Beautiful Black Bloggers - Zandile Blay

I’m a girl who clicks around the Internets, and I’ve noticed something — whenever there’s a list of “bloggers we want to see in bikinis” or “most beautiful bloggers,” there’s a distinct lack of melanin in the women featured on the list. What’s with that?

It’s noticeable to me because I am part of a vibrant and growing community of beautiful bloggers of color. So instead of sitting idly by and observing these totally subjective male-decided top ten beauty lists go by, I decided to start my own celebration.

There are so many beautiful black bloggers out there with beauty tips to share. Allow me to introduce you bellas to some of them — beginning with the one, the only Zandile Blay of The Blay Report!

Zandile hails from Ghana, and she’s made a big name for herself as a style and culture writer. Her articles have appeared in InStyle, Vibe, the much-missed Vibe Vixen, and Seventeen magazine, and she’s styled shoots for Lucky Magazine and Polo.

I had originally reached out to Z. Blay for her tips on this Ask Afrobella especially for dark skinned bellas, and right after a jaunt to Milan for Fashion Week, she took the time to tell me about her beauty regimen. And she sympathized with New Beginnings, who had a tough time finding makeup in her perfect shade.

“I definitely feel her pain. I don’t know what she means by “dark skinned” as it’s all really relative - but i know what its like to go to a makeup counter where the shades just don’t match. That’s probably one of the main reasons why I avoid make up all together and just focus on skin care,” Zandile explained. She takes a more holistic approach to beauty.

“Instead of layering on foundations and bronzers, etcetera, I just make sure that I stick to a skin regime that keeps my skin looking fresh, radiant and as flawless as possible.” Sensible and smart! Any favorite products?

“My brand of choice is 3Lab skin care. i use their face moisturizer, skin toner and face wash daily.”

I had never heard of 3Lab before Zandile mentioned it, and this stuff sounds great! But it’s not cheap, at $65 for 2 oz of shine stop moisturizer, and $45 for a 6 oz bottle of cleansing gel. So I assume this stuff is beyond amazing - look at how her skin just glows!

Alright Z - tell me about your makeup!

“I limit myself to lip gloss , my fave brand is Shu Uemura. And mascara — Dior Show.”

I love Shu Uemura’s glosses myself — the deepest purple is so hot for this season. And
I’ve been meaning to treat myself to Dior Show for a minute now — might have to spring for that limited edition only in Sephora plum shade for the holidays!

And bellas, that’s the beauty gospel according to Zandile Blay. You can catch up with her over at The Blay Report. And keep on reading Afrobella for more tips from your favorite black beauty bloggers!

Thanks for the head’s up from regular Afrobella reader ceecee — Zandile has a great interview on YouTube that she didn’t mention! So gorgeous.

I Love Clutch!

One of my favorite online magazines — OK, my FAVORITE online magazine, is Clutch Magazine. When I was just a new blogger on the block, the editor Dede saw potential in me and featured Afrobella on their site. It meant the world to me and the lovefest is mutual - Clutch has been tremendously supportive of me and I am happy to shout to the world how great Clutch is any time. And now Clutch has taken it to the next level, by launching a new redesigned site! Click here to check them out!

Clutch has now gone bimonthly, and they just launched the first blog network for African American women. Click here to read Dede’s letter from the editor, and they’ve got some truly great content. Viva Clutch! Enjoy the read, bellas!