Photography Jackie Dixon
”We have inner and outer lives and this is unifying, not separating,”
“There is a suggestion that there is a certain kind of look that is more desirable,” say’s Thandie Newton talking about her latest venture with longtime All Walks supporter and internationally renowned make-up artist , Kay Montano, “I find that frustrating.”
“Children grow up thinking that their bodies are lovely; then they learn to think their skin or their nose or their hair isn’t right,” asserts Montano. “That doesn’t come naturally to any human being. You learn that stuff.”
Both women are of mixed race, they speak from the heart about the verbal and non-verbal judgments they know to be a reality for those whose appearance manifests on the outskirts of mainstream beauty advertising messaging. They both experienced their appearance differently while growing up, and are vocal about the way in which skin-tone is assessed and packaged. Speaking to the Independent recently to mark the launch of their beauty blog, they want to reach out to women who feel disenfranchised by prescriptive or vacuous beauty talk. Newton’s look was transformed when Montano did her make up. It was the first time for the actress, that her skin tone looked natural and not whitewashed.
ThandieKay.com is essentially ‘a beauty blog’, embracing women as a whole,” explains Montano. “We have inner and outer lives and this is unifying, not separating. The currency of beauty and the exploration of themes around what beauty means in a broader sense, to a variety of people, of diverse cultures and points of view, in both visuals, and via our Q+A’s and features of amazing women we’ve met from screen, music and advocacy, will form the back bone of the site. But we’ll also recreate our favourite red carpet looks over the years in both pictures and tutorials. ”
“Make-up is whatever you want it to be-it can mask as much as it can liberate, just like your choice of hairstyle, for people expressing themselves via their outer selves can also be a way of accepting who they are on their own terms.We believe in liberation, celebration and living life to the full. That starts with you. You are radiant, beautiful and full of bright potential.”
“Hear hear,” we say…Intelligent women and intelligent beauty writing. We can see the intelligent product range all ready!