The Charisse Report

If you’re a regular listener to the BeautyMe podcast then you’ll know that in the past few weeks I’ve put out two episodes featuring beauty writer Jessica DeFino. Also, if you know me at all, you’ll know that I’ve been a major fan and sharer of her work. I fully appreciate the effort and time that Jessica puts into her articles, which have been seen in the likes of Harper’s Bazaar, The Zoe Report, Allure, and most recently, the New York Times… Jessica has written some amazing pieces when it comes to skincare, the skin microbiome, even glitter – but I think it’s the New York Times article that’s going to be her most talked about piece, and for all the wrong reasons. Entitled Is This the End of the Manicure? the ensuing response from the nail industry in the States but also here in the UK, has set the internet ablaze. In this episode, I want to look at what Jessica wrote, and also provide a rebuttal that I think the nail industry wants and needs. The reason I felt compelled to create an episode focused solely on the article was because it just felt weird not to address it. I’m not a writer or podcaster that’s supported by brands to keep food on the table, and I’m really glad about that. At the heart of it, I am someone who is fascinated by people and their stories, particularly when they pertain to the beauty industry. It didn’t feel right to one day be promoting a podcast all about Jessica’s skincare routine and not address what’s really going on with her most recent work. Thank you to everyone who sent me voice notes or allowed me to incorporate their own content into this episode. I really hope this shows some balance and would love to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the DMs over on Instagram @beautymepodcast or email me beautymepodcast@gmail.com. 

Today’s guest is Rohma Ejaz, a London-based beauty PR who also loves to play with makeup on the side. In this episode Rohma discusses her skincare routine in detail (info below), why she’s seen more evidence of dark circles since working from home and how to be unapologetic when it comes to feeling your feelings and wearing your resting bitch face (RBF).  You can find Rohma's makeup account on Instagram @rohmaejaz.mu to see her experiments! As always thanks so much for listening and do please like, subscribe or leave a review for BeautyMe! You can find me over on Instagram @beautymepodcast or check out my personal account @charisse.kenion. See you next time! PRODUCTS MENTIONED: Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser: https://www.glossier.com/products/milky-jelly-cleanser Temple Spa In The Beginning Deep Cleansing Melt: https://www.templespa.com/in-the-beginning-cleanser Eve Lom Cleanser: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/eve-lom-cleanser.html Decorté Phytotune Toning Lotion: https://www.decortecosmetics.co.uk/products/phytotune-toning-lotion?_pos=3&_sid=d5b0c03fc&_ss=r Decorté Vi Fusion Essence Micro-Treatment Fluid Serum: https://www.decortecosmetics.co.uk/collections/serums/products/vi-fusion-essence Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint: https://www.johnlewis.com/chanel-les-beiges-water-fresh-tint/p4071381 Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation: https://www.narscosmetics.co.uk/en/new/soft-matte-collection Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint: https://www.glossier.com/products/perfecting-skin-tint It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer: https://www.itcosmetics.co.uk/face/concealer/bye-bye-under-eye-concealer/ITC_0005.html

Although Jessica DeFino’s Instagram bio says she’s the ‘beauty reporter who doesn’t use beauty products’, she actually does have a few favourites, mainly due to her search for a natural solution to her Dermatitis. In this #BeautyBuzz episode she shares the products that she truly loves, why she loves a bit of DIY and explains how Jojoba Oil has saved her Accutane-damaged sebaceous glands. Be sure to check out Jessica’s work at https://www.jessica-defino.com and find her on Instagram at @jessicadefino_ You can find me @beautymepodcast or check out my personal Instagram @charisse.kenion. Please do share, subscribe and/or leave a review and help BeautyMe be seen! Thanks so much for listening and see you next week. One Love Organic Vitamin B Cleanser: https://www.thedetoxmarket.com/products/one-love-organics-vitamin-b-enzyme-cleansing-oil-elizabeth-dehn Flora Manuka Honey: https://www.florahealth.com/us/products/manuka-honey-mgo-515-15-umf/ Cortas Rose Water: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cortas-Rose-Water-300ml/dp/B00V8TRZG4 Kari Gran Essential SPF: https://karigran.com/collections/organic-skin-care/products/essential-spf-28-50 Goat Milk Powder: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Delamere-Dairy-Goats-Powder-400g/dp/B084G7NGLH/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=powdered+goat+milk&qid=1604666867&s=grocery&sr=1-6 Wildflower and the Rose: https://wildflowerandtherose.com/blogs/flower-lessons/hibiscus-blonde-hair-rinse Uma Absolute Anti-Aging Body Balm: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/uma-absolute-anti-aging-body-balm.html

