Ronke, please share your morning wellbeing regime with us.

Oh dear! That has really dropped off over the years. I would like to say that I get up and do yoga or go for a run and start the morning feeling all energised, but in reality I crawl out of bed and head to the shower. I get dressed, spend far too long putting on my makeup and then wolf my breakfast down and head out the door.

What are the 3 things in your daily life that you simply cannot live without?

Food, my family and something to read or listen to.

What are your 3 favourite beauty, makeup or wellbeing products and why?

Oh boy, that is really tough. I will have to nail this down. Lip balm – any as long as it is very moisturising. I do not like dry lips. Body Butter – after showering this is essential in order to keep my body well groomed. Cotton wool balls to tone and take my makeup off.

As a multitasking career woman and businesswoman, how do you manage stress/relax?

Reading and writing de-stresses me. As well as watching some light-hearted TV. Also, nothing beats a bit of pampering such as a massage or a pedicure.

I love that your brand ‘Brown Beauty Talk’ is built around celebrating black beauty; What motivated/inspired you to launch your brand?

It was the lack of a voice online for WoC. There really wasn’t anything like that. We took part in Twitter talks but they were aimed at us, hence why BBT was created. Also there was no website at that time for us. The idea was to create a website that gave Women of Colour information about brands that catered for them so they could find out whether it was something they wanted to try out.

Do you think that how women define their beauty is changing to a more individual approach or are we still being dictated to by society at large?

I think it’s changing slowly but surely. The power of the selfie has been key. As much as we like to slate Instagram you cannot deny that it has given women from all races, of all size shapes a platform to celebrate themselves. You do not get that in the mainstream media where you only see a particular type of lady.

Do you think that social media has helped to push the cause for greater inclusiveness in the beauty industry?

Absolutely. Right now it is very democratic and allows you to choose the sort of people you want in your space. For WoC who have been starved of images of people like them this has been pivotal.

Ronke, what is the biggest risk that you’ve ever taken that has paid off?

Launching brownbeautytalk, putting myself out there was very scary but it has been worth it.

Who inspires you and why?

My mum is my greatest inspiration. She is a true testament that you endure a very hard life but still remain strong and true to yourself. Also Emily Weiss, founder of Into the Gloss. I really love what she has done and the fact that she got off her butt and created something that was out of the ordinary in a sector that people often mock. She is truly inspirational.

The word Resilience is often used when describing the qualities of female achievers in all spheres: How does the word resilience manifest in your story or in your journey thus far?

Well I never give up. I have had a lot of knock backs but I have never stopped believing in myself. I also never ever gave up on my dreams. I feel that when you do that you more or less die or worse become bitter.

In your journey as an entrepreneur, what have you discovered about yourself that surprised you?

That I am not as different from other women as I thought I was. I used to be very shy and socially awkward and I have realised that a lot of women in the communications industry are also that way. Some are just very good at faking.

What is your favourite fragrance?

The ones by Jean Paul Gaultier are gorgeous. So fresh and pretty.

 

Thank you

Denise xx

Find out more about Ronke and Brown Beauty Talk here:

https://www.brownbeautytalk.com

https://www.instagram.com/brownbeautytalk