Good Morning, it's Sunday, March 2. A London teen is suing his parents, there’s a new melanin-rich skincare brand for children and you can now have a cold pizza flavoured cocktail in NYC. Also, the Rio carnival has officially begun and we’re celebrating (and wearing fancy shoes) with Izabella Suzart, the Afro-Brazilian founder of luxe fashion house A-AURORA, so keep scrolling 🎭🍬🍑🍸
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🇰🇷 Food Obsessions in East Asia: While South Koreans have fallen deeply in love with peanut butter, Chinese consumers love blueberries.
🇬🇧 🇬🇭 Suing Your Parents: A London teen sued his parents after they moved him to Ghana for fear he was getting engrossed in gang activities and the High Court has sided with the parents.
🇮🇳 India’s Instagram Village: Over 25% of Tulsi’s 4,000 residents are content creators, and the city gvt has even built a content studio for locals.
🇨🇳 Vacation Gone Wrong: Tourists at the Chengdu Snow Village in China got an unpleasant surprise as the warm weather left them no snow, causing hosts to improvise with soapy water and white sand 👀
🇦🇪 Preserving Emirati Thobes: Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli is the founder of The Zay Initiative, a non-profit actively preserving Arab culture with its open-access digital archive of thobes (traditional Emirati dress pieces).
🇺🇸 Beloved SF Latina-owned Salon: Despite gentrification, Maria Garcia has managed to keep Mary’s Beauty Salon a hotspot for people in her neighborhood.
If you couldn’t get enough of Denzel Washington in Gladiator II, no worries because you can see him perform Othello on Broadway in NYC. Tickets here.
🍬 Pat McGrath x Candy Crush: Get the prettiest bling-iest limited-edition lipsticks, glosses and nail polishes from this collab.
🍑 Fenty’s New Cheeks Suede: The high-performance powder blush is now available in new shimmery shades, including red brown, rose mauve and a gold peach.
2-in-1 Makeup Products: Trying to get the most bang for your buck? This list by Beauty editor Akili King contains some Black-owned makeup finds that are multi-use.
🧒🏿 Skincare for Mum & Son: MelanBrand Skin is providing gentle skincare solutions for Black and Brown kids, even with sensitive skin. It's also owned by a mother-son duo!
🌿 CBD Skincare from The UAE: JUANA Skin is the clinically-backed skincare brand harnessing biotechnology and cannabinoids to improve your skin texture.
Aja Naomi King’s Must Haves: The actress loves L'Oréal's Revitalift Face Serum with Hyaluronic Acid and her Bright Reveal Broad Spectrum Sunscreen.
In a new report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), it was reported that 80% of more than 4,000 beauty products for Black women contain at least one hazardous ingredient. Another recent study by Consumer Reports found carcinogens such as heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 10 popular synthetic hair brands.
Following recent conversations around hair relaxers and the links to increased cancer risk, it leads us to the question: what are Black women to do?
Nature’s Botox: a collective term for flaxseed, yoghurt and beef tallow - is now all the rage on TikTok. But dermatologist Muneeb Shah explains there is low scientific evidence to validate these claims.
Moroccan Nila Powder: The internet claims Nila powder can brighten your skin. Dermatologists Dr. Mahajan and Dr. Praveen say there is no scientific evidence and is more of a social media myth.
Does 3-2-1 Work? TikTok’s latest trend involves doing three strength workouts, two Pilates and one cardio per week, and the experts say it does have some benefits.
Carol’s Daughter has just launched its Goddess Strength 2% Minoxidil Hair Regrowth Treatment for Black women facing hair loss.
Mental Health for Black Community: Dr. Lanail Plummer explains how the recent political climate and elder-based trauma affect Black people, and how therapy can help.
Diet Against Cancer: A new major study has shown that the Mediterranean diet can reduce cancer risk by reducing inflammation and improving metabolic health.
WeWard for Walking: WeWard is the latest walking app backed by Venus Williams that’s trying to fight the inactivity crisis by rewarding people who stay active.