So excited to share this episode with you! If you want to hear refreshing, honest commentary on the beauty industry from someone who clearly does their research, then this is the episode for you. Jessica DeFino is a beauty writer based in New Jersey, but I like to think of her as more of an investigator. She's written for the likes of Harper’s Bazaar, The Zoe Report, Allure – the list goes on… During that time Jessica has created a niche for herself as someone who doesn’t believe evetything that big beauty has to tell us. Of course that means she's had her detractors along the way, and in this episode I really wanted to know how she deals with all the Instagram comment debates. I also wanted to know how she found her way to a more natural beauty vibe, after dealing with Dermatitis and the effects of the prescription steroids she was put on to 'cure' it. Today her regime is really, really minimalist, as in, it's just rose water and Jojoba oil for her day to day skincare. I also wanted to know if she intentionally tried to dismantle the beauty industry to gain a following, and she's super honest with her answer. Read Jessica's work at https://jessicalyarbrough.com and follow her over on Instagram  Be sure to check out https://www.charissekenion.co/podcast to see all the other episodes and you can follow me on Instagram @beautymepodcast or my personal account @charisse.kenion. Please do take a minute to leave a review - it helps BeautyMe be seen! Thanks for listening and see you next week!

I’ve wanted to interview Afia Kuofor for a while now. She’s the face behind @dontpopthatspot, an Instagram account where she talks freely about her skin journey. As well as being a journalism student and presenter, Afia calls herself an acne activist. Over the past 10 years, since she was 12 years old, Afia's skin has had 'good' periods and what she refers to as ‘waves’ of acne. In this episode Afia shares why she's decided not to try Roaccutane (yet) and why she decided to set up @dontpopthatspot. As someone who has existed with hormonal acne for several years, I really wanted to get to the heart of how Afia approaches acne with such calm acceptance. One thing that came out of this conversation for me, is how we refer to 'dealing' with, or 'suffering' with acne, or calling acne an 'issue'. It's clear that it goes way beyond what we see in the mirror. Thanks so much for listening. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @beautymepodcast, and if you have time I would love if you could provide a review - it really helps the podcast be seen out there. See you next week! Products mentioned: CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser: https://www.boots.com/cerave-hydrating-cleanser-236ml-10246701- Neostrata Mandelic Clarifying Cleanser: https://www.skincity.co.uk/p-726-mandelic-clarifying-cleanser-200ml.aspx?slndg=56faa4c22706&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoffasL3F7AIVBKp3Ch1ItAbjEAQYAiABEgKDlPD_BwE CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion SPF25: https://www.boots.com/cerave-facial-moisturising-lotion-spf25-10246705- Cetaphil Rich Night Cream: https://www.boots.com/cetaphil-rich-night-cream-10246698 Galderma Acnecide 5% Benzoyl Peroxide: https://www.superdrug.com/Health/Medicated-Skin/Acne-&-Spots-Treatment/Acnecide-Gel-Spot-Treatment-Benzoyl-Peroxide-30g/p/374606 Dots for Spots: https://dotsforspots.com

WOW, we made it to the 50th episode! Did I think we’d get here? Yes, I did, but I didn’t realise how much the podcast would evolve, and how that was due, in no small part to Covid and the whole world being on lockdown. Before we went into lockdown at the end of March here in the UK, I had about 20 episodes under my belt and was still trying to ensure consistency, but fast forward one month and it made sense to look for women around the world to share how lockdown was affecting them - and their beauty routines. In this minisode I share a few of my favourite moments with the likes of Joy Matashi, AKA @joydarlinginnit on Instagram, Jess Young, the creator of @boysinpolish and Clay Reid, Senior Makeup Artist for Nars in the UK and Ireland. Looking ahead, I’m going to do my best to get back to the face to face video episodes that I know some of you love – but this will always be an audio-led podcast. That being said, my next few episodes will be recorded via video phone calls because we’re back on these lockdown tiers, so if there’s anyone you’d like me to reach out to, let me know! Thank you for every listen, every subscribe and every review; it only makes me better. Here’s to the next 50 episodes, and I’ll see you next week. Be sure to say hi over @beautymepodcast on Instagram.

