"I Want to Be Different, Better"

"I Want to Be Different, Better"

Embellish Beauty Eye Candy Lash Kit

Embellish Beauty

Embellish Beauty Eye Candy Magnetic Lashes

Bringing her expertise from her time at QVC as a hair and makeup artist, owner Marcia Williams brings quality to her signature line of lip products. Their latest formula is even vegan and cruelty-free.

My grandmother. Even if she didn’t have a full face of makeup, she always had on lipstick.

Going gray can be liberating—but neglecting your gray hair’s need for extra TLC is a mistake. Gray hair is the result of diminished melanin in our hair stands as we age, and those colorless tresses can be particularly dry and brittle. As Marcia Williams, CEO of Embellish Beauty Concepts, notes, “There is nothing wrong with embracing your gray, but just letting it come through with no maintenance is not a good idea.” If you’re thinking of transitioning to silver, regular salon visits are essential—and so is a maintenance plan. “Continue to see your stylist, and try treatments that will enhance your hair’s mobility and vibrancy,” Williams advises. “Processes like glosses and lowlights are great for allowing your grays to come in. It looks fresh, and you still look current.” At home, a sulfate-free reparative styling cream like Olapex No. 6 Bond Smoother will eliminate some of the frizz and dryness associated with gray hair. FYI, here are 13 things that happen when you stop coloring your hair.

Smooth, kissable lips require diligent prep work. “Creating the perfect pout requires the right daily products, and staying hydrated is key,” says makeup artist Marcia Williams. “Start with a lip scrub nightly to create a hydrated pout throughout the day. Your morning routine should be followed by a lip mask and conditioner.” Try Dr. PAWPAW Scrub & Nourish Duo and Kiehl’s Buttermask for Lips. If you’re a DIY kind of person, check out these homemade remedies for dry and chapped lips.

Women of every color, including all shades of Brown and Black, need to protect their skin from the sun’s harmful rays; unfortunately, many women of color tend to ignore the need for sunscreen due to the awful side effect of gray, tarnished looking skin. “Women shouldn’t have to choose between wearing sunscreen and having bright glowing skin” says Marcia Williams, beauty expert and owner of Embellish beauty. Her solution: mix the two together. “Blending foundation with a lightweight sunscreen will not only combat the dull residue left by sunscreen it can also cut out an added layer of product, which is helpful since too much product can build up and seep into fine lines.” Black Girl Sunscreen that’s made without titanium dioxide and zinc oxide won’t behind the dull gray film. Finding a sunscreen that you are happy to wear on your face can be a challenge but is not impossible.

For the Vanity: Vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free and made without parabens, the new formulation for Embellish Beauty lip gloss and liquid lipstick was created by Conshohocken makeup pro Marcia Williams. They’re infused with jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and Vitamin E.

Go for it! Grab that power provoking lipstick. Whenever I put on lipstick, I feel beautiful and unstoppable. Always take time out by doing a spa day. This really makes me feel so good. I love positive affirmations. This really elevates my spirit and for that I feel beautiful.

Lady Bosses I Love: Marcia Williams I met Marcia Williams at a networking event for women last winter. Some of the women who had product-based businesses had set up tables to showcase their inventory and I couldn't help but notice that women were crowded around Marcia's table more than any other in the room. I went over to check out what everyone was looking at and immediately understood why there was a crowd; Marcia makes beautiful makeup in vibrant colors that are flattering for every skin type. As a sucker for a bright lip, I was immediately drawn to her Relentless Liquid Lipstick, which I not only bought on the spot, but also wore for the rest of the day. To this day, every time I put on Marcia's lipstick I get a ton of positive feedback on the color. It is the perfect blend of red and orange, which compliments my skin tone perfectly. I've become a serious fangirl of Marcia's, and can't sing her praises enough. If you need a little pick me up, check out Marcia's website, Embellish Beauty, to take her quiz and find your perfect lip color. You won't regret it!

Marcia Williams left a job in the pharmaceutical industry to become the founder and CEO of Embellish Beauty Concepts—a beauty brand that offers vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free products. In addition to creating lip products, Williams is dedicated to uniting women through beauty. She believes in "embellishing our differences and strengthening women in their rights to reinvent themselves." She writes that "We stand with our communities of color and support Black businesses and the people behind them." Ten percent of all sales are donated to Black Lives Matter.

I highly recommend using Embellish Beauty Lip products. Our staple lipsticks are long wearing formulas that are velvet in texture giving high quality performance and a long lasting effect. Our lipsticks last for hours with no transfer. You may indeed wear it under a mask without the fear of it smearing. Our fatty acids and essential oils create the perfect marriage. Your lips will feel amazing.

“I’m not making anywhere close to what I used to make, and my husband is an entrepreneur too. So, it’s been rough for us. I’m just trying to be hopeful,” she said. Amid the pandemic, Williams wants to pass on some of that hope through her products. “These days, even when you might be wearing a mask, it’s like buying fancy lingerie you wear under your clothes. You still want to feel and look beautiful beneath the mask,” she said. “I think for mental health, beauty is still important. I think it’s really critical that we stay in touch with ourselves and really devote some time to self-care.”

Every single makeup artist on the planet will hold their finger up and say, “Good skincare is the key to great makeup.” That means exfoliating once or twice a week to buff away flakey and crumbly bits and applying an awesome moisturizer before your primer. A lot of people forget to apply eye cream, though, which can help plump fine lines, nix undereye creasing, and make for a smoother makeup application process. If you have oily skin, you can use an oil-free moisturizer. “You want the skin around your eyes to be moist and plump. Eye cream should be applied under your lash line and below your eyebrows right on the lid. Most people apply it to just the area under the lash line and forget their lids,” says Marcia Vanessa Williams, makeup artist and founder of Embellish Beauty. “Eye cream helps with fine lines and creasing, and skipping this step will cause other skin imbalances and make makeup application more of a challenge.”