How Slay Belles Get Dope!
Marshalle, my #GirlBoss and sister in all things Black Girl Magic, hosted her first Marshy and the Slay Belles Beauty Class of the year this past weekend and of course it was nothing short of bomb. Marshalle is a published make-up artist but what most important to her is creating a space for women to be honest, comfortable, and available to being connected with other women. We need each other ladies! During this Beauty Class we had a chat with Olivia Dope, a New York based DJ who kills it on the 1s and 2s. She was our Live Model for the evening, and Marsh took her beauty from two-stepping between meetings, to dancing the night away.
Marshy got started on the beat and Olivia Dope told us a little of her story. Its amazing how much we love the glitz but never know about the grind. Olivia was a single mom working in retail when she wound up homeless and riding the trains at night. Things changed for her in 2014 when she created her Vision Board. She kept her faith in God and in herself because she knew that her story was not over.
The name "Olivia Dope" started out as a play on words of Scandal's lead character "Olivia Pope" but it now stands for something deeper, directing us to live our lives in a more positive way. DOPE stands for Driven On Positive Energy. She took a stand against trap music for a few years, because songs of the genre didn't represent who she was as a Black woman. "Every time I play it, I'm drained, so as a Black woman I cant play this music just because it's what they want to hear. Because of this, I started a #BlackGirlMagic movement. There's so much music in trap that is demeaning to us, and I wanted to creatively take a stance to uplift Black women. "
In addition to her #BlackGirlMagic movement, she also wears a gold plated "Oppressed" necklace. For Olivia Dope, it's a conversation starter. "It's symbolic. Especially with everything black people face such as police brutality, we always had a voice that's never been heard. We have so many things going on and we're not doing enough to uplift each other. I wear this every single day to get people riled up. It's a think-piece; a silent protest. I want everyone to see it and ask [about it] so we can have a conversation."
We also sat with Andrew Fennell who spoke to us about his journey doing what he loves as a freelance photographer. Getting fired from his career job in design 6 years ago is what pushed him to decide if he wanted to live a life picking up a check every two weeks, or creating a check for himself. He also told us the secret behind his active travel lifestyle. Having been to Bali, Los Angeles and Dallas within the first 5 weeks of 2017, it's not that he's doing anything extraordinary. After reading "Four Hour Work-Week" by Timothy Ferriss he's learned to spend his money wisely. "Booking the flight is the most expensive part! I've popped bottles in the clubs Bali for $7 USD!"
Thanks to Marshalle, we can learn from one another and be inspired to chase after our own greatness. It's more than just make-up! I love being able to hear these stories and be encouraged. Nothing is impossible! (Write that down!) If you missed Marshy's classes before, Marshy's Beauty Class is a live makeup tutorial serving day-to-night beauty looks and giving tips and tricks for all skin tones and skin types. All slay belles in attendance get a makeover, make-up gift bag and a glam photo shoot. I want to see you at the next one!
With love,
Evelyn