The Charisse Report

If you're up on your social media trends, then you'll be familiar with the less-is-more vibe of the 'clean girl aesthetic' trend, but for many black and brown women, it's simply a more natural, pared-down approach to beauty that they have been enjoying for decades. Despite many a content creator labelling the likes of Bella Hadid and Hailey Beiber as the originators of the 'clean girl' trend, for me, the original clean girl has to be Sade, lead singer of her eponymous band. Folasade Adu is a Nigerian-born British singer known for her velvety tones and clean beauty aesthetic - think red lip, hair in a bun and a pair of gold hoop earrings. In this episode I discuss the look and also touch on the concept of black beauty creators not always being given credit for starting new trends, in fashion, beauty or social media. There is also a video to really show you what I'm talking about, which you can find on the @beautymepodcast Instagram or on my TikTok @charissekenion. In fact for each of these 25 '90s Beauty Moments podcasts there's a matching video! 

If you love ‘90s makeup AND rnb then you need to check out today’s 90s Beauty Moment; I'm talking about Mary J Blige, AKA the Queen of Hip Hop Soul and an absolute icon for black women around the world when it came to hair, beauty and fashion throughout the '90s. Between 1992 and 1999 Mary released 4 albums and with each album came new looks and new inspiration. Mary absolutely deserves her own full-length episode, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, let me know, are you a Mary J fan? Or is this the first time you're hearing about her? Let me know over in the DMs on Twitter or Instagram @beautymepodcast or email me your thoughts at beautymepodcast@gmail.com. Don’t forget there’s a full series of ‘90s beauty TikToks to go with each of these mini podcasts over at charissekenion. Do let me know if you’ve enjoyed this episode and feel free to give us the gift of a 5-star rating over on Spotify, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening. BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/ BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme

Thirty years ago the image of a naked pregnant woman on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine caused outrage around the world. While it absolutely impacted how the pregnant body was seen, in this episode I question if we've really come that far. Today, the likes of Serena Williams and Rihanna have publicly embraced their baby bumps for the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair, respectively, but yet, for every positive comment, there's always someone saying they feel disgusted and that a pregnant body is not something that 'should' be on show. I'd love to know what you think, so please feel free to DM me at @beautymepodcast on Twitter or Instagram, or email me direct beautymepodcast@gmail.com. Don’t forget there’s a full series of ‘90s beauty TikToks to go with each of these mini podcasts over at charissekenion. Do let me know if you’ve enjoyed this episode and feel free to give us the gift of a 5-star rating over on Spotify, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening. BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/ BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme

TW: in this episode I will touch on themes of abuse so please skip to the next episode if that's not something you want to hear today. In the mid 1980s, Sinéad O'Connor was just getting started with her music career, and a record exec asked her to consider growing her hair long and start wearing short skirts ‘like a girl’ as a way of ‘selling’ her music. The next day she walked into a barbershop and asked a young barber to make her look ‘like a boy.’ In this episode I break down the reasons Sinéad gave for her cutting her hair - reasons that changed between the '90s and when she later appeared on popular TV show Dr Phil in 2017. Don’t forget there’s a full series of ‘90s beauty TikToks to go with each of these mini podcasts over at charissekenion. Do let me know if you’ve enjoyed this episode and feel free to give us the gift of a 5-star rating over on Spotify, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening. BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/ BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme

It’s the third of my 25 '90s Beauty Moments and today its’ Madonna’s music video for her 1990 single Vogue. I believe this video is so valuable to not only the history of music, but also to the New York counterculture of ballroom. Before this video, the pageantry of ballroom, including the style of dance, Vogueing, would not have been seen in the mainstream. In this mini episode I break down just why this music video is so important and share information on the hair and beauty imagery we see, which is heavily influenced by artists and photographers from the 1940s. I’ve also created a TikTok to go with this episode and each of the other 24 episodes so head to my account @charissekenion. Do let me know if you’ve enjoyed this episode and feel free to give us the gift of a 5-star rating over on Spotify, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening. BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/ BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme

It’s the second of 25 '90s Beauty Moments and today I'm looking at the iconic wardrobe, hair and makeup for Madonna's world tour, Blond Ambition, which took place from April to August 1990. Alongside 24 other episodes, consider this my alternative gift guide, or Advent Calendar, as each day I'll be uploading a new minisode, alongside a dedicated TikTok too! In this episode I share insights into who worked on the hair and makeup for this 57-date tour and why the wardrobe, designed by Paris-based fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier has stood the test of time.  Let me know if you’ve enjoyed this episode and feel free to give us the gift of a 5-star rating over on Spotify, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening. BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/ BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme

This episode is all about my love/hate relationship with the final print cover of Allure magazine. I’m sharing what I truly love about the shoot with Friends and Along Came Polly actress Jennifer Aniston, and I’m sharing why I’m still annoyed with magazines for their excessive reliance on Photoshop and retouching in general. I’d really love to know what you think if you’ve seen the Jennifer Aniston Allure cover and if you think that retouching is just par for the course when it comes to celebrities and beauty media. If you haven’t seen the cover, head to my TikTok to see what I’m talking about @charissekenion. Let me know your thoughts on Twitter or Instagram @beautymepodcast or feel free to share them via email at beautymepodcast@gmail.com. Don’t forget there’s also the newsletter which you can subscribe to for free at beautymenotes.substack.com. Thank you so much for listening; if you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star rating on Spotify or write a review over on Apple Podcasts – it really helps! Links mentioned: Ep 129: Why do we still use Photoshop to retouch beauty images? https://open.spotify.com/episode/7cMMB7u0I4AQTh0Q9GxMgI?si=JWpDdSmXRmO_MXM06lzJmw  Ep 137: A conflicted breakdown of Linda Evangelista’s British Vogue September issue cover: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5y7Fhvg0cIl3llWCSdgfHT?si=9846560859bf4865 Ep 146: The future of Allure magazine as it goes digital-only; why Brits aren’t bothered about Sephora, yet and Taylor Swift: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Nfn6GDY9WtjG2Jlu0bCdg?si=4bff03a6357c4385 Jennifer on Allure’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNQ37AE_sRM&t=6s Jennifer Aniston TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion/video/7167015236279569669?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 James Welsh - CGI Beauty in Reality TV. Fake age, fake skin, fake tears? Instagram Vs Reality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1PSu3qnCec

It’s the first of 25 '90s Beauty Moments and I’m starting with George Michael’s 1990 video for Freedom! 90. In this mini episode I break down just why this music video was so iconic – and still is, 30+ years later. I’ll be back with 24 more similar mini episodes as part of my alternative Advent Calendar. I’ve also created a TikTok to go with each of the 25 episodes so head to my account  @charissekenion to see how I bring each one to life with images and video from the ‘90s. Do let me know if you’ve enjoyed this episode and feel free to give us the gift of a 5-star rating over on Spotify, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you so much for listening. BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/ BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme

This episode is all about the products that I always go back to. They might not have anything to do with a specific concern – they are simply the products that make my skin feel good or better – the kind of products about which I only have good things to say. If you’re a regular listener to BeautyMe you might have heard me mention a couple of them in the past so this episode will be further proof of just why I love them. Do let me know if you’ve used any of these products over @beautymepodcast on Instagram or Twitter, or DM me over on TikTok @charissekenion. You can also now shop my shelf! From now on any product-focused episodes will feature a link to ShopMy where I can earn a small commission if you use my link: https://shopmy.us/beautyme I’ve also got a newsletter for you over at beautymenotes.substack.com so be sure to subscribe and read for free. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you could leave BeautyMe a 5 star review over on Spotify, or write up a review at Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.  Products mentioned:  Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm: https://go.shopmy.us/p-821354 La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra 8 Face Mist: https://go.shopmy.us/p-821346 Clinisoothe Skin Purifier: https://clinisoothe.com/ Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream: https://go.shopmy.us/p-821344 CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum: https://go.shopmy.us/p-821349 CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser: https://go.shopmy.us/p-821351 Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant: https://go.shopmy.us/p-821353 BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/ BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion BeautyMe on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme

This episode is all about about what I liked and loved about the Savage X Fenty Volume 4 show and I’ll share some of the looks and how they were created and just my thoughts in general. For me this was a heavily produced and edited take on the show and I totally get it's likely that that's what Rihanna and the team wanted to achieve with this fourth show. I just prefer the rhythm of the previous shows, a little less done. But I think I'm in a minority when it comes to that criticism and of course I have a ton of positive things to say too. The main focus is the makeup, again headed up by the brilliant Fenty Beauty Global Makeup Artists Hector Espinal and Priscilla Ono, and I loved their metallic theme in particular  - such a major trend right now! I'd love to know what you thought of the show so feel free to DM me @beautymepodcast on Twitter or Instagram and you can also check out my Volume 4 TikTok @charissekenion too. If you want a little more context then be sure to check out episode 149 where I break down the importance of the Savage X Fenty show and share my favourite makeup looks from the first three shows. You can also find my writing at beautymenotes.substack.com and if you liked this episode do please give it a 5-star review on Spotify and share your thoughts on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening! BeautyMe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beautymepodcast BeautyMe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautymepodcast/ BeautyMe newsletter: https://beautymenotes.substack.com BeautyMe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenion