The National Institute of Mental Health defines self-care as “taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical and mental health. This can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.” For many women, beauty practices such as manicures, pedicures, haircare, skincare, and makeup, substantially help to promote that feeling of prospering
But unfortunately, not everyone gets to receive the full benefits of beauty, because there is a disingenuous effort in fixing a major issue in the cosmetics industry: the foundation-shade struggle. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines this struggle as “colorism” or “prejudice or discrimination especially within a racial or ethnic group favoring people with lighter skin over those with darker skin.”
The application of makeup is not only a worldwide form of self-care, but also serves as a creative outlet, and contributes to improved self-esteem, confidence, meditation, and relaxation. But due to colorism, “alienated” and “neglected” are two words often associated with how Black women still feel in seeking to beautify and care for themselves. Unfortunately, this underrepresentation has been prevalent on the Island for years as well.
Colorism, often overlooked, still affects many communities like ours. Beauty consumers deserve to be represented in inclusive shade ranges in makeup, as many women look forward to getting their makeup done as a part of self care-practices and for special occasions. This makes it harder for women of color to opt into self-care offerings. For this edition of “Voices bySharisse,” we are going to take a deeper look into the Island’s makeup realm.
Despite the makeup industry’s continued marginalizations, there are still great strides being taken when it comes to inclusivity of makeup services on the Island. Two makeup artists who serve clients on the Island are Makeup Maven Martha’s Vineyard, and Makeup by Valerie.
Tashann Watson of the Makeup Maven Martha’s Vineyard was initially invited to the Island in spring 2018 to work at Artcliff Diner for the season, and since has established herself as a celebrity makeup artist. An ambitious woman from Duncans, Trelawny, Jamaica, Watson had dreams of pursuing a career in fashion. Just one year after making her way to the Vineyard, Watson launched her own online fashion boutique, Super Fashion, which provided modest, classy fashion designs to the Island community and beyond.
With a clear vision of how she wanted to present her brand aesthetic, Watson unveiled her talents in photography and makeup services throughout the process, stating, “You cannot just sell the clothing, you have to put together the whole look.” As her self-taught talents spoke for themselves, in makeup particularly, Watson was encouraged by friends on the Island to start providing bookable professional makeup services. It was then she realized being a makeup artist on the Vineyard who caters to all skin tones was an impactful opportunity to serve a widely underrepresented community.
The accessibility of diverse and inclusive makeup artists on the Island has never been easy to attain, often requiring above-average research, and even leading to dead ends, leaving women of color, those with darker skin tones in particular, at a loss for special moments such as weddings, baby showers, photoshoots, family reunions, and more. This month, Statista Research Department reported that in 2024, 43 percent of female consumers in the U.S. who took part in the survey stated that they wore makeup daily or weekly.
“I specialize in providing makeup services for the entire African American community, advocating for making African Americans feel more confident, enhancing their natural beauty … Although I want to be inclusive to everyone, celebrating all diversity,” Watson says. This sentiment quickly became Watson’s growing legacy. “When I began becoming a makeup artist on the Island, I didn’t just run with it [without research]. I checked local groups, such as Islanders Talk and the Inkwell [on Facebook]. Using ‘makeup’ as the key word, I was able to see all the questions regarding makeup, some even dating back to 2010, 2012, 2014.” She was able to see just how long people have been inquiring about a makeup artist like her. To further enhance her skill set, Watson did a certification course with well-known makeup artist Kandii-Coated in Jamaica.
In summer 2022, the Makeup Maven officially began offering home-visit makeup services all around the Island. She would travel to client homes, hotel rooms, and Airbnbs, and her business took off from there. When asking Watson what advice she would give to an aspiring entrepreneur, she said, “The community here is instrumental. The outpouring of support you get from the Island is amazing, it is unmatched. Once you start, the support is going to come. There are enough clients for everyone. Each year will only get better.” She then goes on to say, “As a woman of color, you are already being watched, you are already being judged. So once you step out there, you have to show and do your best. You have to represent yourself and work well.” Activities such as keeping her hair, skin, and nails pristine are just a few ways Tashann cares for herself and the reputation of her business. Leading by example, the Makeup Maven has paved the way and inspired upcoming makeup artists such as Valerie Desire to pursue makeup full-time as well.
A part-time Islander, Valerie Desire expressed in our interview, “I experienced a lot of colorism where I grew up, causing me to never feel beautiful. When I started getting into makeup, I was able to recognize my beauty on the inside and out. Doing makeup really gave me the time to take a closer look at myself and see my worth.”
Desire, a first generation Haitian-American, is another young woman of color who came to the Vineyard for work, with dreams of pursuing her own entrepreneurial endeavors one day. “Makeup is my huge passion,” she says, “I would love to do it full-time one day.” Desire’s interest in makeup stems from learning how to do her own makeup for prom in 2016, when her parents could not afford to hire a professional artist to come. “Once I got to a point where I could master doing makeup on my own face, I became obsessed with doing my friends’ makeup as well. I love seeing the reaction everyone has when they see their beauty enhanced in the right ways.”
After graduating from UMass Amherst during the pandemic, Desire moved to the Island to work at Harborside Inn, Kelley House Hotel, and eventually The Martha’s Vineyard Times. Taking on clients as they come, Desire is in the process of building her makeup kit, with the goal to make people feel more beautiful and confident in themselves on the Island and beyond. Desire says, “I really like the sense of community and kindness on the Island; I feel like that is not something you see everywhere.” Although it was pricey, Desire has invested in having at least three foundation shades for every skin complexion in her kit. She prides herself in being able to correctly color match for anyone and everyone, regardless of age, race, or ethnicity, to ensure that no other women of color feel forgotten due to their skin tone.
With such an instrumental role in our society, makeup and professional makeup services owe it to their clientele to be as inclusive as possible.Our Island is lucky to have women of color such as Watson and Desire leading the charge against colorism.
Support the Makeup Maven on Instagram @themakeupmavenmv as she launches her new makeup classes, and Valerie Desire @makeupbyvalerie1 as she moves in the direction of pursuing her dreams.
