BeautyMe with Charisse Kenion

This week’s guest is someone I’ve wanted to have on for a while. I have so much respect and admiration for Irish makeup artist and creator Aoife Cullen. The first time I discovered her on Instagram I was blown away by her eyebrows. They were and still are, super skinny, almost like slashes that she uses to frame her amazing looks. Looks inspired often by the runway – you have to check out her brilliant fashion-themed video content – but also by requests and suggestions from her followers on social media. Nothing is off-topic for Aoife, except perhaps anything that’s too traditionally pretty or beautiful. For me she’s this stunning alien-type creature, and I think she’s cool with that description.  Aoife’s based in London and I’m still doing most of my podcasts via Zoom, so I finally invited her onto the podcast because I wanted to be super nosy and delve into how she became the inspiration she is to so many. In this episode I ask Aoife about the recent backlash to Kanye West’s ex girlfriend Julia Fox’s high fashion black eye moment – let me know what you thought of the look; you can either email beautymepodcast@gmail.com or head over to my DMs at @beautymepodcast. I also wanted to find out how Aoife got her start in the makeup industry, what it means to feel like you don’t fit in and what her creative process entails. I hope you love it, be sure to follow Aoife on Instagram and TikTok. She also has her work account on Instagram too: https://www.instagram.com/aoifecullen.otherfaces/ As always it would be great if you could show support for the podcast by leaving a review or rating anywhere you like to listen. And check out my newsletter at beautymenotes.substack.com. See you next time. Products mentioned: Clinisoothe+ Skin Purifier: https://clinisoothe.com/products/skin-purifier Weleda Skin Food: https://www.weleda.co.uk/skinfood Then I Met You Soothing Tea Cleansing Gel: https://thenimetyou.com/products/soothing-tea-cleansing-gel

This week it’s a new Meet the Founder episode. If you don’t already know, Meet the Founder always takes place first on Instagram Live. It’s a really great way for brand founders to connect with future founders and share their experiences. As it’s a live experience, the editing is minimal – so you might hear the odd glitch! But my guest’s advice makes it all worth it. As the founder and CEO of cult brand Topicals, California-based Olamide Olowe’s goal is very clear: she aims to analyse the culture and use science to create products that truly answer a need. So far products such as Faded and Like Butter have gained massive popularity purely for the fact that they actually do the work. As well as sharing her story from the beginning, Olamide also opens up about her spiritual side, and themes such as empathy, faith and joy come up regularly, as does her belief in finding the right people to build a successful team. She also hints that the brand is finally coming to the UK very soon! I can’t wait for that to happen and to see what’s next for the brand and Olamide herself; I really think she’s someone to watch when it comes to building the work environment of the future. I hope you enjoy it and do please tag me when you’re listening and be sure to follow @topicals on Instagram to find out more. If you’d like to see our faces while we chat, then head over to @beautymepodcast on Instagram to watch under my Live section. See you next time! Did you know I also have a newsletter? Sign up here: https://beautymenotes.substack.com

I don't know about you, but I've never really known anyone with diabetes. I've heard rumours that it runs in my family, and heard horror stories about terrible things that can happen if it goes untreated, but aside from that, I've been pretty ignorant. It wasn't until I started following YouTuber and NHS Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Nurse Alanna Campbell, that I began to realise that diabetes is actually an autoimmune disease that can be incredibly challenging. So I thought, why not bring Alanna onto the pod to discuss beauty and diabetes - and how her first pregnancy is affecting both!  In this episode Alanna shares how she has spent 20+ years living with diabetes, how YouTube started out as a form of talk therapy after the passing of her father, and why she won't ever create content just for the sake of it. Alanna is pretty much how you find her on her social platforms; open and honest and a little bit sarcastic. If we don't answer all of your questions on diabetes, be sure to get in touch over @beautymepodcast and you can find Alanna at @altogetheralanna on Instagram and YouTube. As always, it would be amazing if you could rate and review the podcast - you can do that on Apple and Spotify now! Did you know I also have a newsletter? Sign up here: https://beautymenotes.substack.com

