Thrilled to bring you this Beauty Minute with the beautiful Marie Kouadio Amouzame<\/a>, who is the co-founder and CEO of the newly launcehd and already cult beauty line EADEM<\/a>. Read on for her straight forward and French influenced routine. <\/p>\n
What is your morning beauty routine? <\/strong><\/p>\n
Once the kids are prepped for the day, I have some time alone before I start working. I usually make myself a cup of tea and read my emails at the same time. I shower while listening to some music and then do my skincare routine. I love using Terra Tory\u2019s Fresh Avocado soap<\/a> in the shower \u2013 it\u2019s such a special product and is handmade with love. Then I moisturize my body with Lipikar by La Roche-Posay<\/a>. <\/p>\n
My facial routine starts with a splash with water, or I use an oil based cleanser. As I get older, my skin tends to become drier, so I have learned that I don\u2019t have to cleanse every single morning. With my face still damp, I apply 3 drops of our Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum<\/a>. It has really transformed my skin, and the texture is just perfect. <\/p>\n
As a French woman, I like a thick, non-greasy moisturizer. My favorite is SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid<\/a>. I try to keep my routine pretty minimal, so I follow that with SPF. I have been loving the innisfree for years. Then I apply one of my new favorite products right now, the Ami Col\u00e9 Skin-Enhancing Tint<\/a> to camouflage my dark circles.<\/p>\n
For my lips I do this French trick of using homeoplasmine<\/a> \u2013 I always have a tube in my bag! It is the best lip conditioner\u2026 although it wasn\u2019t made for that ;)<\/p>\n
At this point I am usually late, so I untie my hair and put it in a high ponytail. I then spritz my favorite perfume by Frederic Malle<\/a>.<\/p>\n
What products do you use throughout the day and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n
What is your evening beauty routine?<\/strong> <\/p>\n
First, I remove my makeup, SPF, and dirt with the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser<\/a>. Then I apply the Circumference Toner<\/a> and follow with some of our upcoming, top-secret EADEM<\/a> launch :)<\/p>\n
My hair routine usually takes the longest. I dampen my hair and apply the Prose curl cream<\/a> from the root to ends. Then I use the Black Magic Oil by Textured Press<\/a> on my scalp, give my head a massage (it smells SO GOOD!), and apply the remaining product on the rest of my hair. The founder Ebony is a genius and the best educator out there when it comes to our afro hair. I then do a few flat twists and I am ready for the night. <\/p>\n
What is your definition of beauty? <\/strong><\/p>\n
I started EADEM<\/a> for the aunties in my family. I watched them test a lot of skincare products, maybe too many, trying to fight adult acne and the scarring and hyperpigmentation that happened as a result. Some of them would take the subway to Ch\u00e2teau Rouge (the predominantly Black neighborhood in Paris) and find small, hidden shops where they could buy dodgy, imported products with questionable ingredients (like hydroquinone, which is banned in Europe), marketed to Black women. They even tried skin bleaching products, which damaged their beautiful complexions. Intuitively I understood that they needed products that only their community could make, and that realization really planted the seed for EADEM<\/a>.<\/p>\n
When do you feel most beautiful? <\/strong><\/p>\n
Women of color have historically been an afterthought in beauty, and we are looking to change that with EADEM<\/a> by making skincare specifically designed for our melanin-rich skin. A few years ago, I went to a department store in Paris to purchase a foundation for myself after seeing ads for it all over the city featuring a famous Black actress. When I made my way up to the counter and asked the salesperson for my shade, he told me \u201cOh sorry no! We don\u2019t have that shade here.\u201d This was truly one of the most humiliating moments, and from that moment I realized there is so much more that needs to be done for women of color in beauty. <\/p>\n
By introducing what we call Smart Melanin Beauty, we are creating skincare uniquely formulated for our skin by working with highly-qualified professionals who understand skin of color. Our mission is to help women like us feel good in their own skin through safe, clean and clinically-proven products, as well as through our editorial platform<\/a> that celebrates the beauty in our multitudes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"