The Black List: Cheap Alternatives For Expensive Makeup, And More

Welcome to The Black List! Each week, we’ll share seven things from around the web that should be on every magical black girl’s radar.

Channel: Naptural85

Outlet: YouTube

Natural hair vlogger Naptural85 developed a contact allergy to coconut oil after years of using it as a haircare and beauty staple. In a new video on her YouTube channel, she shares some of her hair faves that don't contain the ingredient. Two oils that she's using instead are sweet almond and avocado. Watch here to see get the on her favorite shampoo, conditioner, and styling products, too!

Channel: ItsMyRayeRaye

Outlet: YouTube

ItsMyRayeRaye does one half of her face using makeup that totals $600, and the other half of her face with makeup that totals only $90. Some of the substitutes she uses are Loreal Pro-matte 24hr Foundation ($12.99), comparable to Lancôme 24hr Foundation ($47); and NYX Sculpt & Highlight Brow Contour ($9.99), comparable to Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer ($23). Watch her makeup tutorial here and scroll down to the description box for the full list of products she uses.

Author: Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Outlet: Complex.com

Queen Issa Rae's new HBO show Insecure premiered Sunday night, and we're hella turnt about the season of black girl magic she's about to bestow upon us! In an interview for Complex, Rae — who many of us came to love via her highly successful web series Awkward Black Girl — talks about the lack of diversity on TV and the making of her new show. "We’re being totally unapologetic in who our leads are and the story that we’re telling. If you watch Insecure you’re watching a specific story, but you’re also going to relate to it whether you want to or not," Rae says in response to shows starring people of color often being labeled as "niche" or "limiting." She also addresses how the questions regarding the lack of diversity shouldn't be directed towards people of color, but to people in Hollywood who are responsible for it. "I wish that all the black people, or all the Latino people, weren’t the only ones who got these questions... It took us a long time to get here, and now we have to answer questions about how we got here?" she says. "The questions should go to the people who are perpetuating the problem or the people who are very much unaware." Read about Solange's involvement with Insecure and the rest of her interview here.

Handle: @beautybakeriemakeup

Platform: Instagram

Store: beautybakerie.com

Beauty Bakerie is a cruelty-free and black-owned makeup brand that's been getting a bit of buzz lately for its lipsticks and eye shadows. The colors are super rich and they last all day (I've tried them myself!), and the formulas feel good on the skin. Beauty Bakerie also has a wide range of colors: reds and pinks, greens and blues, tans and browns. Follow them on the gram for swatches and tutorials, and get your shop on here.

Author: Elena Bergeron

Outlet: Fader

"There has been no blueprint for an athlete to arrive at the intersection of gender and race and dominance and scrutiny that she has," Elena Bergeron writes about the greatest athlete in the world. "Perhaps even more than her wins, Williams’s greatest feat has been the very act of breathing herself into existence." Williams is oft met with racism and sexism, like the time Martina Hingis said she and her sister needed to be "humble" and that they only got sponsors because they were black. In her cover story for Fader, though, Williams says she learned to tune people out around 17 years old. She also attributes her record-breaking victories to trips to Africa. "It changed me to realize how strong I was and to realize that I, through my ancestors, am capable of doing anything," she says. "I realized that I was built from this incredible bloodline that many ... people aren’t built from." Read the full cover story here.

Outlet: #legend

Ciara is fierce AF as the cover star for #legend magazine's October issue. The singer talks about her new modeling contract with IMG while posing in Givenchy, Balmain, and Lanvin. "The ultimate goal is to do more. As an entertainer, fashion and music go hand in hand," she says. The singer and new model also opens up about motherhood and marriage, saying that her son and husband keep her grounded and centered. "That pure love, that instant love makes you realise a lot of things don’t matter. You don’t sweat the small stuff as much." Read the full interview here.