ARE ATTRACTIVE BROWNSKIN WOMEN A ENDANGERED SPECIES?

Now I know you read the title and you are like she can't be serious. Well I am and I am gonna tell you why! The other day at work this guy was looking at me and I went over to introduce myself and say hello. (lets call him brownie hater) Now mind you I usually don't speak to anyone that's my Philly attitude. LOL But the way he was looking at me I had to go over there and speak to him. After, I introduced myself he told me these infamous words, "YOU'RE PRETTY TO BE DARK-SKINNED." Now this is not the first time I have heard this but why it affected me was because this guy was like 12 shades darker than me. Speaking these ignorant words to me as if we don't come from the same cloth. Like "Are you serious?" You are dark skin too! So than I asked him, "Was that suppose to be a compliment?" Brownie hater said, " Yes. I'm not usually attracted to brown women and you definitely caught my eye." Now as he continued to talk his nonsense he was staring at me as if he had never see an PRETTY BROWN SKIN GIRL in his life! Than I said, "Well why don't you like brownies?" He said,"I like light skin women I guess opposites attract. And there aren't a lot of cute brown skin girls." Was this brownie-hater serious? He was dead serious! But what hurt me was he was against women who was his complexion. I can understand a light skin man because some of them have this "hierarchy" about themselves as if they are better than dark skin people. But for a man who is BROWN like me and most likely came from a brown skin woman to be against other brown women is TERRIBLE! The self hatred in the black community is really ridiculous. You know he aint get my number! On to the next one!

But the reason why I say, "Are attractive brown skin women a endangered species?" Is because when some people meet me they look at me as if they never seen a cute brownie. Men who are usually attracted to lighter skin females when they see me they stare as if they seen rare meteor shower. They are amazed that they could be attracted to woman of my complexion. They are such in awe you can see it in their eyes. Now its just not me this happens too. I have meet other brownies who have had the same experiences and reactions from certain men. I don't think its fair that this continues to happen in 2009. Its not right that people have this pre-conceived notion that females of a certain shade are already un-attractive. How can you say all brown and dark skin women are ugly? How can you categorize all of us? Like we don't come from different parents. I mean do brownies carry an ugly gene in our DNA that I don't know about? My mind can not understand this foolishness. Just know there attractive women in all races, shades, and colors. Know that there are beautiful brown skin females in this world and we are not an endangered species. We are like roaches we everywhere! LOL

DREAMS AND GOALS

Today I made progress in my dream of wanting to be a songwriter. I came up with this hot hook and all I need is a male singer. My goal is to finish a song every week. I really believe I am good at it because I come up with ideas and melodies just as much as I eat. (and that is a lot) I gave myself a another year of this dream ish and if it don't work I 'm back in school being a school teacher. Y'all betta hope that I make it because your kids may not be safe. LOL Lord, knows what I may teach them! "Let's study Tupac Shakur for Black History month kids."
I am realizing you have to be consistent with your goals and stick to them. Sometimes its better to post them so you can see them everyday and you will never forget. So write down your goals big or small and hang it everywhere. In the bathroom, so you see it while you on the toilet. On your bedroom ceiling so its the first thing you see in the morning. And on the side of the wall so when you turn around to try to get them extra hours of sleep it will motivate you to get ya ASS OUT THE BED!! On the refrigerator so you can see it and think twice about putting it off until you eat a turkey and cheese sandwich. (and you know turkey and cheese sandwiches be bumpin)Write a goal statement and state your goals, how your going to achieve them, and by what time and repeat it every morning and night. We tend to pay more attention to things when its a constant reminder in our life. Believe in yourself, make sacrifices, fear nothing,and GO HARD!

SUCCESSFUL, STRONG, BLACK, AND UNLOVED

While on twitter I went to my friend Erin page and I seen a link on her page to go check out a lady who knew exactly what a "winter boo" was. So I checked out the article called,"Successful, Black and Lonely" about a woman named Helena who wrote a book called, "Bitch is the New Black." Now as I read the piece it came more apparent too me that the "strong black female" may really be all a facade. Now I am not saying that black women aren't strong but are they as strong as we really think they are? My mom held down so many jobs she did Tupperware, pre-paid legal, pampered chef, AVON, 9-5, jewelry, ardyss, school bus driver, you would had thought she was part Jamaican. We always had food on the table and a roof over our head and clothes on our back. But was my mom really happy? Or was she just doing her job as a mother? Did she ever want to just be "weak" for a moment. Was she only strong because she felt that was what she was "supposed" to do?