Headwraps from Azteca Negra: The Mexican brand creates beautiful culturally-inspired textiles, accessories and headwraps. One we love is the Princesa Headwrap in Red.
Kaftans from Verandah: Have you seen the colourful kaftans the White Lotus cast has been wearing? They are from Verandah, an Indian resortwear brand.
Jewellery from Forest of Chintz: This week, we’re wearing the most colourful earrings from Forest of Chintz’ latest collection, JouJou.
Co-ords from Kanika Goyal: Indian designer Payal Singhal listed the brand as one of her go-tos, and we are in awe of the NIAMH Embellished Set.
Homeware from Studio Fanj: Founded by Lebanese influencer Nathalie Fanj, Studio Fanj is the latest outlet for sustainable and meticulously crafted homeware.
Inside Anitta’s Home in Rio de Janeiro: We love Anitta’s home with its endless greenery, impeccable art picks, and several focal points that make you feel at home.
How to Build a Mud House: Vy Architecture Studio brings the intricate details on how to build a mud house.
Guide to Negril, Jamaica: Explore Jamaica with this list of essentials, curated by Caribbean personalities such as Winnie Harlow, Zuri Marley and Don Brodie.
Guide to Thailand: Thanks to all the White Lotus hype, Thailand is top of our travel list, and the series’ Bangkok-born actor Dom Hetrakul tells us all the must-see spots.
Guide to Trinidad & Tobago: Learn all the hottest sights and spots for tomorrow’s carnival from the King of Soca himself, Machel Montano.
🍸 Drinks at Double Chicken Please: Mixologist Faye Chen is the co-founder of Double Chicken Please, a bar in NYC that makes food-flavoured cocktails like cold pizza, french toast and thai curry.
Supper at Logma: This couple-run supper club is located in the heart of London, and is bringing the rich flavours of Iran and Iraq to the city.
Carnival in Brazil is a bucket list item for many and this Carnival we wanted to bring you an inside look from a local. From H&M’s recent 2024 summer collection to so many more, the Afro-Brazilian influence on carnival style is significant.
So to celebrate the start of the Rio Carnival, we spoke to Izabella Suzart, an Afro-Brazilian designer and founder of luxe fashion house A-AURORA in Rio de Janeiro who participates actively in Carnival culture. She gave us all the deets on Carnival and her personal style during the festivities.
Why Carnival is Special
Carnival in Brazil is a historic and cultural event. A Brazilian historian called Antonio Simas said it was not Brazil that invented Carnival; instead, it was the Carnival that invented Brazil. Lélia Gonzales, a great Brazilian thinker, also said that to know Brazil, we need to study the party culture.
Carnival is the greatest movement of freedom and celebration that Brazil can offer, especially to minorities who are typically excluded.
So, during this period in Brazil, I love celebrating the culture that represents religious influences, such as cambomblé and Well. I'm a fashion designer and so love creating looks to have fun while celebrating the freedom of carnival. Carnival is educational.
The Key Elements for A Perfect Carnival Look
I really love doing a mix of high-end and affordable pieces for carnival at the moment. I love creating looks that bring glam, comfort and beauty together.
You definitely need sneakers for daytime street parties and a nice, glam outfit for evening parties. Of course, it's great to opt for easy, comfortable looks, so you can watch the most beautiful event in the world—the carnival parades— without worrying.
The Inspiration Behind Her Shoe Designs
I was born in Madureira to grandparents from Bahia who were seamstresses and tailors.
Madureira is a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro that has a rich and well-known history of Samba and that inspires me.
There’s also the fact that enslaved people in Brazil were prohibited from wearing shoes, so I love to create works of art that value the history of diasporan personalities. A-AURORA always tells the story of these personalities to immortalize the existence of Black people in Brazil in a world that often undervalues them.
Challenges Working in Brazil’s Fashion Industry
Brazil is still a very closed place for fashion and with very low investment within the market. Plus, only 3% of leadership positions here have Black women in them.
There are also challenges of racism and sexism which demand so much, including whitewashed attitudes, from us Black women. But I have remained resilient in showing the subjective power of Black women and I have a repertoire of Black culture that keeps me going.
