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Color May Vary

Color May Vary

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About Us

Color May Vary began as a way to celebrate and highlight the array of black-owned beauty brands and products in the industry. Discover and share over 800 (and counting) makeup, skincare, body care, hair care, green beauty, and wellness brands for any beauty enthusiast.

About the Founder

Renée Loiz is a celebrity makeup artist and men’s groomer living and working in Los Angeles. Over the years she’s worked with a variety of clients including Vans, UGG, Disney, Fab Kids, Target, BuzzFeed, Vogue España, Urban Outfitters, Old Navy, and Adidas.

With over 20 years in the industry and a background in makeup, skincare, and hair, Renée set out to develop Color May Vary—the ultimate guide to top-quality black-owned brands for beauty enthusiasts.

Renée also writes a beauty blog focused on makeup tips, healthy skin, and natural hair. She’s the resident Beauty Expert for the Blackbird House, and a contributing writer for Mae Jones Magazine.

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Stay stuck. #mlk 💗🧡💚 Stay stuck. #mlk 💗🧡💚
Unrivaled Sun Serum from @elevenbyvenus. Game. Set Unrivaled Sun Serum from @elevenbyvenus. Game. Set. Match.
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Find this brand in the skincare category of the guide.
Carmen Murphy was born in 1915 near Little Rock, A Carmen Murphy was born in 1915 near Little Rock, AK. To support herself in her teenage years she began to model, then later married at 19 and moved to Detroit. 

Disappointed with the lack of beauty services for Black women, Carmen opened up her own salon in 1948 called, House of Beauty. She averaged 200 clients a day and her list of services ranged from makeup consultations and massages to haircutting and hair styling. As time went on she noticed the industry was lacking a cosmetics shade range accessible for darker skin tones. So she set out to develop her own cosmetics line in 1950 making sure the shades didn’t turn red or ashy on Black skin and would cater to a wide variety of skin tones. Carmen Cosmetics fully launched in 1951 and were sold all around the US. Her product line included face powder, mascara, brow pencils, blush, and lipsticks. Murphy’s cosmetics line became the first to cater to every skin tone and she was also the first Black woman to head a major cosmetics firm. 

Throughout the rest of Carmen’s career, her cosmetics were sold at retailers including Woolworth’s and were used in Universal’s film studios. They were also supplied to American Airlines for their Grace and Glamour program to help build good grooming habits and makeup techniques. Carmen also launched a gospel record label in 1958, H.O.B Records, which received a historic recognition award in 1995. #blackbeautyhistory
Shine Your Light 💗🧡💚 : Model: @catrionafr Shine Your Light 💗🧡💚
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Model: @catrionafrean
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Photographer: @jessica_mahaffey
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Hairstylist: @chrissweeneyhair 
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Makeup Artist: @annainglishall_makeup

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