Sarah Novio is a fulltime beauty content creator from New York, living in Florida. I’ve wanted to have her on as a guest for some time; not only because I love her TikTok - it’s super informative and not just beauty for beauty’s sake - but also because she has some amazing tattoos that I wanted to be nosy about!  In this episode Sarah shares how she went from being an art lecturer and painter to dedicating her creativity to social media and makeup. We also talk about the pressure to buy everything when you exist in the beauty space, and how it’s important to keep it real with yourself, and your audience. You can find Sarah on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram @sarah_novio and over on @beautymepodcast you’ll get to see some video snippets of our chat. Do please rate, review and subscribe - it means a lot and really makes a difference in getting this podcast out there. Thank you for listening and don’t hesitate to let me know what you think over in the DMs. See you next week, C.x

Last week’s episode was with makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes and it had a lot of really great feedback- so thank you! From that episode I shared several video snippets, which you can find on Instagram @beautymepodcast. They’ve had thousands of views, but the snippet that made the most impact, was the one where Katie shared how makeup was her meditation. In this mini episode I’m going to share some of your comments and also some voice notes that some of the listeners sent in, like Annie, whose voice you’ll hear at the beginning of the show. Thank you to everyone who commented on the post and sent in the voice notes. If you need shownotes, head to charissekenion.co/podcast and you can find full notes for every single episode. Thanks again for listening! Portrait of Katie by me.

If you’ve ever followed me personally on Instagram you will no doubt know that New York-based makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes is a major influence. It’s not just Katie’s amazing makeup skills that she applies to the likes of Ashley Graham and Hailey Beiber, it’s her daily commitment to sharing her own makeup process, her creation of the hashtag #normalizeskintexture, and her willingness to reply to DMs. Thankfully, we were able to do this interview face to face as Katie has been in the UK, in her hometown of Southport, for the past few months - this was recorded before the UK government sent us back into lockdown by the way. In this episode Katie pays homage to singer mum Gill’s influence and talks about being bullied as a teenager and why she always wanted to move to a big city. Katie hated school, and often felt that she never excelled at it and always felt like the odd one out. Today she works with the likes of Weleda, Revlon, Makeup Forever and more and also has her own makeup brush range coming out with Spectrum very soon, but in this episode she shares her first work experiences behind an Estée Lauder counter and how she thought she was really rocking a black lip liner at her sister’s wedding. Be sure to check out all the video snippets of my conversation with Katie over on Instagram and also there's a special video over on my YouTube! Full disclaimer; we did this recording face to face at the Bliss Hotel, Southport, so you’re definitely going to hear some background noise. Regardless I hope you love this episode! Please do share, like, subscribe and review - it means a lot. Thanks so much for listening and see you next week! Products mentioned: Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm: https://www.feelunique.com/p/Elemis-Pro-Collagen-Cleansing-Balm Ren Rosa Centifolia Cleanse & Reveal Hot Cloth Cleanser: https://www.renskincare.com/products/rosa-centifolia-tm-cleanse-reveal-hot-cloth-cleanser Weleda Skin Food: https://www.lookfantastic.com/weleda-skin-food-75ml/10540680.html Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/summer-fridays-lip-butter-balm.html Glossier Brow Flick: https://www.glossier.com/products/brow-flick?search=brow Makeup Forever Multi Use Matte Pencil in Endless Cacao: https://www.gurumakeupemporium.com/cosmetics-c5/eyes-c1/make-up-for-ever-artist-color-pencil-multi-use-matte-pencil-p3153 Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Foxy Brown: https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/product/lip-cheat-foxy-brown

It’s taken me a long time to accept that my skin has issues. That’s probably not the same as saying I accept my skin, but hey. If someone had told me as a teenager that those breakouts would follow me for the REST OF MY LIFE I might have wanted to scream. Also, it might have been useful to learn skin acceptance a long time ago, because working in beauty journalism probably *hasn't* been the most healthy environment... In this episode I share the products that help me get through the breakouts, what I use when I’m having a better skin day, and why, ultimately, it has to come down to my mindset. Products mentioned CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser: https://amzn.to/3iDq94Y CeraVe’s Foaming Cleanser: https://amzn.to/32EzCmN Caudalie Make-up Removing Cleansing Oil: https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/caudalie-makeup-removing-cleansing-oil.html Dermatica: https://www.dermatica.co.uk Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant: https://www.paulaschoice.co.uk/skin-perfecting-bha-liquid-exfoliant-xl-2012.html Heritage Store Rosewater with Glycerin: https://amzn.to/35WYrwD Peter Thomas Roth Cloud Cream: https://amzn.to/2FDt2nR Glossier Super Pure: https://www.glossier.com/products/super-pure PCA Skin Clearskin: https://pcaskin.co.uk/collections/acne/products/pca-skin-clearskin?variant=1382375030813 @labeautyologist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa9iOE-ab8i9cXkUa7wJqOQ Jessica DeFino on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicadefino_/