her, like you, she is a walking campaign for everything that she writes about and teaches about, because she's an educator.
Speaker 2:If you're not following her at this, that beauty on Instagram and all the socials to get all of the tea on how to make your skin glow, I don't know, I don't know. I don't know, I don't know. Like't know, I don't know, I don't know, like I just I feel for you. Her name is Felicia Walker. Felicia is going to share so many gems with us. I'm really excited, from a very personal place, about this conversation because, like, I've got my notepad, here's my notepad, here's my pencil. This is like for my skin game is going to be on a different level, felicia, I'm so excited to see you, to be here with you.
Speaker 2:How are you today? You're listening to. Madam Speaker Says your no fluff cheat code to becoming the voice everyone listens to. I'm your host, makho Khodi. If you've been waiting for permission slip to straighten your crown and take up space like you invented the blueprint, madam Speaker says got you covered? No whispers, no apologies, just you, me and some bold ass moves. Let's get into it. Welcome, welcome everybody. I am so delighted to have you here. Thank you for making time, thank you for grabbing your tea, thank you for being ready for the most delicious Okay Conversation. And, girl, let me just tell you something. We're about to make sure that you stay in your pretty game.
Speaker 3:Okay, oh, thank you so much for having me. I hope you didn't oversell it, girl. I'm like no, thank you, I'm really honored? I really don't think so.
Speaker 2:I read the bio. I did my homework there's I undersold it.
Speaker 3:Oh, thank you for for inviting me on. This really is such an honor.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it, thank you, and I want to start with something that I said which is definitely not overselling. When I say beauty queen, I am also harking back to your days starting out as a pageant contestant or queen, or and I was so delighted to hear this that you started out in the pageant world. That's where some of your interest in beauty came from, because I am South African, I'm from Soweto, south Africa, and it's so interesting to me. I've been thinking about this, for you know, I've been thinking about it recently.
Speaker 2:Pageants and what they mean in the United States, it's not the same thing as what it is around the world. Okay, for me growing up, like honestly, I still remember who Miss South Africa was in 1995, in 1994. They were such a big deal and they were role models. It wasn't, and they were feminists, like big time. So I'm curious for you one how did you get into that game? And then two, I'm curious for you one how did you get into that game? And then two I'd really love to know what, what, what did I get ready with me as a pageant girl?
Speaker 3:Laughing. What did that look like? Because we didn't even call it. Get ready with me right before Instagram. Oh, of course not. First of all, I'm like locked in. Locked in now because, how you know, that is for me. So you definitely did your research, because I've talked about that very little. I do have pageant roots. I think I was once asked if I could kind of trace my beauty roots and how I got into beauty. And I thought a lot about it and I know, ever since I was a little kid, I was just really enamored with beauty products and the beauty supply store and making my own concoctions and mud packs and things like that. And when I was really young I grew up in Newark, new Jersey we did not have a lot of financial resources at all. My mom did not have a ton of education and so whenever something came up if it was a pre-college program, an afterschool program, anything that was about scholarships, school, whatever she was like Felicia. This is where you're going to now be on Saturday.
Speaker 2:You're going, honey.
Speaker 3:There's no choice. And that's how I got involved in pageants, because it was actually more of a scholarship pageant. So you have to do an interview and you have to do an essay and you had to do all of these things that were about like poise and presenting. So it wasn't like a typical beauty pageant. These were scholarship pageants and you had to have great grades and all of these things. But what I realized in retrospect is the pageant director I believe she worked for Mary Kay and the pipeline for meeting her Mary Kay At this Mary Kay starter kit.
Speaker 3:I was like, wow, she really has a pipeline system going on here, because that was a part of, like, our registration. Everyone had to have this makeup kit and it was like, I mean, you had girls that all look completely different but we all had the same makeup and like the instructions on how to use it was just, I remember it's like a frosty pink and like a metallic burgundy and it was like the frosty pink on the lower and the burgundy in the crease. I'm like I don't really have a crease, it was just a mess. It was just a mess but that was a really, I think, pivotal point in my like, kind of understanding of beauty and makeup, and I was already very into skincare, so that is definitely a core memory for me in terms of, like, my first experiences with makeup and beauty and skincare and trying to tailor it specifically for me and my needs.
Speaker 2:I love that point about specificity right and I also love the vision of this young, gorgeous little girl. Maybe you had pigtails.
Speaker 3:Gorgeous is definitely overselling.
Speaker 2:Oh, oh, come on, I'm looking at her, I think, like the evidence is on there.
Speaker 3:I always. I mean, I, I'm very honest, I think when I was a kid. I do not think I was an attractive kid. I really don't, I think, and I'm in retrospect. I'm glad that I kind of wasn't, because I know that it forced me to develop my personality, my smart sense of humor, how to get along with people beyond I mean, I grew up in the 80s and really being attractive, it wasn't even so much about your facial configuration, it was about what you wore, what your clothes look like, what your hair looked like, the kind of sneakers, the jewelry you wore. So, even if I was a cute kid and I look at those pictures I definitely was not a cute kid, but I also didn't have the you know the fixings either. No, I was not this gorgeous kid. I'm just going to be honest and you have to trust me on that.
Speaker 2:I don't, first of all, I don't. But I'm curious about that because I'm interested in how we become beautiful, right, and as somebody who is a beauty editor, I think there's something really interesting that you're saying behind those layers of. I actually didn't grow up either seeing myself as really beautiful and I didn't have like all the accrued amounts I definitely. I resonate with that. I was not the kid I also wasn't raised that way. Three girls my mom was kind of deliberate about. Like the beauty, like who told you that? Like you, yeah, you're nice looking, you're a good girl, but like you're smart, but like you know how self-worth and inner worth, what that is in dialogue to this other stuff that is also beautiful. I mean, we enjoy it, right. Beauty, skincare and I'm curious what your take is on that. Hey, pull up, pull up, pull up. Just you and me for a second.
Speaker 2:Are you an exec, a founder or an entrepreneur who's sick of shrinking in rooms? You're overqualified to lead. It's time to stop playing small and start owning your expertise. But how, makhokhodi Girl, I got you. I offer coaching that helps women of color, just like you, to claim your place as a thought leader, whether you want to command a room craft and share your signature story, or finally get that book out of your head and onto bookshelves. I've got the strategy and spicy accountability that you need If you're tired of seeing less qualified folks shine while you stay behind the scenes. Girl, the wait list is open. Follow the link in show notes to stop waiting for permission and claim your VIP spot now. My mission helping women just like you to snatch the spotlight, shake the table and take your damn seat at the top already. No begging, no detours and, nope, no apologies, just bold ass moves.
Speaker 3:I think it's a process and it's a beauty, is a spectrum, and I, of course, it is an inner thing. I think it it starts on the inside and I think for me, my idea of like what's beautiful, for me it's a spectrum it's changed over time. So at one point maybe, beauty for me looked a certain way and over time it looks a little bit different. I think it's always evolving. I feel most beautiful when I am confident. If I know what I'm talking about, I feel really beautiful in that. That gives me a certain level of assurance. Just, yeah, that gives me a certain level of assurance. I again, I think that I didn't grow up with the fixings of what people would call you know, people in my generation labeled as, like, traditional beauty, and so I think I learned to connect with people in ways that was like no one was going to come and talk to me because I had, like, the dopest gear, and in the 80s that's what it kind of was. So the shoes, the right shoes, oh so in like, we just didn't have money like that and I, you know, so no one was going to be my friend because of those things, and I'm not even saying like.
Speaker 3:I had that awareness back then. I look back at it, I'm just like you know, I really had to learn to navigate certain things and kind of find out and create what beauty meant for me, because it wasn't going to be the conventional. I grew up in an all-black environment so I can't even look, I wouldn't put like the white lens on it, like oh this, like honestly, that was very confusing for me growing up, because the things that white people thought were beautiful, like I was like what, like that just just didn't enter my view at all. So it wasn't even about that. It was within my community and within Blackness, what the things that made people popular and stand out. I didn't have that awareness then. But when I look back now I'm like, oh yeah, I did have to, you know, learn to get along with different people and all of these things, because, again, no one was going to be my friend on on looks alone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nobody. Nobody stays in a friendship on looks alone, so that's kind of a good skill to have you know for life.
Speaker 3:I would, I would agree with. Agree with that. I mean I don't think I would change it. I do like, and over time you, you decide like what's beautiful for you. Yeah, I don't think like. Once I got a little older, I was always pretty secure with my looks. I never felt like, oh, I don't look pretty, or anything like that. I think I typically felt pretty confident, but I was. I didn't think I was like the most attractive, but I felt like I'm pretty good and I'm okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, when did you discover the beauty store? Cause I've heard you describe the beauty store as your happy place and I just want to paint a picture here, because not everybody who's listening is necessarily based in the States. For me, experiencing and understanding what the beauty store in the States is, it was just like a whole education. It's like oh, so this is so, this is where you go to get your real, real tea Right In South Africa, in Soweto. Now, sure, we do have things that look like a beauty store, like in the States, but it looked very different when I was a little girl. It was like there'll be a little bit of our beauty things in this puzzle shop which is like a bodega, you know. So the idea of like a dedicated space, and sometimes I mean these places can get like larger than life. There's a place in North Philly which is just about the whole block.
Speaker 3:Wow, I would love to go there. Yes, well, growing up, when I was growing up, we didn't have like Sephora and Ulta like we have now, and particularly in urban areas you didn't have places like that. So maybe if you went to the mall trying to think of, like, what would have been similar when I was a kid, I really can't think. But we had beauty supply stores and they were very, very ethnic place Like this is where black women went to get their gel, their nails, their skincare, their hair care products, and so it was. I mean, they're called beauty supply stores, so it was kind of more like. It seemed like more of a supply store than it was like you know, like a Sephora experience. But this was indeed my happy place as a kid.
Speaker 3:Even now, I can go and roam the aisles. It's like a mental health day and I can just roam the aisles and try different things. I'm still very much enamored with beauty supply stores. It's very hard for me to go in and not buy anything. Now, conversely, I can walk into Sephora and not buy, but there's something about I don't know if it's like the accessibility, it's like the kitsch yes, just drives me like insane in the best possible way and that was my experience as a child spend my allowance at the beauty supply store. I would go and buy like little 99 cent deep conditioner mud packs and different kinds of like hair oils and learning to do my own acrylic nails. Like whatever my money could buy, I was grabbing at the local beauty supply stores.
Speaker 2:Listen, let me tell you something, felicia, like the amount of money that is, specifically the ones in Harlem, the beauty supply stores, the amount of money that they, specifically the ones in Harlem, the beauty supply stores, the amount of money that they have made from me.
Speaker 2:I mean they must be standing on like millions or something, because, yeah, and one of the things I think is so interesting too is we're drawn to them continuously, right, I mean, I, I'm so aware of me living in New York and not necessarily being I wasn't even living in Harlem, I was living way out in the Hudson Valley, in Burbia kind of country, and the only place that had what I needed was like let me drive all the way out, like go right to where like the headquarters of Blacklandia is and get what I need from this beauty supply. And I don't know, I think there's something, um, there's something there that's kind of sticky for what it means to be especially a professional Black woman who cares about our beauty. And yes, of course we're going to Sephora, we're going to Ulta, but we still all day, we're still trucking going to the beauty supply store right it is.
Speaker 3:It remains my happy place.
Speaker 2:Which ones are your favorites, and is there anything that you've recently bought there that made you particularly happy?
Speaker 3:Oh gosh, I just bought hair elastics the other day and sadly, where I'm from, there are less and less beauty supply stores. There used to be a lot and I'm hearing that landlords and the price of real estate is really forcing it's forcing the closure of a lot of beauty supply stores, which is really sad because downtown I mean, you would have like two and three on one block and there's like barely one or two. There's just a handful. So I've had to explore and I have neighboring towns and their beauty supply stores that I go to and also finding new ones. I've been exploring new places but I mean recently it was just, I think, hair elastics and I think I bought some like dermaplaning thingies and what else.
Speaker 3:I've got to go tomorrow to get some hair because I'm getting my hair done. Yes, but it's always such a discovery and then, like they'll have things like fancy hosiery, you know, and it's so inexpensive compared to you know, if you buy online or you know other shops and things. So I like the discovery of it too. There's a huge discovery element of things that maybe you didn't expect to find. So it's like beauty supply, but it also has like a little general store element too, which I really enjoy. It's like a bazaar, you know.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, and speaking of enjoyment, you know, yes, yes, and speaking of enjoyment. So the way that I connected with you, I mean I've been following you and absolutely loving your content, this, that beauty for folks who aren't familiar with it, and what I, what I was so shocked by following you is you announced your 50 years on planet earth. I was like, like, where, where, like, like, like, show me the face that is 50 years old, right? So, first of all, happy birthday. She's going through her face Like this, is it? This is the 50 year old face? First of all, happy birthday. But second of all, too, too, I want to know how did you celebrate your birthday? And then we're gonna get into. I want to talk about some really yummy things around. What does it mean to be 50 years old? But first, let's start with what was? What was enjoyment? What felt good about celebrating?
Speaker 3:um, well, I feel like every day is such a blessing Like I hate to sound like really old school, but every day above ground is truly a blessing. So I've always been very proud of every milestone. I remember when I turned 40, red Door Spa did a big brand trip for me with like friends. We did a spa day. So I've always let with my age. I've never tried to hide. I don't understand that, but everyone makes the choices that work for them works for them.
Speaker 3:When I turned 50, I was trying to decide what I wanted to do, and my birthday is in January and it's very cold, and I don't know if you've ever seen the five heartbeats, but the thing that kept coming to mind is when he's like ain't nobody coming to see you, otis, I'm like nobody wants to come out, and I didn't want to drag people out in the freezing weather. So I really just wanted to relax, though, because I typically go away every birthday. So I wanted to relax and just chill and just be tired of being on vacation, and that's exactly what I did. But but I've decided to do in July is have a 50 and a half birthday. I do want to party, but not in January. In January. I just wanted to like relax. So my husband and I went on vacation and we chilled out and spent a long time just like getting tired of vacation, like, oh, you're tired of it, let let's go back. So that was exactly what I wanted to do, okay.
Speaker 2:I I'm taking a serious note from that a 50 and a half. Like every single year now on, I'm gonna be like, oh yeah, but I'm 43 and a half now, so we get to celebrate that too. It also takes off the pressure.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, you're in Mexico, but here we have a felon as president. You can do what the fuck that you want. So I was like, because I'm a big family person, like family, friends, huge community of folks, you know that I love and love me, and I really wanted to have a party. But I was just like I didn't have the energy for one in January, so decided to do a 50 and a half in July. So we'll do a big barbecue, big bash at the house. I'm excited, I love it, I love it.
Speaker 2:If it's a street party, I'm coming um. So you know, on the flip side of that, 50 really is a big and beautiful and like worth all the bells, the whistles, the vuvuzelas, right South Africa, like that loud thing that you heard when we had the world cup. What? What does 50 mean to you? What was, was the significance? Yeah, what does 50 mean?
Speaker 3:Oh, what did 50 mean? And what does it mean now? Again, just honestly, deep gratitude for more life. Like it just meant, honestly, just like more life. And I just have unfortunately experienced, like you know, loss and we just like, every day is a gift. You know, I just have an immense amount of gratitude for reaching this milestone and I prayed that. You know I see many more. I just feel blessed to be here and contribute and get to do what I want to do. I don't have anything profound to say. I kind of just got here at 50. So maybe if I got willing I'll have more thoughts, but at this point I'm just, I was really, really, really happy to see 50. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:You know it's so funny. You say that that's not profound. I I listen to what you're saying and it's two things. Like I know it in my heart. I know how life changes from you for you when you live from a place of gratitude. You know one of the things I've been training my mind to say when it's on autopilot and then starts wanting to go to places and you know, like inner chatter, just nonsense, one of the things I'm trying to train my brain to then starts wanting to go to places and you know, like inner chatter, just nonsense. One of the things I'm trying to train my brain to then go back to a default is why am I so grateful? Just that question. Why am I so grateful?
Speaker 2:And there's so many things in a day to be grateful for. And then when you multiply those days and take it to 50 years, I mean listen like my mind goes there and thinks about how real that is at a soul level if you practice it. But then I think about your skin. Okay, if this queen is drinking this gratitude tea and it gives you skin like this at 50. I'm a chug all day. Okay, cheers Like.
Speaker 3:I'm here for that. You're very sweet. You're very sweet. I mean I've been taking care I've just been very intentional about my skin since probably my early twenties. So that means I've been doing, uh, wearing sunscreen since my early 20s. I think that that's a big game changer.
Speaker 3:A lot of times people will say I think you know, it's genetics. And I do agree that genetics plays a role, but it's kind of like good looks, it kind of gets you in the door but it doesn't always like walk through, you know. So I think, yeah, you may have, like you know, the genetic gifts, but it's really up to you what you do with it. And I always explain to people that our external conditions are so much more severe and our exposure is very different from our parents. So you know, you're a Mexico now and you know you probably vacation a lot and, like my parents didn't have that experience, they didn't vacation a lot several times. So our exposure is different. We're commuting. So you really, you know genetics kind of, you know, give you a little push, but you really do have to take care of your skin. And I have lots of friends who are my age, one friend in particular in Florida, and she always gives me permission to share this, but she's like we're the same age. Why is our skin so different? And I'm like girl, I've been telling you like you need to wear your sunscreen and, but her exposure is different. She's in Florida, so you know she has some of like the deep lines and different things. So you really have to understand your skin what it needs, give it what it needs, understand whatever your skincare goals are or your challenges, and what you're doing lines up to those goals, lines up to that challenge and adjust as needed. And I think that's a big white space for a lot of us.
Speaker 3:A lot of people don't know what we're doing, why we're doing what we need, what our skin responds to. I'm sensitive, doing what we need, what our skin responds to. I'm sensitive, but sensitive to what. So there's a lack of education and consistency and habit. So a lot of us aren't getting the skin that we want. So for me it's been a process of like learning my skin what my skin needs and being able to you know pirouette when something isn't working and know like, oh, this isn't working or now I've got this hyperpigmentation so I need to switch to this or switch to that. So I've been in tune with my skin a long time and I think that that has helped me to arrive at 50 and have the skin that I have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it definitely shows. And the education components that you're talking about is so important. I can definitely tell you I'm one of those people. I just have never really understood beauty. I've been intimidated by it, I think, and especially when you walk into a place like Sephora, I'm like, oh my God, oh my God, so many choices. But this is why I'm trying to put people if you're listening, I'm trying to put you on game. You need to follow this, that beauty. If you're listening, I'm trying to put you on game. Okay, you need to follow this, that beauty, because you're so great at breaking down things that are complicated and making it something all of us can understand and digest. And and and and.
Speaker 2:To that question, I'm really curious. Looking back, I mean, I know it's different for you because you started in your twenties, but if you can walk us through twenties, when you turned 20 or some, let's say you're speaking to somebody who is in her twenties, someone who's in her thirties, someone who's in her forties let's take just those right. Three young, beautiful women walk in once 20, 30, 40, what advice are you giving them? And feel free to give us auntie advice about life. At what do you wish you'd known when you were 20, when you were 30, when you were 40, and definitely we're taking notes on your tips. Beauty wise, what should you be paying attention to? What do you wish we had known at 20, 30, 40?
Speaker 3:That's a great question. It's pretty broad, it's a big walkthrough. I'll do my best, I think, starting with skincare, because that really is my area of expertise. My work has always sat at this intersection of skincare education, skin health and self-care education, skin health and self-care and not to shameless plug. But I think 20s, 30s, 40s everyone should buy my new book, your Glow Guide. It is a skincare workbook that was designed to address exactly what we're speaking to. It's designed to help the user track their skincare routines and develop the habits that actually lead to the skin that they want.
Speaker 3:So if you're in your 20s, you're in your 30s or your 40s, what is your current skin condition? What are the products that you have on hand? What is your goal? Hyperpigmentation what are you doing in the morning? Your AM, what's your PM routine Each day? What are your results? What changes are you noticing in your skin? Wash and repeat for four weeks. You know this is the workbook and then at the end you're evaluating.
Speaker 3:I use this product starting this date. These were the key ingredients. This is what I noticed in my skin, so that you begin to learn your skin and like what works for you, not what works for you, what works for me. That's why I always say it's called your Glow guide, because it's about you and removing that confusion, organizing your routines and really helping you build those habits. So that's the first thing that I think a lot of us need, because we see things on Instagram where they might people, someone may see me and say, oh, my God, your skin is so amazing. What are you using?
Speaker 3:And I might say, well, I like vitamin C for dark spots, but you might be allergic to vitamin C and if you have no tracking, no accountability, no habit for your skin, you won't really know that. And then you're triggered and pulled in every direction from every trend and every TikTok and every this. And so I've never been that kind of like beauty editor or skincare educator, educator, content creator where it's like do this and this thing is going to give you what you want. I'm always like let's have that conversation about your skin. What are your challenges? You know what are you using? Okay, does this align to your challenge? Does this align to your goal? That's where we need to start, and I feel like that is still a huge white space, which is why I wrote my book, because I feel like there's still so much confusion. You know so much is disorganizations at a word. Nothing is really organized. I think people are just kind of going off what they see on TikTok or what they're influenced by, but they don't really have a true understanding of their own skin.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, I could just weep over the importance of what you're saying for somebody like me and, I think, a lot of people who are probably turning to you as students I'm probably more like those people than not right Overwhelmed by the beauty industry and how much is coming at us constantly. Turn to resources, like I go, you know, on social media to people I admire. I'm like, oh my god, what are they doing? And it's like, but like you've got 500 products. Where do I begin?
