The Black-owned beauty brand I am loving

Last June, shopping Black-owned businesses became a heavily supported initiative, especially visible on social media. Very honestly, shopping Black-owned had never been something that I had considered, and throughout the summer, I learned about the value of, and started to shop a lot more of those businesses than ever before. Since then, many businesses have began intentionally carrying and including more Black-owned designers, creators and companies in their stores; at the same time, organizations like, The 15 Percent Pledge and Pull Up or Shut Up (founded by the woman as my featured brand) have worked to call out larger retailers for not stepping up to the plate. These efforts have continued to raise consciousness around shopping Black-owned, and investing in businesses that are brining more Black creators to the table.

One of the areas I spend the most money is most definitely (and probably most obviously) beauty. From skincare to body care and makeup, I could easily spend a small fortune on beauty each month. The shifting shelf space in larger retailers like Sephora, Nordstrom, Ulta and others have allowed for more visibility of many of the Black-owned beauty brands that I am now eager and starting to try. From Pat McGrath, to Briogeo, to Shani Darden and Fenty, there are brands that I already love, and ones that I am excited to begin to try as I more consciously shop these Black-owned brands.

But there is one makeup brand that I have recently become, well, a bit obsessed with, and I felt like it needed a whole post dedicated to celebrating the products that I am trying and loving, as well as the ones I have on my wishlist. Truly, these products are also perfect for Spring and Summer, with gorgeous and vibrant color palettes that are just giving me the zest and life that I am so desperately in need of to really lift my spirits these days. That brand is UOMA (pronounced uh-mah) Beauty, a Black-owned makeup brand founded by Nigerian-born, former beauty executive, Sharon Chuter. The brand’s mission is, simply put, beautiful, and one that is something I want to consciously support in my shopping: “Our race is human, our people are free, our language is color. All are welcome to our beautiful tribe.”

The truth is, with everything going on in the world – politics, the pandemic, the ongoing violations of human rights and racial injustice – and as a person with general anxiety, I spend a lot of time focused on the things that aren’t going well or aren’t what I want them to be. And I have found that one of the ways to really help my tension and anxiety, is to find ways to channel my creative energies. One of the ways I find myself doing this is through painting, but also through makeup. I love to play with makeup, to just fool around with colors and products, and the really, to just enjoy being creative. It’s part of my regular morning routine to do my makeup, and while others might see it as work, I see it as a creative outlet. And UOMA beauty has really brought that energy for me with their makeup.

I first saw this brand on lots of the lists that circulated last June to shop Black-owned businesses. But it wasn’t until I saw a few of the makeup artists/influencers I follow play around with UOMA’s most recent drop, the Coming 2 America collection, that I decided to dive into the brand. Bright, vivid colors, pigmented palettes, and just truly bold and brilliant quality products, this brand has left me wanting more with each order I get in. I have had so much fun playing with these products over the last few weeks that I knew I wanted to share these products, here on the blog.

For some, I know you are going to think – “these colors are so bright,” or, “I can’t pull this off” – but you can, and you should. Have fun, break out of the mold you’ve put yourself in, and just enjoy makeup as art. That’s what these products are all about, and I am a believer that we could all use a little opportunity to play around. Everything can be an every day product, it’s just about how to use them and how you see your days. Here’s what I am already enjoying:

UOMA’s whole vision is color – that’s their signature, and these bright beauties are just what they say they are – magic. The pigment in these eyeshadows is gorgeous, buildable, and honestly, just create such stunning color combinations, or easily create a monotone eye with depth and energy. Katie Jane Hughes’ orange and blue cat-eye is an inspiration, as is her glossy, green eye. I love this ethereal, radiant and rosy eye featured on UOMA’s Instagram, this pop of orange eye, these firey eyes, this magenta beauty, or this sunrise shadow. There are so many gorgeous looks to create, from an easy everyday delight, to a bolder, full-makeup look. I am so excited to continue to play around. If you’re looking for something to start, and you’re not sure where to start with colors, I would suggest beginning your collection with this palette, for easy, pretty pinks that are great with every eye color, or their high-shine lipsticks that are sheerer but buildable.

And let me not sleep on this lipstick. The formula, the FORMULA. It is divine. A hybrid of a lip balm and a lipstick, this gorgeous, high-shine lipstick is so easy to work with and build; I will most definitely be picking it up in a second color, Peaches and Akeem. I started with this shade, sexual chocolate, because I don’t really have anything brown in my lipstick collection. It is a great neutral shade, a mauve-brown blend, and while you might be nervous to go with a darker shade, this applies pretty sheer and lets you build up. You can see it featured in my own look above.

Other products I am looking to try from the line? Most definitely this gorgeous bright orange-red lipstick from their matte Badass Icon line (so many bold and neutral shades to try with a formula that’s perfect under a mask), named for none other than Tina Turner, their Drama Bomb mascara, and their Sculpt and Strobe double-ended contour stick that had everyone buzzing with best in beauty last summer. I think these products are super reasonably priced, incredibly fun and gorgeous, and just really quality items that are quickly taking over my makeup cabinets. If you’re looking to invest in Black-owned beauty, and to treat yourself with something this Spring, shop UOMA Beauty’s products at Nordstrom, Harrods and Ulta Beauty. Shop my favorites below!

Thank you for reading and shopping my blog post! For transparency, some of the links in this post may be affiliated, which means that I might make a small commission, at no cost to you, on any purchases made using these links. I only share what I love on Pretty Busy, and appreciate your ongoing support to be able to maintain my site to share with all of you.