This week’s episode was definitely a no-brainer for me. Last year I did a complete overview of the hair and makeup in the Netflix film Malcolm & Marie, and the lead actress, Zendaya is also a key character in HBO’s Euphoria. You know, that show that’s all about teen drama and has inspired makeup lovers around the world to create some amazing looks based on their favourite characters Maddy, Cassie, Rue, Kat and Jules. In this episode I talk about the looks makeup designer Doniella Davy created in the first season of Euphoria, and how she’s changing things up in season 2. Once again you can choose to listen or watch this episode on Spotify – if you watch you’ll get to see all the looks I talk about, and you also see the visual version on YouTube. I hope you enjoy it and if you’re watching on YouTube be sure to give it a thumbs-up, or if you’re listening please do rate and review. See you next time! Products mentioned: Glossier Stretch concealer: https://www.glossier.com/products/stretch-concealer Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield SPF50: https://colorescienceuk.com/products/sunforgettable-total-protection-face-shield-spf-50?variant=31597796458561 Indeed Labs Nanoblur Instant Skin Finisher: https://www.lookfantastic.com/indeed-labs-nanoblur-instant-skin-finisher-30ml/11355393.html MAC Face & Body: https://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/13847/32554/products/makeup/face/foundation/studio-face-and-body-foundation-120-ml Face Atelier: https://tiltmakeup.com/products/face-atelier-ultra-foundation-pro Chantecaille Future Skin: https://chantecaille.com/products/future-skin?variant=32948909342816 Follow me on Instagram @beautymepodcast, check out my YouTube and be sure to sign up for my newsletter https://beautymenotes.substack.co

Today I’ve got another Deep Dive for you, but before we get into it I must say, I am not an expert in NFTs nor am I an expert in anything remotely money-related. I just wanted to do this mini Deep Dive because I know that many of us have no clue what an NFT is or how it might influence the world of beauty. As well as breaking down what NFTs are, I’ll be discussing why women are being targeted as the next big thing in the financial world and how beauty brands like Nars and e.l.f. have been dipping their toe in since last June. I also enlist the help of New York-based Daira Szostak, who alongside her Fortuna DAO co-founder Sarah Mendelsohn, is hoping to educate women and female-identifying people on the intricacies of what can be a confusing and complex concept for some. I’d love to know what you all think; do you already own an NFT? Let me know over in the DMs at @beautymepodcast on Instagram or email me beautymepodcast@gmail.com. See you next time! Did you know I have a newsletter too? You can sign up for BeautyMe Notes here: https://beautymenotes.substack.com Check out my latest upload on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKuq1As9ifCJOxvPOv6w3wQ Articles and videos mentioned: Glossy.co: https://www.glossy.co/beauty/the-nft-craze-now-includes-major-beauty-brands/  Huda Kattan YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zuRo-2rqPs&t=326s Vogue Business: https://www.voguebusiness.com/technology/nars-joins-nft-hype-as-beauty-tests-potential Gizmodo: https://gizmodo.com/people-are-shelling-out-six-figures-for-nft-rocks-1847508926 The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/22310188/nft-explainer-what-is-blockchain-crypto-art-faq https://www.fortuna-dao.com The Girls that Get It audio from @khaenotbae on TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLNMfTWp/

This week’s guest is someone I had on back in August, 2019. At that time Texas-born Lauren Napier was enjoying the height of her beauty brand being loved around the world; she literally made the most luxurious makeup removing wipes ever. But then the pandemic hit and the New York-based business owner's supply chain was seriously affected. So I really wanted to bring Lauren back on to have a kind of catch up and find out how the past two years have affected her both personally and business-wise, and I wanted to see how she has been able to pivot. Thanks so much for listening; I hope you gained as much as I did from this conversation with Lauren. I love her energy and can’t wait to grab a copy of her book. In the meantime be sure to follow Lauren’s brand @laurennapierbeauty and look out for some video snippets of our chat over on my Instagram @beautymepodcast. If you want to stay in touch with everything else I’m up to be sure to subscribe to my newsletter here: https://beautymenotes.substack.com See you next time!

I’m bringing back my #BeautyBuzz - a more beauty news and information-focused segment that I started before the whole world went inside. Think of them as bite-sized snack style podcast that are either focused on beauty news or a 10 Minute Deep Dive into something very specific. My first guest expert for a 10-Minute Deep Dive is Elisabeth Williamson; she’s a facialist and gua sha practitioner who’s been on BeautyMe before in episode 32. Elisabeth truly believes in the power of gua sha and is always sharing really easy to follow videos on the ancient technique, so I thought she’d be the perfect guest for a 10 Minute Deep Dive into gua sha. If you enjoyed this episode be sure to give it a rating wherever you’re listening – by the way Spotify allows you to rate the show now so I’d love it if you could get involved! You can see more of Elisabeth on Instagram @elisa_lune and if you’ve got any further gua sha questions pop them into my DMs at @beautymepodcast and I’ll get them answered for you. Thanks for listening!

