Acquisition International (AI), the international digital business magazine, has recently announced the winners of the 2022 Influential Businesswoman Awards programme, news that means a lot to Fashions Finest.

The new year wraps up in a new colour: 'Very Peri', Pantone's Colour Of The Year 2022. You too can add this shade of royal purple with independent brand OPV Beauty.

Courtesy of OPV Beauty

With UK Google searches for Very Peri up by 5,000%, here is how to incorporate it into your beauty looks all year round, with the help of OPV Beauty...

About "Very Peri"

Pantone announced their colour of 2022 as 'Very Peri' describing it as "displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit, inquisitive and intriguing PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives."

Just A Sprinkling Of 'Mild Peri'

If you have opted for a more natural makeup look after all the lockdowns, add just a sprinkling of Very Peri to your eyelids, and customise it to create your own style. Whether it is a brush along the crease, a stamp in the inner corner, or a smokey blend out from the outer corner, this shade makes an impact.

Use the Shift Loose Pigment by OPV Beauty (£8.50 on opvbeauty.com), a highly concentrated pigment that is easy to apply and create whatever look you are going for, as well as also being vegan and cruelty-free.

Graphic Liner But Make It Metallic

The Graphic Liner trend is going nowhere with #graphicliner having over 770 million TikTok video views!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

A post shared by RAOÚL (@raoulalejandre)

Add to the colour of the year, the trend of the year with OPV Beauty's Metal & Glitter liner in shade 909 (£10). Long-lasting and smudge-free, this liner is perfect for adding a shimmer to your look or being your entire eyelid look. The precise applicator sweeps seamlessly for a smooth, professional finish.

Father, Son, And Purple Eyelids

 Lady Gaga stunned at the House of Gucci UK premiere with a floaty purple dress, and glitter purple eyeshadow to match - almost like she knew it was going to be the colour of the year.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)

If you are heading "out out" this year, make your eyes more eye-catching with Pressed Glitter in shade Gold Lust by OPV Beauty (£8). Cruelty-free and waterproof, this pressed pigment stays super sparkly for hours.

The Queen's Lipstick

Deepen 'Very Peri' with a full-on vampy purple lip like Anya Taylor-Joy. Perfect for those winter nights or summer parties (fingers crossed!).

Be bold with the Mystery Liquid Lipstick from OPV Beauty (£8) that gives you an effortless application, and your lips a tender coverage that dries to a gorgeous matte finish.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

A post shared by Anya Taylor-Joy (@anyataylorjoy)

Very Peri will give you confidence and a halo of mystery and we are sure including it in your palette will give you much fun with OPV Beauty.

Baking, crocheting, gardening, crafting and many more. Everyone found a way to kill time during lockdown by brushing up a favourite hobby. Akleia surely did! She built her vegan skincare brand from scratches.

Beauty: a celebration of our truest selves through the playful use of colours. This is OPV Beauty, the house of all-inclusive and kaleidoscopically explosive makeup palettes.

London Fashion Week is over, but innovative fashion never halts. Right on time for Black History Month, Sydney-Davies enthusiastically showcases a stunning menswear collection.

C’RIBBE (read [ker-rib-be]) is the creation of James Douglas, the founder. The name is inspired by the Caribbean which is at the very core of the brand.

October is an important month for us as we celebrate Black History Month. Fashions Finest salutes this month by celebrating big and small realities in the beauty and fashion industry with you all.

Ph. Rodnae Productions, Pexels

The contribution of the Black communities in the UK has been underrated or simply unseen for too long. Yet Black Britons have enriched our cultural landscape and economy with vibes and stories coming from afar. Fashions Finest wants to celebrate black innovators and strong business women who make our life more beautiful.

Every month tinges with different colours and surges as the flag for a cause. Fashions Finest's Black History Month is a journey across people and ideas fueled by a courageous entrepreneur spirit and passion.

Meet Tiph'arah

Tiph'arah is a UK-based haircare company born in Coventry, Midlands. The brand moved its first steps in the intimacy of a house - to be more precise - a kitchen. Jessica Oduro, the founder, was looking for intensive and natural options that could keep her Afro hair nourished and hydrated for longer. Failed to do so, she started to experiment with natural and organic ingredients at home until she found the right formulation for glorious hair. 'Tiph'arah means 'glory' in Hebrews, in fact! Tiph'arah's hair butters aim to strengthen the hair strands, hydrate and promote healthy growth. The product range, consisting of three types of hair butter (Shea Cocoa Mango, Paw Carrot and Shea-Mang AVO'), is made with 90% of pure and organic ingredients from Ghana and the remaining sourced in Europe at high standards.

