Yolanda Webb's idea for a line of makeup products designed for women of color came after years of frustration over finding the right shades for herself as a young model.
"Twenty five years ago, I started in the modeling industry. Back then there wasn't makeup for black women," said Webb, a Detroit native who moved to Cincinnati and raised a family.
Not much had changed over the years, she found, when her daughter was looking for just the right shades for herself.
"When my daughter was in the 12th grade, she had this same problem," she said. "We're talking about 10 years ago."
Webb decided to take matters into her own hands, she developed and began selling her own line of high quality makeup
E'lon Couture Cosmetics. The line, founded in 2002 and sold exclusively on the web, includes powder, cream and liquid foundation, bronzer, blush, eye shadow, lipstick, liners and more. The line also includes a skincare line for all skin types.
The line is sold internationally to women of color in dozens of countries, a growing group of women who increasingly want to spend money on beauty products, Webb said.
A look at the web site gives a peak into the international reach of E'lon Cosmetics. The site can be translated into just over a dozen languages including Afrikaans, Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, French and Swahili.
"You have a larger contingent of black women than ever who have disposable income and want to do something with it including purchasing makeup products," Webb said.
E'lon Cosmetics tagline, "Celebrating The Beauty And Inner Strength Of Today's Black Woman," carries over into the company's
E'Lon Couture. The magazine covers global beauty and fashion, of course, but digs into deeper cultural issues. Recent headlines include "The State of Being Black in America" and "Little Girls Lost" on the costs of fame at any price.
The magazine, which began as a blog in 2009, has an international view like the cosmetics line. It caters to women who have traditionally been left out of business, fashion and culture, and want to be heard, Webb said.
"We felt like it was time do this magazine, you have to know about other cultures and people. If you want to do business here in Cincinnati, you have to know who these people are who live outside the US," Webb said.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Yolanda Webb, founder E'lon Couture Cosmetics, E'lon Couture Publishing
You can follow Feoshia on Twitter
@feoshiawrites
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