Which brings me back to the article that highlighted black women who had high- paying salaries, high-power jobs, and lavish lifestyles. The black woman we see with the Gucci shoes, Louis Vuitton brief, Chanel suit, a Lexus, and condo who looks like their life is great. But even though they have a high income and materialistic things we would die for, they are unhappy. These women are lonely and sometimes depressed. They have no man and no one to love them and sometimes they don't even have "good" friends. They put their career first and they have this independent attitude channeled through this destiny child persona that is just too much. Reality check, Beyonce got a husband! This leaves successful black women unapproachable and therefore lonely. And when they get a man they don't know how to be a woman and let a man be a man. A real man don't want to hear your attitude and have you treat him like your his mother and criticize him and tell him you don't need him. Men need to be needed!
Black women need to learn how to submissive and not think its degrading or demeaning. It is us against the world and for some reason we feel the need to be this so called "strong black woman because we do not want to be seen as weak. Maybe its because we had to deal with so much more than any other race like slavery, racism, black men and imprisonment, and the failing of the "black family. Or maybe because we were always the back bone of our families. I mean I have never seen the term "strong white woman" or "strong latina woman" but they hold down they families as much as we do. They are trying to be successful as much as we are. Yet they are more likely to be married than black women. Younger women pride themselves in becoming successful and not becoming a statistic but all those degrees, titles, and materialistic things do not equal happiness.

Your Manolo's cant keep you warm at night, your Prada bag can't kiss you on the forehead in the morning, your Lexus can't make you laugh, your vibrator is not sex(sorry), your degrees can't give you butterflies, and your job is not your man! We need to change the persona of the strong black woman who is not only strong but who is able to love and be loved. Or just say forget it and act like a white woman. They're not doing to be bad. :)

Always BSB,
Miss BSB

HERES THE ARTICLE : http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/09/AR2009120904546.html

OUR ANTHEM "MISS CHOCOLATE" BY LIL JON FEAT.R.KELLY

While at work I heard the words, "I like that lightskin but that darksin I love" and I swear my ears had a BSB orgasm. LOL I continued to listen to the song and recognozed R. Kelly and Lil John voice but the other guy I assumes was T-pain but it was another guy. I was kinda mad when I found out it wasn't him because T-Pain always rep for us brownie but none the less I love this song. This song is overdue and I hope brings some happiness to some BSB who maybe going thru self confidence issues because of their complexion. I hope hearing Lil Jon say, "he coocoo for coco" and other lines like " I am in love with your dark skin" will make her know that being a brown/darkskin complected is not a bad thing its a GREAT THING!! SHOUT OUT to my chocolate girls, coco puffs, coffecakes, honey dips, brownsugar mamas, cinnamon bunz, and all my BSB its our time!!!!!

VISIT THE LINK BELOW TO HEAR THE SONG ( sorry i dont know how to add the video on here) (if u know how email me or comment me the directions) :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfqLLsFmTPg

Today was not a good day!

This blog entry is gonna be short and sweet.

Life is a BITCH!!

Always BSB,

Miss BSB

How to Find the Right Foundation

Hey Brownies,

The key to not looking like Lil Kim when you wear makeup is all about the right color foundation. I am sick of seeing women with this off color cakey makeup that ruins their beautiful brown complexion. I look at them and think "Did you really think that looked good? The best part of being a woman of color is that we have so many various skin shades from honey to dark chocolate which sadly makes "foundation shopping" harder. So here is some tips to help you find the right shade for your complexion.
Enjoy Brownies.


Step 1 Find Your Undertone

What is undertone? Undertone is the color underneath the skin that determines the pigmentation of the skin.
The most common undertones are
Yellow/Golden
Blue
Pink/Red
Olive
Olive is neutral yellow is warm and pink and blue are cool undertones.
Most companies organize their foundations by warm and cool. For example MAC has NC and they have NW. w=warm c=cool

A good way to figuring out your undertone is to:

1. Look in the mirror in natural light. See if you notice any of the above colors in your skin tone. Like a lot of women of color you may have more than one undertone. So go with the color of your neck because you have less undertones in your neck. You want the foundation to match your neck. My make-up artist friend mixes foundations to get the right shade for her clients with warm and cool tones. If you have that skill than by all means go ahead. If not stick to one undertone.

2. What color are your veins?
If they are green your undertone is more likely warm. If your veins are blue your undertones are more likely cool. Now if you are like me and your body complexion is a lot lighter than your face than this may not be the best method for you. Because your veins will reflect that skin tone which is not the same as your face.

3. Does gold or silver jewelery flatter your skin tone best? This might sound crazy but if you put up gold or silver earrings to your skin it can help determine your undertone. Does silver look better on you? If so its a good chance you are a cool tone. If gold earrings look better than you probably are a warm undertone. If it doesn't matter either way you are probably neutral.

Step 2 Find your skin type

If you know your skin type already than great you can skip this part. But if you don't than lets get down to business. If you are a makeup novice you probably don't understand what this has to do with makeup. Well honey, let me tell you that your skin type helps you get the right kind of coverage. For example if your dry you will get a cream or liquid foundation if your oily you will get a powder or liquid that is oil free. Because you don't want your makeup to make your skin look more dry or oily. If your like me you get confused by finding your skin type because every other day it changes from dry to oily. But this is a good method in helping you find your skin type.

How to find your Skin Type?

Wash your face with your normal cleanser. Let your skin dry for about 15-20 mins.
Supple/Soft skin = Normal type
Taut/Dry= Dry type
Moist/Oily= Oily type
If you are only oily on your T-zone (forehead & nose) and normal everywhere else you are Combination type.

When your looking for foundation choose types that are labeled towards your skin type. Trust me this helps in so many ways. This was my problem when wearing foundation I thought I was oily when really I was combination so my skin would look so matte and it wasn't cute!

Step 3 Determine your Skin tone
Now that we have your undertone and your skin type. We have to determine your skin tone. Now me personally I like to go into stores where the makeup can be professionally applied to my skin. Trying to find a foundation in a drug store is just not my twist because I can not try it on my skin. But regardless of how you find your foundation these are the steps to help match your skin tone.

1. Apply two-three shades on your jawline and BLEND BABY BLEND! Whichever one disappears into your skin is the best choice.
2. Go into natural light. It is harder to see if there is any discoloration in your skin when you are under fluorescent lights. If you are in a mall you can go right outside the store with the artist and see if there is any difference. I have done this plenty of times and it really helps.
3. Get a sample if you can if not you/artist apply the foundation to your face and WEAR IT ALL DAY. After a while, the oils in your skin mix with your foundation and if its the wrong shade your skin will appear lighter or darker. Wearing it for 24 hours really gives you an idea if that shade is good for you.

Step 4 Choose your type of coverage

There are 3 types light weight , medium , and full coverage. You also have tinted moisturizers and bronzers.

So how do you choose? Look below.

Lightweight- aka sheer foundation this is good for women who have clear skin and want "natural" coverage. (good for daytime and work purposes)
Medium- this is good for if you need a " a lil" help with achieving that flawless skin effect. It gives you just not coverage but not too much that it looks like you have a "fake face"
Full- this option is for blemish and large pore skin. Full coverage can help hyper-pigmentation and troublesome areas. But be careful because if you apply too much you will look like a drag queen at 3pm in the afternoon. A good idea is to apply it only to problem areas wait 5 minutes and than layer if it needs too be.
So that's it brownies! It was a lot of info I hope you take full advantage and this helps you find the perfect foundation color.

Always BSB,
Miss BSB

SO LITTLE MAKEUP FOR TOO MANY SHADES

Today I went on a makeup hunt due to my MAC studio fix no longer working for my cocoa brown complexion. I had started to look ashy and boo I don't do ashy and dry looking makeup. I ain't feenin to be looking like Precious mom. LOL So I went to MAC and well no one really tried to help me so I left and went right across to Sephora. (customer service=sales..belee dat!!) So you know MAC is on my shit list but I am not going to give them up yet. I am still a MAC baby! Now of course it being the holiday season there was too many customers versus workers. So I lucked up and got one makeup artist but she was a small white woman and I got kinda nervous. Not because I believed she was inadequate but because I wasn't sure if she "understood my complexion." She asked me some basic questions and she recommended COVER FX foundation. We tried two shades and I purchased the darker one which covered my blemishes and my uneven skin tone. The great thing about COVER is it also acts an concealer so you kill two birds in one stone. The price was 45$ which is way more than drug store brands and about 17$ more than MAC but she was nice so I gave it try. Plus at SEPHORA if you don't like it you can return it. :)

But even though I did purchase a foundation I realized how little choices we have as women of color when it comes to makeup. Most makeup companies had an average of 4-6 shades for women of color. I seen some companies that had less. That is a problem because it is noted that there is more than 20 shades concerning black women's complexion. This is not including other ethnic groups like East Indian, Asian, and African women. Also the key to finding a good foundation is matching your undertone which various from blue, red, and yellow. This is the issue I had to day because alot of foundations had a warm undertone that made my skin look more red. When in fact, my undertone is more cool even though it was the right color it wasn't the right undertone. For example, I tried MAC studio tech in NW50 and it made my skin look more red and when I tried NC50 it blended better into my skin tone. Get me? Now, I was truly stunned that here I am surronded by so much makeup and I have so few choices it was so disappointing.

