Naked Beauty

I got to sit down with the queen of K-Beauty herself, Charlotte Cho! Growing up in LA, sunscreen and toner seemed to be completely trivial to Cho. But after moving to South Korea post-grad, she was exposed to her own culture through an entirely new lens: skincare. And so upon returning to the States, she decided to start Soko Glam: an online retail shop completely dedicated to K-Beauty. Today, aft...

On this leftovers episode, Maya Allen and I dive into one of her favorite beauty topics: lip color. With her own digital column at Marie Claire titled “Big Lipstick Energy”, I could not miss out on the opportunity to discuss what shades, formulas, and techniques she uses to maintain the perfect pout. Tune in for a fabulous chat on sugar scrubs, bold red pigments, and the power of liquid lipstick....

After eight years of working in beauty editorial, Maya Allen has become one of THE coolest girls in the industry. But that hasn’t been without tons of hard work. On this episode of Naked Beauty, Marie Claire ’s Digital Beauty Editor not only broke down her extensive skincare routine, but her continuous journey to dominating the beauty sphere as well. Tune in for an incredible discussion on travel,...

Looking for a new holy grail skincare product? Rio Viera-Newton has got your back. After years of looking for a solution to her dry skin and cystic acne, Viera-Newton was able to craft what many of us beauty junkies now just call “the Google doc”. Filled with affordable and effective products, Viera-Newton’s guide to great skin, and her continuous beauty editorial work at The Strategist is truly c...

Hannah Bronfman is back for her THIRD Naked Beauty interview and this time around, she and her husband Brendan Fallis stopped by to share their love story with me. Get ready for all the feels because they are truly #relationshipgoals. They discuss their experience as DJs, influencers, and entrepreneurs. But we didn’t stop there. For the love of all things beauty, we dove into the couple’s fav...

If you haven’t heard of Nana Agyemang yet, prepare to be blessed. Over the past four years, this powerhouse has taken on the world of beauty and fashion editorial like no other! She’s reported for publications like the NYTimes , BBC , Elle & Refinery29. Today, Nana not only works as a social media editor for NY Mag's The Cut, but also runs her own media platform called EveryStylishGirl , speci...

“I thought I was a feminist before. You can’t tell me sh*t about women now. We bring whole entire lives into this world” my guest Julee Wilson on the experience of childbirth.  Join Julee, Global Beauty Director of Essence, and I on this leftover’s edition of Naked Beauty as we talk about her experience of being a Mother. It’s something I feel we don’t talk about enough so I had so many quest...

Lesley Thornton’s dedication to beauty is truly next level. As a young girl, she was obsessed with making mud masks in her grandmother’s garden, checking out beauty products in LA’s Koreatown, and doing her girlfriends’ makeup for prom. For Thornton, beauty has always been, and continues to be about being both mindful and creative. And so, after working as a beauty director at Estée Lauder, and an...

A creative career felt pretty inevitable for Satchel. As the daughter of producer Tonya Lewis Lee and director Spike Lee, Satchel has always had a great appreciation for storytelling but she's already carving out a distinct voice of her own. And growing up in New York, there were always plenty of stories to tell. In high school, Satchel first found her creative community in an affinity group for q...

Mandii B, co-host of the Whorible Decisions podcast, is anything but predictable. Growing up, she was the girl who could shoot hoops, dress up, and kill it in her AP classes. By the time she was 18, she had entered the world of urban modelling, which began a long and ongoing journey to not just accepting her body but truly celebrating it. Mandii and I talk about how she’s coping with all of her re...

My guest Diarrha and I are looking back at our personal highlights from the past year. If you've ever been curious about building your own brand and fundraising, you'll love hearing the BTS as Diarrha breaks down the process of developing her line Ami Cole. We discuss the unexpected PR response from our first episode together (wow), meeting Pat McGrath (*DREAM GUEST, pray for me*), my iHeart Podca...

I don’t know if you all are ready for this episode because we went in! Beauty Highs, Beauty Lows: a year in review with Diarrha N’Diaye. Diarrha (formerly at Glossier, L’Oreal & now developing her own line) came back to Naked Beauty to reflect on 2019’s beauty moments with me. We review the most iconic new products, best moments for the beauty culture and the SMH product launches that didn’t d...

“Cosmetics should be a choice not a necessity.” - my guest Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton, a firm believer in putting your skin first. For Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton, taking care of people’s skin and face is a passion - one that’s manifested in the creation of her skincare line: Epi. Logic and her career as a board certified oculofacial plastic surgeon. She quickly fell in love with the idea of “working with cl...

For the 100th episode of Naked Beauty, I decided to look back and share a compilation of answers to my favorite question: When do you feel most beautiful? . From glamming it up to sweating it out, from meditating to having a good, long cry, my guests have taught me one thing: beauty is deeply personal. As we head into a new decade, I would love if you Naked Beauty listeners, could take the time to...

This week’s solo minisode is all about making your beauty routine more natural! After beginning my natural hair journey years ago, I realized that natural, non-toxic beauty from plant-based sources was completely slept on. Now, after years of blending ingredients in my kitchen, I can confidently say that I’ve got a handle on DIY beauty and want to share some easy tips with you all. So please- tune...

On this week’s episode of Naked Beauty, BET’s Style Director Danielle Prescod is back for a deeply personal and honest conversation about body image, IVF treatment, mental health, and finding what makes you happy. With a career in fashion and beauty editorial, Prescod’s life has often been filled with black tie events and fabulous launch parties. However, over the past year or so, Prescod has made...

With Black Friday & Cyber Monday fast approaching, a Naked Beauty shopping guide is in order! On this episode, I will be discussing both the do’s and the don’ts of holiday beauty shopping. Whether you’re looking for hand cream or a hair mask, whether you’re shopping for loved ones or for yourself, I’ve got you covered with a list of the best beauty buys under $100. So sit back, listen, and lux...

Over the past 7 years, writer and curator Kimberly Drew has unabashedly made a name for herself within the world of art and fashion. She’s already interviewed icons like Lupita Nyong'o, and Tina Lawson. She’s served bold looks on the runways of Chromat, and Collina Strada. Looking back on her career, Drew notes that “if I had come in with less love [for art], I wouldn’t have been as successful.”&n...

Femmes, tops, bottoms & gender presentation — learned so much from this few minutes of convo with the ever-fascinating artist & thinker, Mandy Harris Williams. We also get into the preoccupation with body & weight & wonder what it’s like to be freed from the thought. You absolutely must listen to our full interview 'Deconstructing the Ideal Black Female' if you haven’t. And if you...

This episode was surreal for me because I’ve listened to Angela Yee on the radio for over a decade. When it comes to representing hip hop and the culture, Yee has been, and continues to be one of the best radio hosts in the game. Growing up, Yee was a self-proclaimed “terror” who loved to be “out with her girls” but talking to people and giving advice was something that came naturally to her. Afte...

If there’s one thing that PR queen Savannah Engel has mastered, it’s the art of conversation. “Throw me into a room with 300 people I don’t know,” Engel says, “give me two hours, and I will know every single person there, and be their best friend.”  You might argue that the key to such confidence lies in Savannah’s undeniable Southern charm.  Her roots in the Mississippi Delta, combined...

If you’re wondering what the new guard of beauty editorial looks like, look no further than Akili King. The 23-year old Chicago native and NYU Gallatin graduate has published a book of her own poems (titled AWAKENING), and worked for brands like The FADER, Milk Makeup, and Fashion Fair. All that being said, her current position as the Beauty Editorial Assistant at Vogue is “still pretty surreal” b...

“What I was cleaning my house with was cleaner than what I was putting on my face. I had my head in the sand like a lot of people.” — my guest, April Gargiulo, on the genesis of her natural, performance-driven skincare line: Vintner’s Daughter // April and I discuss how her background in Napa Valley’s wine making process, allowed her to see this gap in the skincare market – she took this knowledge...

“Try colors you wouldn’t normally wear. It’s not permanent, it’s not a tattoo. And you might realize that actually, that green or that yellow goes with your clothes so much better than the red or nude does.” - Sylvie Macmillan on how to step out of comfort zones & try new colors for your nails.  I had to share some extras from my conversation in London with super-talented nail technician...

"I'm a size 16 black woman with natural hair who's big and broad and takes up a lot of space. And I'm unapologetic about it. I'm dope." - my guest, Julee Wilson, Global Beauty Director of Essence When it comes to beauty, Julee Wilson is all about showing up with authenticity and confidence. Her unique childhood within the Mormon community at home, and within the Quaker community at boarding school...