Thandie Newton is serious about makeup and between her contract with Olay Total Effects and her beauty site Thandiekay.com, the 41-year-old actress has more than a few opinions on products for darker complexions. In her latest essay on her site, Newton criticized her beloved UK-based shop Boots for not catering to darker women.
"Recently, I was at Heathrow Airport and cruised into Boots. Of the many smiling faces staring back at me from advertising boards, none of them looked like me, my Mum, or any of the Black girls that I know," Newton wrote.
"I wondered to myself; do Black women not go on holiday? Do Black women not go on business trips? Do Black women not work at Heathrow? Why isn't this nationwide and beloved shopping destination stocking makeup for ALL the people and places that it serves? The answer you'll get is that shades for darker skins don't sell — but I've been standing there, for years, and I'd buy it? Meanwhile, I'm feeling unrepresented; twinges of bitterness creeping in. Am I invisible? Does Boots not want me here? Does it think I'm not worthy of some space on its aisles?"
She then went on to explain what she's learned about sales and distribution of makeup in the UK, how brands like Make-Up Forever, Becca, Estee Lauder, Stila, Mac and Bobby Brown have many shades of foundation for darker skin tones, but they're usually stocked in high-end stores rather than the affordable and more easily accessible Boots. In her piece, the actress calls out for equality on the makeup aisle and the ability to shop alongside friends and her 9-year-old fair-skinned, green-eyed daughter.
"We want to compete together, learn together, work, dance, sing, win … and shop together," she wrote. "We don't want to be separated when we buy makeup — when teenage girlfriends are excitedly buying blusher for a night out, or a bride is shopping with her maid of honor, or I'm shopping with my daughter. I don't want to have to go to Paks while she goes to Boots — I love her and want to be with her."
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