Speaker 2:And then also this really important thing that you're saying of understanding and knowing your own skin, which I'm curious if you can talk a little bit more about that and how that's played for you in your own journey, because I notice, even just here on this platform, people ask me things like well, we have the same complexion. What do you use on your skin? I'm like I also have lifestyle habits that play into what my skin looks like. You know and I'm not saying I'm very far from having it figured out, like I just admitted, I am one of those people who doesn't understand beauty like at all, but I'm curious that lens that you have is so sophisticated and it's so nuanced.
Speaker 2:What, where, where in your journey. Has that been the big aha of like oh, actually what people need, especially as a beauty editor, because it's quite a prescriptive job, right? Usually it is here's the products that we're putting out that we think will help you with X, y, z, especially for women like us who have very specific skin needs as black, brown woman. To then go even more niche and say, actually you're one of one, let's think about that, that's that's. That's not capitalism, that is no capitalism. Speaking.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you know it's. It's always been a challenge for me because I've always been a long form girly. So if someone says, what do you do, it's really hard for me to say do this, do that. Like I will say, if you listen to nothing, just wear sunscreen. Because sunscreen is such a great catch-all, because if a lot of women of color black women, the number one concern is hyperpigmentation, dark spots, uneven tone, and sunscreen is going to give you a barrier against that. It's going to protect the collagen that you have, it's going to slow down the um, the aging of your skin. So, whatever, if you always say, if you listen to nothing else, wear sunscreen after that it really is a personal conversation about because I can.
Speaker 3:I never apply like my thoughts and ideas about skin on someone else. You know, like sometimes people, people will say to me okay, tell me everything, what do I need? And I'm like that's not my business to be like you need to do this, you need to do that. If you tell me what concerns are, because I may say, well, for your dark circles, they may be like what dark circles circles, they may be like what dark circles. You have to be aware that, culturally and just personally there. Everyone should see themselves differently, you know. So it's like that. I might say, well, I don't want these sideburns, I'm going to dermaplane, but you, they might remind you of your late mom and you keep a connection to your family. So it is such a personal conversation. So I always say, well, are there challenges that you're having? You know, what things do you want to improve or change? Are your products not performing Like? I'm never going to say you need to use this, this, this, because sometimes people say I just use black soap and alcohol. Do you like the results you're getting? Yes, girl, keep using it. I'm never going to say that is terrible for your skin, because if it's working for you, don't change it.
Speaker 3:So if someone does say, hey, I have hyperpigmentation, I will then want to know what products are you using? Well, I don't use sunscreen. I put Vaseline on my face when I leave out. Okay, so Vaseline is attracting the sun. It's actually doing the opposite of what you want it to do. Vaseline is an occlusive. It does not actually moisturize your skin. It locks in whatever's underneath. You're not moisturizing. Nothing's getting through. So we can have those conversations, but, as you can see, I really struggle with I think I said long form, I meant to say I struggle with short form because people want easy answers and it's not really easy always, and that's how I kind of started this journey in the beginning, almost 20 years ago, when I wrote a blog post. That kind of was the first thing that sent my blog viral. It was about hyperpigmentation, because I was sharing my own struggles and and and charting what was going on with me and then wrote like this epic blog post I'm like all the things you need to do when most people just want a product.
Speaker 2:Tell me what to do, okay, tell me what to buy.
Speaker 3:One thing you know, and the one thing is you have to learn your skin.
Speaker 2:Oh, why?
Speaker 3:why? Why are you going to make it hard? Oh, why are you going to make it hard, Like, why are you going to make it hard for us, Felicia, oh I actually made it easy with work.
Speaker 2:You know, hold that up again please, Because we do need to get their hands on this.
Speaker 3:This is my prototype. This is actually not even like the real, real. Well, this is a prototype, so right and it works. I was just like kind of quickly flip through. It's like you have your monthly skin planner so you might set your month and products you want to buy, and then you have your. You know you start the week and what's your goal, what's hyperpigmentation, your AM, your PM routine and then each day, you know you have your days of the week and you should know how your skin is responding to various things that you're using. People have no idea. And that continues for like four weeks and then you get to a point where you have your end of month analysis about like your ingredients and products and like your before and after.
Speaker 3:This was like a before my hyperpigmentation and the after you can see there's a huge improvement. So there's like your, your before and after. And the thing is, like you, what you don't track, you don't know. You know I don't know if you ever sat down with like a financial planner and they're like, hey, so we need to do your budget and, um, how much do you eat out? And you're like, oh, a couple of times a month, you know a couple hundred dollars and you go through the receipts and you're like I spent $800 on food last month.
Speaker 3:You have no idea because you're not tracking it, and so that's why this type of book is important, because it gives you that accountability and all the there are all these like cute little fill in the blanks and check-ins like wash your brushes, check expiration dates, do a cancer, self-screening all these things advice dispersed throughout your glow guide as well, and I think honestly, this reminds me so much of like my viral post of 20, uh, of a long time ago, because it was very foundational and giving people that foundational knowledge of hyperpigmentation what it is, how it works, how you need to attack it a variety of ways. It's not just like one little serum, and this feels like a return to that. It's. It's kind of simple, but it's very needed, and there is a white space where this kind of thing doesn't help. There's a lot of product but a lot of practice, and there's not a lot of education in this gap.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, which is why I'm so excited to number one, have it, I'm definitely going to put my order in. But then number two, to speak to you and to explain the importance of what you're talking about. I mean, even as you were describing, I'm like I've never come across or heard of anything like that. The closest that I come to it is visiting my dermatologist and the questions that she walks me through, which, honestly, if I had this handbook in like hand, we'd have so much like, we'd be able to cover so much more ground because she'd be looking at something that's real data as opposed to me being like well, yeah, I guess I don't know. I do use sunscreen.
