I wanted to create a resource to have all swatches on complexions that were more like mine in one place," says Ofunne Amaka, the woman who runs @cocoaswatches and its app, "Some people don't even buy anything before they see it on my page." Since launching two years ago, she's amassed nearly 88,000 followers eager to see how the latest launches look on deep skin and discover new brands.
Even on so many of the brand pages, I always would wonder: Where are the swatches for people who look like me?" Osase Emokpae, who founded @browngirlfriendly in April 2016, tells ELLE.com, "Why should brown girls and boys be forced to use their imaginations to figure out how a makeup product might look on us?" There's clearly a need for these online spaces–back in April when Forbes released its first-ever list of Top Beauty Influencers, of the 10 named, nine were fair-skinned.
It's definitely difficult. Sometimes I feel left out of the conversation because I'm catering to a certain market," Amaka says in regards to brand partnership opportunities, "The people that I'm helping is what helps me keep going, and validates me to keep going. To relieve that frustration for some people so makeup can be fun is a really good feeling.
