As Is: The MPB Team Celebrates Women's History Month

These are not Before and After photos
Because I am myself regardless of the presence of lipstick
These are here and now photos
Because my mind is always present

These are not Natural versus Glam looks
Because there is nothing more glamorous than my bare smile
And applying mascara  comes naturally
I have got bigger battles started for me

I am told that I don’t need to wear makeup
While a woman next to me is told that with some blush, her eyes will really pop
The woman next to her is told she wears too much makeup
Neither of us is enough

We always seem to be too much
Yet never enough

Painted lips
Flushed cheeks
Contoured Jaw
Have never made me

I still look cute, tho.
And
I never asked you. 

-Danyelle Valentin (@bufferingbetty)
 

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Pepper B. 
Believes that she "came out for the womb" with a smokey eye. Leo with an Excessive Smoky Eye.

Pepper on Instagram

Source

My name is Pepper B! Beauty is like an accessory for me. I use makeup as an outlet to spice up the day but it doesn’t make my day. I thrive on having good skin so my favorite part of the day is taking my accessory off and wearing Bare Skin. I work in the beauty industry and it is very visual so I use makeup to polish up my look. I do believe that taking care of your skin allows you to have a better makeup application. I love myself with makeup but I love myself without makeup even more.  

“Without us there is no universe. People are drawn to chaos and controversy. They are afraid to put us in power because everything we touch we set on fire! We are resilient, trailblazers and life creators. The true definition of beauty & the beast. There is no recipe we just serve! I can try to define what it feels like to be a women but there aren’t enough words” 
- Pepper B 

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Deanna
Mantra: Follow your passion as this will make your dreams become reality! Giving you the most informational product review you'd ever want.

Deanna on Instagram

"Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it"

"The things you wear don't make you beautiful: they accentuate the beauty that is already there"

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Kayla
If it's skincare, she cares. Teaching all of the skincare DIYs

Kayla on Instagram

“Phenomenal woman, that’s me”- Maya Angelou

“I am a woman. I am clothes in strength & dignity & pride.” I first began to like “beauty” when I saw photos of my mom and aunts with amazing bright colors on their eyes- what I then learned was called eyeshadow lol. I loved how I had these beautiful women in my life & they could use these products to emphasize that and tell a whole new story of themselves. 

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Amanda
Awkward Tomboy Glow Queen Channeling Brooke Shields Circa Blue Lagoon

Amanda on Instagram

Red lipstick is my secret super power. It will help me conquer the world one day.I am very passionate about body confidence. 'Magic Makeover' is something I would do with my Mother (who I would call my Warrior Queen) who lost her battle 4 years ago [to cancer]. Making her feel beautiful would lighten up her day and I would love to make all of the warrior queens feel that way.

Source

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Danyelle
Doesn't send nudes. Lives in fuchsia lipstick + blush. Loves how her makeup looks but probably can't recreate it.

Danyelle on Instagram

After all those years as a woman hearing 'not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not this enough, not that enough,' almost overnight I woke up one morning and thought I am enough" - Anna Quindlen

"If you retain nothing else, always remember the most important rule of beauty, which is: who cares?" - Tina Fey

The beauty industry has given more than I could ask for from lipstick. It has nothing to do with actually wearing makeup, though, of course, I love to indulge. I have found a side of myself that I knew was there but never gave room to flourish. If you ever have looked at a beauty blog and thought of it as vapid -first, of all, goodbye. But truly you don't understand the time and effort that went into a product  reveiw. The amount of research that goes into an informative post. Beneath it all is passion and a vulnerability that must be admired. To end Women's History Month, just remember that everyone watching you will have an opinion. None of them will matter more than your own. 

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Taylor
Boho Chic, Party Girl, + Sparkle. Knows what formula is definitely an all-nighter.

Taylor on Instagram

Thoughts on Womanhood on International Women's Day 2018

@bufferingbetty

Happy International Women’s Day!

Meetpepperb.com is dedicated to showcasing women's creativity and entrepreneurship. Each interview on meetpepperb.com has been of women. See them here ⇀

Growing up woman is not always princesses + glitter. It is constantly being told you aren’t enough. We are taught to accept blame for things that are out of our control so that they don’t ever have to understand they’re actions. We’ve been taught to look at other women as competition, catty, and bitchy. But that was because they knew of our power. They feared what we were capable of if we stood together.

Keep fighting. Keep growing. 

I used to hate when people would compare women to flowers and gardens because I saw them as fragile, delicate, and only appropriated for their beauty. I have never seen myself as either and it took me long time to see myself as beautiful. I thought flowers were just beautiful. But it takes a will to survive for a flower to blossom. Even when you rip a petal, the flower does not die. Just like women. We have the courage to survive. And, yes, we are all beautiful. But you’d never know what we went through to keep our heads high.

 Document your experiences. Even if you never tell anyone or if you tell everyone. Our stories are worth writing, sharing, and hearing. If it’s as simple as your Instagram account. Don’t ever let someone shade your selfie game. They’re just mad that they haven’t figured out their own angles yet.

Learn your history. Learn about the women who fought and died for the lives we can have. Remember that they weren’t given anything. They grabbed it. They took it.

Know that it is now our turn to stand for our future. 

 I think women cherish their childhoods because it is so short. When our bodies begin to change, we are given a different standard of character than men. From then on, we are taught how to move in their world. It’s confusing to still be a child when your body can make one. “Remember yourself as a little girl, she’s counting on you to protect her.” It’s a quote that I always find myself coming back to. It helps me move forward when I feel stuck. 

Build to your sisters