Speaker 3:I know I do that and you know what's really interesting about you saying that is both affirming and confirming the need for this in doctor's offices. So I have two doctors that are carrying the uh, your glow guide in their offices now, because dermatologists will have patients come in and they'll get their treatments and then maybe the doctor will recommend products to you in four weeks and they come back in four weeks hey, so did you use? Well, I kind of, but it doesn't work. And it's like well, how does it not work if you didn't use it? There's no trust, no accountability and I it's funny, I was inspired.
Speaker 3:I mentioned my mom earlier and I was inspired to create this because my mom, for as long as I can remember, whenever she goes to the doctor, she always brings a notebook and she will write down every single thing and, like my mom, doesn't have a lot of education, not super sophisticated when it comes to medical things, but my mom's health is on point and it's because she brings her notebook and she will write her vitals, her blood pressure, her weight, the medication the doctors recommend, and she comes back for the next appointment. She brings her book and there's a big jump in weight If it goes up or down, she's going to say hey, I think that medicine that you gave me last appointment is the reason, so she can track it. My mom has boxes of these Wow, a little dollar store notebook and once it's done, she starts a new one and they go with her to every single doctor's appointment. If there's a word she doesn't know, she writes it down and she's like hey, felicia, they said this thing, let's look this up.
Speaker 3:What is this? That tracking and accountability has been super important and impactful in her health, in the maintenance of her health. So, even without a lot of education or anything, just that simple tracking of what's going on with your health, and that continuity has made a huge difference in her health. Wow, wow, wow.
Speaker 2:I mean I love your mom, I love her for that work and then how that inspires this, because this allows us to take control right. We don't have to outsource everything to somebody at Sephora who's on. And God bless the beautiful girls at Sephora because they're trying really hard to help you but they don't necessarily have all the deep science and knowledge of your skin the way that you would if you paid attention.
Speaker 3:Agree, agree and like once you begin to understand I think you were asking me about like when I first started in skincare and like changes in different things and a thing that I've noticed because I'm aware of my skin and the ingredients that my skin responds to, it's really like a handful of ingredients that have been consistent for me. So it's like glycolic acid, retinol, sunscreen, maybe niacinamide. On vitamin C, so when I see you know new things that come up, I'm not kind of triggered in an impulse to try everything because I know these are the things that work and I'll also know when things give me a reaction. So, like, one thing that I'm allergic to topically is honey, and so if I see something and if every influencer under the sun is like oh my God, this honey turmeric mask, I don't care what it did for your skin, I'm going to freak out. So I know I can't use it.
Speaker 3:Same thing vitamin C. I told my sister-in-law I was like you have to use this, it's so good, it's so good. She's like I'm itchy, I'm like, oh my God, maybe you're allergic. And she realized she's allergic to vitamin C. So understanding your skin is so empowering.
Speaker 2:Yeah, amen to that. And also, I know that you are such a huge advocate for self-care and I know that you love your self-care routines. I'm curious from a daily perspective like what can self-care look? I'm curious from a daily perspective like what, what can self-care look like if it's really quick on the go, day to day? But then also, what are some of the things that we could be getting into that are like hey, I have a weekend and I'm a little bit more relaxed, I have time. What are some of the things that you would recommend folks to get curious about?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know it's very personal and it's a sliding scale, you know so sometimes it might be, you know, a thing, like I have these favorite cotton like pads that I like for my skin Shiseido and like $11, you know and sometimes like so. For me sometimes it's something like that. That's special. And then sometimes, you know, it's something else. I think for everyone it's a little bit different what the self-care looks like. It might be a walk I don't again, like you know, magic bullets but it really is different and personal to everyone, you know so, again, sometimes for me it's a splurge on those $11 exfoliating cotton pads and that makes me feel good. And sometimes it's just listening to a podcast while I'm in the bathroom and doing a little at-home facial. It changes, it really does change. I just kind of listen to what I need. Sometimes it's a quick fix. Sometimes you have a little bit more time, you know, to dig into more of a ritual. Sometimes one of my big self-care things lately is I have an LED sphere and sometimes I just sit with it for like 20 minutes. I'll do like an amber light, I'll do a blue light. What does that mean? I don't know what that means mean. I don't know what that means. So LED is a light emitting device and has different colors, so typically blue, it's for clarifying the skin. Red is for collagen production. Amber, it's actually very like calming and soothing. Purple is a combination of like healing acne and collagen, and so I've been using led devices like a mask or a wand for probably maybe like six or seven or more years Now.
Speaker 3:I now I have a standalone one. It's like a little sphere and I sit it. Sometimes I sit and I work at it and I just changed my little lights and it really I it really helps my skin. Um, so, sometimes like that feels like self-care. Wow, yeah, it's. It's such a personal thing. I hate to be like, oh, get a massage, do this, but it really it's so different. Sometimes for me, self-care is just like going and just start cooking and shopping. Like that to me, just feels like I did a thing. My brain can like go elsewhere and I can just go on out. Yeah, it's beauty products, and sometimes it's just like mundane things. I wish I could be more exciting.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry no, I actually um, I want to call it out because I think one of the things that you're saying and correct me if I'm wrong I really resonate with the taking back self-care from a corporate package into a practice of life. Yes, it's wonderful, because a lot of times it does coincide with beauty products. Sometimes, that's true. Right, you were just talking about the beautiful face thing that you use or the LED light. But a walk in the park, that is beautiful self-care. Calling your mom, that is one of my favorite forms of daily self-care, and there's nobody on the other end of that where there's a check.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think, like I often think about like what I have time for, what I can fit in, like I think last week I just had a couple of days where I sat at like two o'clock and veg out on the couch for a couple of hours and to me, like that was definitely self-care I'm caring for. Yes, like you know, when I see a window like two hours where I can just kind of sit and be still for a little bit, so you're, it doesn't have to always be like corporatized yes, yes, which nothing wrong with that, like for all the girlies that want to go out and do the self-care.
