Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month By Supporting These Latinx-Founded Brands

It’s officially Hispanic Heritage Month and, as a proud puertorriqueña, I was beyond excited to stop by “Great Day Houston” and chat about some must-have, game-changing products from beauty brands founded by Latinos and Latinas. Make sure to check out the segment above (or click here to view it on KHOU.com) and read on to find out more about the masterminds behind these brands, what inspires them creatively and professionally, and why their beauty products are fuego.

REINA REBELDE

You know how there are anecdotes that live on forever in every family? Well, in mine, there’s a story that’s been repeated over and over again and it involves a pint-sized, 4-year-old yours truly chasing after my older cousin Patricia and begging her to put lipstick on me. Given that my career has ultimately revolved around beauty (and that my eyes still widen like an excited little kid whenever I see a great lip color), my relatives find that anecdote to be pretty telling, a foreshadowing of sorts. But here’s the thing: I’m not alone in my fanatical love of lipstick (and makeup, for that matter). A study by Univision found that for every $21 a non-Hispanic woman spends on cosmetics, a Latina will spend $44 — that’s more than twice the amount! What struck me most about the study was that the pattern remained the same regardless of the women’s income — in other words, even Latina ladies with humble earnings found a way to factor their beauty needs into their budgets. Fascinating, right?

So what if Latinas could buy top-notch makeup created by a fellow Latina? Well, we can, mujeres! Reina Rebelde (which means “Rebel Queen”) was founded by Regina Merson, who was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and is now based in Dallas, Texas, and the brand specializes in bold, richly-pigmented, high-quality products that celebrate the strength, confidence, fieriness, and beauty of Latina women. Even the packaging is inspired by Latino culture as evidenced by the Sacred Heart, sugar skull, and cross dagger imagery on many of the tubes, jars, and palettes. The Spanish names of different shades, meanwhile, nod to influential Latino figures (such as painter Frida Kahlo, Mexican cinema star Maria Felix, or revolutionary Emiliano Zapata), beautiful locales like Oaxaca, and even Spanish-language adjectives we often use when describing ourselves, our relatives, or our friends — think “brava” (which means “feisty”), “coqueta” (which means “flirtatious”), and “exagerada” (which means “over-the-top” or “dramatic”). And get this: Reina Rebelde recently landed at Target stores so now you can shop at ReinaRebelde.com or on Target.com!

I’m obsessed with the Bold Lip Color Sticks ($13.99 each at Target.com) because they offer full-coverage, long-wearing, high-density color in just one swipe. The jumpo lip crayon format is easy to use and perfect for those who are on-the-go, and the color feels creamy yet weightless on lips, so the formula is never drying. The Bold Lip Color Sticks come in six colors: Brava, a classic bold red; Rosa Salvaje; a medium-intensity honeysuckle pink; Fresa, a full-bodied cranberry color that reminds me of sangría; Moretón, a deep and edgy aubergine purple; