Dear Pennies & Pens,
As you may know, I’m not the biggest fan of Houston but I have an appreciation for the city and its diversity. Houston is truly a multicultural melting pot which makes it very diverse.There’s always cool events and interesting people to meet. A few weeks ago, I was invited to the Brown Sugar Beauti Expo.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend but I did have the opportunity to interview Gracelyn Fraser, a Beauty Blogger and Founder of Brown Sugar Beauti. Gracelyn has always loved all things beauty. She chose to produce the Brown Sugar Beauti Expo an event for local beauty lovers and businesses to partake in the latest in hair, makeup, and skincare for women of color.
Each year at Brown Sugar Beauti, hundreds of beauty enthusiasts indulge in products and services from Houston’s top beauty vendors and sponsors; and the signature Beauty Goodie Buffet is always a crowd favorite! This year’s Brown Sugar Beauti Expo took place on December 7th at the Enigma Lounge in Houston.
This year’s event featured entertainment from poet Blessed Empress as well as neo-soul artist Marium Echo. DJ SupaStar was also in the building spinning the hottest tunes. Additional featured participants includedĀ Tendrils and CurlsĀ ā a one-stop shopping experience for those with naturally textured hair;Ā Ā Sprinkles CupcakesĀ ā the world’s first cupcake bakery whose freshly baked treats have inspired long lines of devoted Hollywood stars and serious epicureans alike; and much more.
That said, check out my interview with Gracelyn from below. Gracelyn offers amazing insight on beauty, event planning, and more.
1. Where are you originally from?
I was born in Guyana, South America. As a child, I moved to Missiouri where I lived for most of my life. About 6 years ago, I moved to Houston. I had a friend who was living here and so I would come and visit — this is when I fell in love with Houston. Houston has a great cost of living, diversity, culture, and delicious food.
2. How has your heritage influenced you as a Blogger?
Hair is such a major part of Black women’s lives. I remember having a jheri curl, perm, french rolls, and many other hairstyles. I have always loved hair, makeup, skincare products and I wanted an avenue to share my passion and culture with other beauty enthusiasts.
3. Why did you decide to start your blog, Brown Sugar Beauti?
I have always loved everything beauty related, since childhood I have been fascinated with beauty. Beauty is a great way to enhance yourself. I started my blog because wanted to create a space where I could talk about beauty.
4. Tell me more about the Brown Sugar Beauti Expo?
As a blogger, I’m always attending various beauty and networking events. A couple of years ago, I started thinking about hosting my own beauty event and thinking about what I would do differently.
Brown Sugar Beauti was created to celebrate of women of color. The event features live demonstrations of hair and makeup; as well as complimentary pampering services, manicures, facials. I also added the element of entertainment with poetry and Ā music to create an overall beauty experience.
I started planning Brown Sugar Beauti by creating a vision board with all my ideas and goals. I presented the vision board in November 2012, and began taking steps to start the event. I then reached out to vendors and told them my idea.
Amazingly enough, I landed 38 sponsors and vendors as well as live entertainment. The first Brown Sugar Beauti Expo took place in January of 2013.
Everyone loved the event because it was something different. The highlight of the event is usually the Beauty Buffet; during the Beauty Buffet products are laid on a table and guests are able to pick products that they want.
5. What’s next for Brown Sugar Beauti?
We are making plans to expand our exciting beauty events into top beauty markets in the United States and internationally. We’ll be replicating the Houston event in Chicago, London, and New York with local sponsors and vendors.
To keep up with us, follow us on Instagram:Ā @brownsugarbeauti, Twitter:Ā @brownsugarbeaut, Like us on Facebook:Ā brownsugarbeautiblogĀ and visit us at:Ā www.brownsugarbeauti.com.
