I made the sacrifice of removing my lipstick so I could serve as the product model. 

My lips are lined with Currant. I’m wearing Flat Out Fabulous. 

 Fresh Moroccan with Currant.

I forgot the name of the lipstick but I’m wearing Cyber World liner. 

Erika doesn’t really like rocking deep purples. I’m trying to change her mind. This deep color is dope. 

Heroine with Cyber World is so sexy! 

I’ve been afraid of Ruby Woo for a long time because I felt that I couldn’t rock it properly. Kim, one of the makeup artists, did this ombré using Ruby Woo, He Said, She Said, and Currant. The sales associates at Sephora were complimenting my ombred lip after I left MAC. 

You all know that I am pro drug store makeup. Wet N’ Wild, Milani, Black Radiance, and Revlon are a few of my go to companies. While I splurged a little for MAC this weekend, I appreciate cheaper brands and products. Application is key. 

The consistency of MAC’s products and variety of colors sets them apart from cheaper brands which is why the cosmetic line is hugely successful. 

While at MAC we barely received attention from the two attendants that were working. People that walked in after us were assisted and then checked out before us. It was almost as though no one wanted to help us at all. Erika and I stood for nearly 30 minutes as attendants     

barely acknowledged us. Being black in this world is so hard. If people aren’t racially profiling us as thieves, we have to beg to receive service. 

Once Kim got a break, she came over, and assisted us. She did two ombré looks on me and suggested products that she thought would look good on our skin. She saved this experience because we were ready to walk out. I was disheartened because we specifically came to Green Hills to go to MAC. It was clear that our business wasn’t as important or wasn’t important period! 

This experience reminded me of the A Different World episode where Whitley went to the jewelry store to get her dad a gift. The sales associate refused to serve her because she was black. Whitley walked into that store with enough cash and credit to get whatever she wanted, but all they associate saw was a black woman. I felt like Whitley in MAC yesterday. Whitley, blind by her affluence, did not recognize the racism initially. We, in the other hand, were very much so aware of what was happening. Had Kim not helped us, we would have left empty handed. 

Kim thanked us for our patience. I think she could tell that we were perturbed about the lack of service. I expressed to Kim that she, a black makeup artist, needs to get in social media and do tutorials. We need more black presence in the cosmetic world. 

After going to other stores, we concluded our trip with brunch at The Urban Grub. 

The food was great! I’m always upset with hipster prices but the food was good. I’d go again. 

We are black queens! I’m proud of how far we’ve both come! We’ve got so much more to look forward to in life! 

Have you had any experiences with being  ignored at a store or restaurant due to your race, gender, or orientation? How’d you handle the situation? 

On what products do you splurge? On which do you prefer the value or cheaper brand? 

For example, I actually like the store brands of Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes better than the brand name cereal. 

Hope to hear from you all! 

Until next time, 

-Nora