This week I wanted to share some beauty news around trends we can expect to see more of in 2022; it's a short episode so don't expect a deep dive into any of the subjects just yet. Instead I wanted it to be an informative overview of what's to come, so I’ve been trying to read as much as I can, so that you don’t have to! I will be doing further episodes on trends and topics I've missed out, and in the meantime, if there’s a trend you want to know more about, DM me on Instagram or leave a comment on YouTube if you’re watching or email beautymepodcast@gmail.com. For this episode I’ve broken the areas of growth down into Beauty Tech (specifically at-home tech), Self Expression, from your makeup to your armpits, Eat Your Greens - the sea greens we will be eating more of and Skinfluenced - which includes insights from online store LookFantastic. I'm sharing key trends and also my opinion on some of them.  Brands/products/people mentioned: Foreo NuFace CurrentBody MZ ZIIP YSL Rouge Sur Mesure Marisa Tomei on Vogue Beauty Secrets Leo Chaparro Aoife Cullen Raisa Flowers Katie Jane Hughes Ehlie Luna Gabrielle Alvarez Jonet Williamson Bex Campbell Stacey Louise Adeola Gboyega Hung Vanngo LoveSeen Wellandgood Report Cerave Hydrating Cleanser Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm LookFantastic Skinfluencer report If you're watching this on Spotify let me know what you think! And if you're watching on YouTube be sure to leave a comment on what you think I missed out. You can also find me on TikTok @charissek

It's the first episode of 2022 so I wanted to start with a guest who's all about good vibes and mindfulness. I'm aware that January can be this month where we all feel like we *have* to do a detox or take on an entirely new regime, not to mention have a resolutions list that would impress on social media. So I wanted to just ease into the year with a guest who could provide thoughtful solutions on how to get started with affirmations. But that's not all Patricia San Pedro has to offer. Florida-based Patricia San Pedro is the Korean-American author of Face Fitness, a book that contains 50 simple exercises we can do to get toned and glowing skin, as well as the founder of Sunina Skin and she’s a mum of four. I first found Patricia on Instagram sharing facial exercises and since then I've regularly tried to commit to her easy to follow gua sha routines. I wanted to invite Patricia on to find out more about building a beauty brand during a pandemic and how she juggles a busy family life with business and content creation, so in this episode I ask her about challenging moments in her life, and what it was that instilled the concept of mindfulness into her daily life.  If you head over to @beautymepodcast on Instagram you’ll see Patricia demonstrating her two favourite facial exercises that we can all do at home. You can also follow Patricia @patriciasanpedro_ and check her brand @suninaskin out too. Please tag me when you’re listening and as always, do please review, like, subscribe, follow – all that good stuff! See you next time. Patricia’s book Face Fitness: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/face-fitness-simple-exercises-and-rituals-for-toned-glowing-skin/patricia-san-pedro/hardback/9781797205236.html You can also find @beautymepodcast on Twitter and YouTube and feel free to say hi over on my personal Instagram @charisse_kenion.

Ending the year on a chilled note, this week’s episode is part 2 of my focus on burnout. While the first episode – number 97 – was all about sharing experiences and solutions from my guests, this part is more about the things I like to do to just try and get my body and mind back into some kind of balance. I'm sharing my top five things to do when burnout is making an appearance but it's definitely a case of finding what's right for you. What works for me, might not suit you, and sometimes, what I rely on might not work at all! In this episode I discuss everything from luxe candles to mindful massages and simple breathing techniques. I feel like this is the ideal time of year to share because so many of us are feeling the very real pressures that come with the 'festive period'. It's not all fun and games, so I hope this gives you something when you need a time out. Thank you so much for listening; do please share this with anyone who might need it. And do please rate, review and subscribe! See you soon but in the meantime be sure to sign up for my newsletter, and follow me @beautymepodcast on Instagram and Twitter. Products/services mentioned: Cyre candles: https://cyreofficial.com Soak Sunday: https://soaksunday.com The Ouai candles: https://theouai.co.uk/collections/candles Liha Beauty: https://lihabeauty.com Disciple London DownTime range: https://disciplelondon.com/collections/the-range Skin Proud: https://iamskinproud.com Pacifica at Cult Beauty: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/brands/pacifica.list?search=pacifica Linnaean: https://linnaean.co.uk Alqvimia: https://alqvimia.com