When I see a woman who carries herself with grace, confidence, or quiet strength, something in me recognizes her. Her beauty reminds me of mine. It’s like looking in a mirror that reflects not just my face, but my spirit. In those moments, I’m reminded that beauty isn’t competition, it’s connection.

For me beauty has become more about a certain feeling and an appreciation for the love that is shared between loved ones.

For me beauty has become more about a certain feeling and an appreciation for the love that is shared between loved ones.

Time in this world can make a Black woman’s love waver, but this piece is a reminder that we deserve to feel good in our skin, with or without the world’s validation.

After giving birth, I felt both miraculous and undone, caught between gratitude for my daughter and grief for the version of myself I no longer recognized.

Beauty for me is freedom, its laughter, its dancing. I believe a person is at their most beautiful when they are their most authentic selves. I think when I was younger I probably thought about beauty in more traditional terms.

My whole life, I have lived with an ongoing struggle with my skin. Growing up, I remember being proud of my skin color, hazelnut with a hint of orange zest. I loved the beauty mark on my forearm and the luminous glow my skin gave off like a firefly in the summer. But as I grew older, I began to encounter several challenges with my skin, mostly due to allergies, eczema, acne and keloid scars.

Being a plus-size Black woman in Venezuela, I have been through a very interesting process of self-awareness of my body shape, how I look from the inside to the outside. This process has brought me greater self-awareness of the meaning of being a Latino American Black woman. I started feeling passionate about this subject when I was a kid.

When Layla and Mya started their business, Suga Babes, in April 2012, they had one dream - to sell sugar scrubs online to family and friends.

For someone who spends her lunch hour lurking around beauty shops and returns to work with swatched arms, the Indie Beauty Expo (IBE) is my literal heaven. Having stumbled upon it last year through a co-worker’s suggestion, I made sure to attend this year’s as well.