Speaker 2:That is, you know some lovely bundle at Sephora or Ulta. Please do that, but just remember there's other options too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do have those days. I used to have this ritual when I was like, if I feel like I was like down to like my last dollar, it's the weirdest thing. It is probably really irresponsible. If I felt, if I had like no money, I swear I would just go and take myself like the nicest meal, cause I'm like I don't know but really I should save it. But I just I ritual of doing that and I just go and I sit by myself and I just have like the nicest meal that I can afford or really can't afford because I'm like I don't know where the money's coming from, but I just like to kind of sit and have that time with myself. That's a very weird thing that I do.
Speaker 2:No, it could also be an affirmation of the abundance right Like let me put this in my stomach because I know more is coming and let me enjoy, like the thing of and this goes back to our beginning of our conversation around worth and what does it mean to be beautiful and connecting inner worth with outer beauty.
Speaker 2:But I really think that part of like no, I'm, I'm worth. Like I don't care what my bank balance is, I am worthy of treating and me doing it for me. I'm not waiting for somebody else to come out, take me to a fancy place. I deserve this and I deserve to treat me on any budget to a really fine time. So that's what's going to be. Yep, absolutely. Before we wrap up, I would love to hear your hot take on plastic surgery, and I'm asking you this because I heard a conversation that you did and I was so enlightened by you saying everybody should have saying you have in your what do you call in your phone book, you have your dermatologist, you have a plastic surgeon, you have all these people that you turn to for supporting your skincare and supporting your growth. Please tell us, say more.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do believe in a beauty roster. I think that you should have the pros in your roster and your stable. So it's great to have an esthetician that you can go to on a regular basis to assess your skin at that level. It's great to have content creators and online beauty educators that you can relate to. Like you said, someone may say, oh, we're the same complexion. I have girlies like that online I always want to see. May say, oh, we're the same complexion. I have girlies like that online. They're like I always want to see what their makeup is. Because we're the similar complexion, I'm like, oh, that looks good on her. So it's like you may have a content creator.
Speaker 3:You have an esthetician that you see a few times a year for a facial, your dermatologist that you check in on real medical issues, because your esthetician and your content creator they're not qualified to address medical issues. So you want to have a dermatologist for your medical issues. And there might, you know, a plastic surgeon as well. I believe at the time of that interview, the person that was doing my peels, she is a plastic surgeon. I thought she was a dermatologist. You guys were like, baby, I'm a plastic surgeon. I was like my bad. But I do think that there should be levels to your beauty roster and it's great to have these people within your community that you can go to for the appropriate level of support, you know, so that you're not trying to figure a medical issue out with an esthetician or going to your dermatologist, for you know a blackhead when you could have just gone to your esthetician, or going to your dermatologist for you know a blackhead when you could have just gone to your your esthetician, you know. I do think that that is important.
Speaker 2:I love that and it resonates and it also makes me curious about what you see as maybe some of the gap. This is something that I picked up on an earlier conversation you had too, and I thought this is brilliant. We need to talk about it. What is the gap between especially black, brown woman and plastic surgery and our understanding of what is possible and not being so intimidated by the worst case scenarios? And also, you know they don't necessarily have the best reputation on the block. You know they don't necessarily have the best reputation on the block. What are we missing out? Like? What information do we not have?
Speaker 3:Yeah, as black women, we are missing out on a lot. There's a huge white space and I think that there's more information today than there was 10 years ago, but there still is a really huge gap when it comes to skincare education, when it comes to aesthetics injectables and when it comes to plastic surgery. I've always felt that, like two of the biggest issues is one bad work has the best PR, you know. So you see a ton of bad work out there and that's what people don't want. And two, a lot of these procedures and practices speak to white women. They're not talking directly to us. So, again, there's more education than there was 10 years ago. There are more people like me being very open and honest about it, but there's still so much work to be done. In your glow guide, at the start of each month, I have a quote from either doctors or friends, and there's the first quote in it. It says I just drink water and mind my business, and then it's like quoted by every celebrity who's ever been asked how they stay looking so good.
Speaker 2:Oh my.
Speaker 3:God, yes, nobody's doing filler, nobody's had a facelift, no one's doing laser, no one's doing LED, no one's had threads. Everyone is drinking water and minding their business and going to Pilates three days a week and looking like a dream. Be honest and have the conversation. So it's just not happening on so many levels. Again, it's happening more, and I've worked with pharmaceutical brands over the years. I've been very transparent about every cosmetic procedure that I've had. I first started Botox at 45 or 46. I was transparent about that. Had filler for my smile lines at 46, transparent about that. Everything I do I've always been very transparent about and I would love to see more of that and we are seeing more of it. I want to see even more.
Speaker 3:Again, historically, we have not been included in the conversation. So the whole black don't crack thing has kept us out of the conversation because we're led to believe that skincare doesn't apply to us. And then, when we get to those ages where we're kind of seeing the things, we're like oh am I different, is something wrong? Yes, everyone else they're black, didn't crack, but here I am all cracked out. So it's like you know what's going on with me, but it's because we're not a part of the skincare conversation. So we're not learning the tools and the words and the ingredients. We've missed out on a whole education and a whole learning because we were believing. You know, black don't crack and it's like our skin just ages differently and that's something that we have to be mindful of that. Our skin ages differently and skin is an organ. It still needs care. It's not vanity to take care of your skin, to cleanse your skin properly, to moisturize it properly, to protect your skin properly. That's not vanity. That's caring for your body's largest organ.
