The black beauty community has been abuzz with the news that the French “black owned” brand geared for women of color, Black Up Cosmetics, would soon be carried by our beloved Sephora. No sooner than the big news was released there were rumblings that something in the milk might not be clean. Lakish of Blaq Vixen Beauty did some digging and shared her findings which primarily included allegations that Black Up may have pushed out their black founder in the shadiest of ways.

Black Up and Sephora have not yet released any official respond to these troubling allegations. I personally have chosen not to support the brand (as much as I REALLY wanted to) until they release some sort of reasonable or logical response.

Instead I’ll be sharing 5 black owned brands that I choose to support instead.

AJ Crimson is best known as a celebrity makeup artist who has probably laid hands on at least one of your faves. AJ Crimson recently launched his own rapidly expanding cosmetic line which includes foundations, BB Cream, cheek stains, powders, and lipsticks. His products have a wide range of shades to suit women of all colors. Not only are his products great I’ve had the chance to meet him at The Makeup Show and he was absolutely lovely and so much fun.

Ashunta Sheriff is another celebrity makeup artist who has worked with almost everyone you love, most notably Alicia Keys and currently Taraji P. Henson.

“Ashunta realized early on that no woman was one even tone, in fact many women had multiple tones from redness, broken capillaries, hyper‐ pigmentation, dark circles or discoloration from birth marks. Ashunta began using two shades of foundation to properly even out her clients complexion and give them a lifted, sleek, flawless face. This is how The Perfect Face was born. Ashunta wanted to bring her technique to women so they could achieve a flawless face, a Perfect Face”

I also had the chance to meet Ashunta Sheriff, listen to her inspirational keynote, and purchase her product while at The Makeup Show . I think “Perfect Face” is a great and simple product if you love highlighting and contouring.

“With an innate desire for true beauty, Loraine dreamt of a cosmetic line that encouraged self-expression and creativity. From that dream came to life Coloured Raine. Founded in 2013, Coloured Raine is an edgy collection of bold eye shadows, nail polishes, lipsticks and glosses that break all barriers in the cosmetic world”If you have an Instagram you’ve probably seen Coloured Raine up and down your timeline. I haven’t gotten a chance to try any of their super popular liquid lipsticks but as soon as Truffle Raine is back in stock I plan on placing an order.

Friends Niala and Tia founded Magnolia Makeup in 2008. They describe their New Orleans based company as “a company devoted to color. We are trying to fill a void in the cosmetic industry and our tool is the spectrum.At Magnolia Makeup we are known for our highly pigmented products. We want to continuously supply our customers with quality, fun makeup for any occasion”

I’ve been obsessed with Magnolia Makeup’s “Soul Glo” Illuminator since I got it last year and I can’t wait to try more of their products in the future.