Meet Aviela

Aviela (read [a-vee-el-ah]) is a word used in Northern Ghana for 'good', 'nice' or even 'beautiful'. This word conveys very positive vibes. Aviela is the child of Patricia Monney who, during a family holiday in Ghana in 2007, was introduced to the power of raw, unrefined shea butter to heal her little daughter's ankle. Patricia learnt about shea butter anti-inflammatories properties and, once back home in the UK, she focused on expanding her knowledge on shea butter. She found a way to work the natural ingredient without compromising the natural properties and qualities of shea butter. The solution was her kitchen helper which gives Aviela products that superb weightless whipped consistency. Aviela offers a range of skincare and body care for all skin types with 100% pure, unrefined shea butter. Patricia sources her shea butter ethically from a cooperative of 25 women from the village of Gurugu in the Northern region of Ghana.

Meet Pamoja

Pamoja (read [pam-oh-jah]) is a Swahili word meaning 'together' and is inspired by formulator and founder Sarah Taylor's Tanzanian/British heritage as well her skin journey. During pregnancy, she experienced severe sensitivity and succeeded in finding the solution by herself. She worked on her own products and formulations gaining also some spotlights in national magazines.

This independent, black-owned company offers natural skincare with high performance and quality standards. Cruelty-free and environmentally friendly, Pamoja takes equal care of sensitive skin and the environment with sustainable packaging, ethically sourced botanical ingredients and zero palm oil. Sarah thinks that 'everyone deserves to feel good and that when you are kinder to yourself, it will help you be your very best.' For Sarah 'Black History Month is an opportunity to be more inclusive, to shine a spotlight on the contributions and the challenges we face so that we can better understand our collective history every single month of the year.'

Meet Wax + Wraps

For many of us, the pandemic represented a forced stop; however, this suspended time allowed us to reset priorities and rebuild ourselves. This happened to Jaqueline Shaw with Wax + Wraps. The fashion expert and entrepreneur overcame the COVID-19 backlash thanks to her acumen and love for fashion design. She realised how many people get interested in handmade and sewing during the pandemic and she also noticed how popular were and are still crafting subscription boxes.

Jaqueline, who has an MA in Ethical Fashion, is passionate about Africa and traditional fabrics. She put this personal love in her own subscription box by sourcing unique textiles printed, woven or knitted by hand in African states and regions. 'Other sewing boxes do the job but they are all very similar and I felt that they don’t inspire me to learn more about the people or even to source responsible fabrics and textiles too. My Master's degree in Ethical Fashion from the UCA Epsom, taught me that in this fashion industry, WE the consumers are the change we want to see. We are responsible for the impact of the industry on our planet and our purchasing decisions can build or break the industry. And its environment impact.'
Jaqueline thinks that 'Africa is Fashion's Future' and has been spreading awareness at previous London Fashion Weeks and events in Africa and the States. We could not but totally agree on that. Her sewing box does not just quench our thirst for crafts but also disclose stories from beautiful lands and people as no other service does.

Saka Luxe Beauty

Many feels puzzled by the length and complexity of cosmetic labels. This exact reaction is behind Saka Luxe Beauty, a UK natural hair and skincare company founded in Bristol in 2020. Available on Etsy, eponymous of everything handcrafted, the brand's ethos is based on creating simple and affordable products to moisturise and nourish hair, beard and body. Every jar of butter, every bottle of oil is handmade in small batches to ensure a caring and luxurious feel.

Jessica, Patricia, Sarah and Jacqueline are just four of the many black businesswomen that turn their creative verve or necessity to express themselves and made a living from their passion. Black History Month is important to us because the majority of the black-owned businesses are too small to gain the deserved visibility on the media and still struggle in this overcrowded industry.

We invite you to have a look around and discover the authenticity of these companies and that of many similar ones. As you and we shop independent and black-owned, we can support these individuals and make a little but significant change in their lives, ours, and the way we shop.

Fashions Finest is happy to bring you these personal stories and call all the black-founded companies to get in touch to join us and build together a network of creators beyond Black History Month.

We know well how curly and Afro-textured hair needs special care to maintain its luscious beauty and health. Sophia London, a new haircare brand, answers this 'emergency hair call' with its official launch.

Media and retails are moving toward a more inclusive plan of action to reflect different backgrounds, stories and needs. Finally, the premium market is following the same route with the arrival of Untapped Creatives at Selfridges.

When was the last time you saw black owned brands on your TV or in the main stream media?