Black Every Friday: Smelly Goods

Posted on by kelley

I feel like I’m long overdue for a Black Every Friday post! To spread the word and hopefully circulate some dollars is why it began and that is how it shall continue.

As you may remember, my skin and hair can get quite parched, especially in the cooler months. (Thanks Grandma.) Like sweaters and scarves, I love layering scents, too, which enhance my own unique aroma. A coat of lotion, a pinch of shea, a dab of oil + solid perfume, a little mist spritz and bam! Damn! What’s that you got on, Kelley??! There’s something special about someone who has a reputation for smelling good. I wanna be that old, cool auntie who everyone loves to hug ’cause she just smells so nice. And sometimes, if you’re lucky, the scent and good juju rubs off. I know we all have that warm older lady we love to hug! Plus I don’t care for store-bought perfumes as I have pretty sensitive, temperamental skin that reacts to alcohol or anything too harsh, really. While drugstore lotions feel like thick water as my skin makes a poor attempt to absorb it. Besides that, who doesn’t love to meet the face behind something you use and apply to your skin daily?! I like knowing that a product was made with loving hands in someone’s home, studio or shop and not mass produced in a factory and pumped with preservatives just so it can sit on the shelves for months or even years. You can guess what something like that may do to your pores and bloodstream.

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The ladies I’ve listed provide unisex smelly good products for the entire family and I’m such a fan. Hopefully you’ll keep them in mind before you hop in line to purchase that lotion for $1.18 (including tax) from.. who knows?? Trust that this is a no judgement zone but rather a guide to help you make more conscious decisions and support small companies. At the same damn time. Sure it will monetarily cost you more to purchase from them than say Walgreens, but aren’t you worth it?

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Honeysuckle Moon Mama Moon is easily one of my favorite people on Earth. We met in a yoga class in late 2015 and it was just.. love. She is such a beautiful woman, a huge spirit in a tiny body with a thick Louisiana drawl whose smile brightens my day. Please take my word when I say that anything she creates or puts her name behind is of the utmost quality. So far I love her black tea shampoo and coconut hemp butter blend best.

I had the pleasure of working the same event where I met the owner of Black&Golden. (Isn’t that a great brand name?) I will just say that everything smells great and there are no bad choices. None!

Shrine of 9 I have yet to met her, but Oya seems like such a cool, other worldly chick. Her brand’s name + aesthetic got me to notice, but quality products made me stay. She has something funky and fresh for every body.

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The Grounding Collection from Shrine of 9

Yamerra Another sweet sweet spirit! Marryam is a beautiful ball of high energy, a woman after my own heart as she puts a hand in all things creative-from soaps, butters and oils to bold, unique clothing designs. She’s so gifted and inspires me never limit myself.

VEE+CO Although we’ve never met, I feel like we have. She ordered cookies. I ordered toner and oil. The outcome? Love. I’m a lifetime client, for sure. So far I’ve purchased a toner and the Sacral oil, which has a winey, juicy, floral scent and aids in menstrual discomfort. I want it all, but priorities.

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Have you heard of any of these beautiful sisters doing their thing? Have you purchased from them? Feel free to comment with any brands you think I need to know about; one can never smell too good or be too moisturized! (Unless you ask Tareau! haha!)

❤

22 thoughts on “Black Every Friday: Smelly Goods”

  1. Wait wait thank you for the shout out but I am all for hygiene. This was an excellent post and yes you are way overdue for a black friday post. Selling baked goods to fat brothas and everything. See that. You tryna get me all fat and greasy so I would have to add myself to my list. They gonna be saying “Lookie here boy. Here comes Tareau and his twodoughgirls.com smelling self” hahahahahahahahah. All love. I know you have a small tolerance for ignorance so maybe this will be your limit for the year. On some real ish this is very informative and I will tell every sistah I see about this. ✌

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    1. LOL noooooo we cannot have you on that list! I know SF doesn’t get suuuuper cold but those breezes might get you a little chapped.

      This list is for sisters AND brothers as these brands have something for everyone. Thanks for tuning in and the laughs!

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      1. Hahahaha. Always Ms. Suede. It’s actually cold here and cold for us is anything below 50 degrees haha we are spoiled. This morning was 34 degrees and I had ice all over my soccer mom mini van.

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          1. Hey hey telling me to hush, I aints done nothing wrong. What part of cali are u from originally

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          2. Los Angeles. But we visited my grandpa + his wife in SF almost every spring break growing up. Many BART rides + walks on the wharf. I don’t remember any snow or ice tho!

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  2. I really love how you put so many people on. And in doing so you spread so much love. This post is an example of what I was saying a while back of why you should get paid to do this. Iknow you do it out of love and support but hopefully we can get our business to be so big one day that they feel the need to pay you. And I know it’s not all about money but the purpose is to build our own. And you are playing a big part in the process. You need to eat too. I still don’t have the complete answer of how we will get there but I am keeping the idea alive.

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  3. omg this could not be more perfect timing. I was just putting together a list of black businesses myself when I came across this post! Now I don’t have to do the work lol. I’ll just send you mine from here on out to add to your list!

    Do you currently have a page with a running list of all of the businesses you’ve collected? I would love to reblog it on a Melanin Monday to see if a few more peeps might add to it. My few additions are below (I’ll be posting a haul video of the things I bought from a couple of these vendors). Super excited about that!

    https://www.hgcapparel.com/
    http://shopderrickjaxn.com/
    http://www.godpiece.com/
    https://laviye.myshopify.com/

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    1. haha yayyyyy! Thank you! And no I don’t.. just a few posts featuring Black owned businesses. It’s hard to keep up, but webuyblack.com and shoppeblack.us have a nice collection.

      P.S. Why did I just discover Derrick last week?! Where is he in real life?? Do you think I have a chance?????????!??!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!

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      1. OMG Kelley you have about a thousand other women fighting for his love lol (and I think he has a woman). Isn’t he a dream come true?! I feel like God created him just to show us that all things are possible. lmao.

        And you’re right – its definitely hard to keep up (that’s a good thing, right?!). Maybe I’ll just spotlight the ones I buy from, then. Also, I’m ready to get my brownies. I want the ones Tareau has. I like chocolate anything. And I like soft treats over hard ones. With that in mind, what else would you recommend I buy along with the brownies?

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        1. I’m just kidding. He’s ugly anyway 😛

          Yes it’s a great thing that we can’t keep up with the influx of new Black-owned businesses! Now we just need sustainability and that means a whole lotta support.

          I recommend the Espresso Ginger cookies or Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies; they both have a chewier texture than the other cookies. There are no bad choices tho 😉

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          1. HE IS NOT UGLY KELLEY! I LOVE him! :O. Maybe you need to look at him from another angle. Flip your computer upside down next time! I’m not a huge fan of peanut butter so I think I’ll try the Espresso Ginger cookies and the Brownies that Tareau had. I’ll be placing my order on payday. I’m broke 😦

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          2. LOL you know how young dudes say “you ugly anyway!” or something when you don’t give them any play! That’s where I was going but it didn’t translate well. He’s only ugly if it’s opposite day ha ha!

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          4. Actually, I just checked my accccouuuunt and I’m BALLING! lol just kidding. But I can definitely make my purchase today. I just submitted my order through the form. Omg I’m going to be fat Kelley. I saw the lemon cake too :/ I need that. I’ll have to order that next time.

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