Especially when there are so many women of color who wear makeup I think we should have better selection. Because my brown is not Nia Long brown her brown isn't Gabrielle Union and her brown isn't Sanaa Lathan brown and her brown isn't Rihanna brown and her brown isn't Alek Wek brown. You get me? So I hope to have BSB makeup that will help ease the black female headache of finding the right foundation color.

Always BSB,

from the Black woman who needs the right color foundation :)

Brownskin is in!!!

Usher's Ex -Wife Tameka Foster on being a Dark-Skinned Female

Tameka Foster speaks on the so called "compliment" pretty to be dark-skinned and the color complex issues that plague the black community.

http://http//www.huffingtonpost.com/tameka-foster-raymond/shes-pretty-for-a-dark-sk_b_256784.html

Brownskin and the Media

Ok. I have been a music video fanactic since I was about 9. I have tapes of music videos from MTV and BET and even THE BOX. LOL. So I am a music video expert. One thing I have noticed in watching rap and r&b videos is the lack of brownies in the videos. (Brownies is my term for us brown and dark skin girls) Now you may catch some models in the back but you rarely see the main model being brownskin. Thats why I can literally tell you every video that has featured a brownie as the lead girl. The models always tend to be fair skinned, mixed, or look "exotic" where you can't even tell they race. Now dont think for a minute I am hating on these women. Not at all. I salute to all beautiful women regardless of skin color or race. But as a viewer, it gets to the point where you're like ummm... "Is these the only women you view attractive?" You start to want to see someone who looks like you not Adriana Lima especially when you know its sexy brownies out there.

Young girls are growing up watching these videos and it affects their self esteem and confidence. Because when you are constantly seeing this image of beauty and you are not that image you start to wonder, "Am I beautiful?" Am I attractive to men?" Trust me world this is not a good feeling. Especially because you can not change your complexion unless you have the MJ and Sammy Sosa serum and I doubt anyone does but them. And if you dont have a strong sense of self it will really get to you. And I'm not sayin every model in the music videos needs to be a brownie , not at all but I am sayin please showcase all shades of beauty.

So this is my plea to the music video directors and artists.

Please start to cast models of all complexions. We get it! You love lightskin and exotic looking women. But its starting to get tiring. There are beautiful brown women in the world so please take advantage and put them in your videos. Jimney crackers!

And I did a lil research and I put together a list of artists who have used brownies in their video more than once. (only the lead model not background)

Update: I quit the research. lol So here is some of the videos I know off hand that feature brown skin women!

Trey Songz: "Wonder Woman" "Last Time" "Missin U" "Invented Sex"

Chris Brown: "Say Goodbye" "Run it"

Micheal Jackson: "Thriller" "You Rock My World" "Remember The Time" "Keep it in the Closet"

R Kelly : "Slow Wind" "Wonderful" "Step in the Name of Love

Ne-yo: "Miss Independent" "Stay with Me" "Sexy Love"

T-Pain: "I'm in Love" "Can't Believe It" "Buy You a Drank" "Bartender"

Usher: "My Way" "U Remind Me" "Yeah" "Confessions II" "Seduction"

Fabolous: "Baby Don't Go" "Baby"

Pharrel Williams "Frontin" "She Wants to Move"

Tyrese: "Sweet Lady" "Signs of Lovemaking"

Ok I'm done for now. But I will update when I get more videos but its not alot....smh

What is BSB?

Let me introduce myself my name is Miss BSB Creator of BrownSkinBeauties. You may ask yourself what is BSB? BSB stands for BrownSkinBeauties and BSB started because one day at work, a customer told me, "You're pretty to be dark-skinned." Now that wasn't the first time I had heard that statement but for some reason it really got too me. Maybe because the man who said it was so adamant as if he had never seen an attractive brown skin girl in his life. He continued that night with various statements about my "attractiveness for skin complexion" like he didn't usually like dark skin girls but I was an exception. LOL. Was he serious? Yes. He was so serious. Than I went home and discussed it with my friend and we further got into the discussion of beauty standards concerning light vs dark. In conclusion, some men viewed lightskin as being more beautiful and dark being not so beautiful. So, I went straight to google to find outlets that was for brown skin women and beauty. Nothing. So I created BSB a company that will create products that will create higher beauty standards amongst brown skin women and build self confidence amongst those who suffer from color complexes. BSB is a movement and we are here to stay!