The creative gold rush of the Wild Wild East has birthed numerous watering holes in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Everyone is pulling themselves up by the bootstraps to embrace the trends and aesthetics that help them stand out. Everything from an edgy and unconventional bleach brow to cosplaying the wildest concepts. Thanks to the growing beauty economy, we can have ourselves a hog-killin’ time in the pursuit of freedom and independence.
COLORED EYESHADOW.
Nothing says confident like a bold splash of colour swept across your lids. Coloured shadows are the best way to enter your experimentation era if you’re a newbie. They don’t need as much precision as graphic liners, one colour on your lids is usually enough and all the colours of the rainbow are at your service. You can keep it concentrated on the lid or get really creative with it.
Benji Cosmetics has some of the most elite shadow formulations of any Kenyan beauty brand I’ve tried so far. Pigmented, beautiful colour stories, blend like butter and are made with darker skin tones in mind. If you want to escape the chokehold of that neutral soft glam, then look no further.
WATER ACTIVATED LINERS.
Water-activated paints are by no means a new trend but their versatility sees them reinventing themselves over and over again. They’re made for cosmetic purposes meaning they have less reactive properties compared to normal paint and last well on different skin types. A little goes a long way so unless you’re covering your entire body, they last forever.
Renette Beauty is my favourite place to snag these paints from. The colour payoff is great, no cracking at all and they stay put as long as you need them to. They have split liners so you’re getting 2 colours in one and are probably the only place I’ve found selling a metallic version!
WIGS.
Hair literally frames the face so I’d say it’s a pretty important beauty item. The thing is we can’t always be experimental with it as we’d like because damage is real and who’s got the patience to grow 40” of hair? With the power of a wig though, Becky isn’t the only one who can have some good hair.
Quality Wigs Ke is my ride-or-die plug for all things hair and experimental. They have different colours, cuts, styles and lengths available for purchase or order. Ain’t it a blessin’ we’ve come a long way from those shiny weaves of the past.
EDITORIAL BLUSH.
If you’re not about the eyeshadows, liners or hair but still want to stand out, may I suggest editorial blush? Now I want to have some words with whoever said blush isn’t made for black people because the world has been missing out on some primo content. What I particularly like about this trend is just how much it can transform your makeup or even a bare face.
You can blend it from the tops of your cheekbones into your temples for a facelift, across your nose and cheeks for that sunburned look and to blend out your contour for that 80s vibe. The best part is you can break some makeup rules and reach for your eyeshadow palette and get to swiping instead of getting some new products
BLEACHED BROWS.
Bleach brows are the ultimate unconventional makeup trend. It’s edgy and adds so much intrigue to your look. Most people I know (myself included) go the DIY route but please do a patch test if this is your first time. The brows are way too close to your eyes to be playing around. Also, YouTube is your friend so do some research and learn from people’s mistakes.
If bleaching your actual brows is too much of a commitment, then take some self-setting concealer/foundation onto a spoolie and use it to comb through your brows.
That’s what I used here and honestly can’t tell much of a difference. Then boom, you look like you’re ready for Paris fashion week.
The Wild Wild East isn’t suitable terrain for those comfortable in the back seats. It’s for the ones tired of blending in and ready to saddle up and break free from the shackles of their comfort zone by embracing what makes you different.