Speaker 2:Excuse me, Amen Like amen.
Speaker 2:Yes, mic drop, that was a whole, a whole fucking mic drop. Like your skin is an organ, like, treat it the way that you would your liver, with care, you know, with also experts. You wouldn't treat your liver with just like, oh, who's down the block, what do they know around the way? Like, no, you'd go to an actual liver experts, right. So, but you know, it's interesting. As I'm listening to you speak, I'm really curious. There's something that I've witnessed in my lifetime which is black women specifically, not being open to each other, and I'm not talking about like outside and definitely to the outside world, but for a long time talking about our hair and how our hair comes to be all these beautiful, different iterations. It was kind of like you, like I might give you a compliment oh, my God, you look amazing. How did you get your ponytail? Oh, you know, girl, I'm just, I'm blessed like that, right? Not?
Speaker 3:me. I tell everything to a fault, Like if you're like girl, these things are 12 years old. Let me tell you I don't know her. That is me. To a fault I can't say thank you.
Speaker 2:That's what makes you stand out as a content creator and as an educator, and I think something has shifted in our culture where more people are comfortable even admitting like, yeah, I wear a wig and on stage taking the wig off. So I'm hoping, and what I'm inspired by your example is, can we take some of the? I just drink water and mind my business Like girl? Let's see your face peel. Let's see what's going on behind that beautiful water you're drinking.
Speaker 2:Okay, oh, I hope so, you know this has been so special and also so informative. I've learned a lot. I'm really excited about your glow guide and getting my hands on that so I can start actually becoming an expert in my own skin. And I want to close with some intention here. I want to honor you for these 50 years and 50 and a half in July, when we celebrate and dance in the streets, because I love this. What are you most proud of? And I'm asking you this. Let me just explain why this question matters so much.
Speaker 2:There's so many women, felicia starting with the woman that you're speaking to who look at you with admiration, who look at you for inspiration. Your daughter is one of those people, but that's somebody who's in your life every day. I think sometimes, when we're in our everyday, we forget what our impact is as human beings. Like you have a really long ass, gorgeous shadow, all the way over here in Oaxaca, and I feel the reverberation of your life, like you're touching somebody. I don't know you from, like deep, like that, you know, but I feel as though there's something that you've given me, that's given me some glow, and I want to know for you when you look back at all of those 50 years, because this is what you say. This is where that auntie vibe comes in, because what you say does matter to those who are coming behind you, right? What have you learned from 50 years? What feels significant? What do you want to impart? What are you most proud of?
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, you keep forgetting that I just arrived at 50. Okay, we'll come back to it in July, expecting, but you know, I feel very proud of the work that I do and the need that I saw within my community and community of Black women almost 20 years ago. That's like one of the first black beauty bloggers to lay foundation to the space. So everything that we're experiencing now online with tiktok and um and all of these things where skincare routines and caring for your skin is a part of our lexicon, that was something that didn't exist like, not even just for like for black women, but in general that didn't really exist. So, having being like an architect in that space, I'm really proud of that because it was a need that I saw that served my community and my work has never pivoted from that.
Speaker 3:I've always been very locked into the needs of women who look like me and continuing to carve out that space and build it out. And that's gone from, you know, starting a blog to my editorial work, to working with brands, be it luxury brands, consumer packaged goods, retailers, pharmaceutical brands always trying to bring the information, the service, the need to our population. That hasn't changed. That continues with the launch of my book and my future work. I'm really just. I'm really proud that I've seen this need and I've stayed the course, that it continues to evolve and I'm very excited to see where it goes at 50 and a half and beyond. I'm proud of myself, yeah, and we're proud of you. Contribute to our collective communities.
Speaker 2:We are I? I let me speak for myself. I'm so proud of that legacy and that work, and there's a really powerful words that you used early in the conversation about gratitude. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful, like the stuff that you've done, the work that you have laid, the foundation that's ongoing. I mean, you know, sometimes we think about beauty and we think about it as something that's like it's, it's cute, it's like you don't really you know it's's, it's this thing that we do, but like you know songs but when you don't have it, you know, when it becomes the thing that people that look like you don't have exactly and it's no longer a vanity thing, it's like you need.
Speaker 2:You know exactly exactly how it feels like oh, you know, kind of fluffy, but yeah, it's so deep and it's I mean the, the focus on us, that part about actually like being seen and making it possible for, like a fenty beauty to pay attention and to understand, like actually, when you come out the gate because of the work that felicia walk has been doing. It needs to be this many products Like, it needs to include everybody, right. I'm so grateful for that and I'm so grateful that we got to have this conversation here. I am absolutely like, if you're not following Felicia, and especially if you're a black or brown girl, everybody is welcome to the party too. Please do follow her, but especially us.
Speaker 2:Yo, you need, you need to do yourself and your skin a favor. It's this, that beauty, and you also I highly recommend cause I'm going to do it Please get a copy of your glow up so your skin, your glow guide, so your own skin can go on a glow journey, because who does not want glowy skin like Felicia? Tell me, please, glowy skin, absolutely. Thank you so much, felicia.
Speaker 1:That is all from me this time around. Thank you for listening. If you found this episode useful, please share it with your friends. If you have a moment, please give us a five-star rating and review wherever you're listening so that others can find the podcast. I'm Kutlanos Kosana Ritchie, and until next time, please do take good care.
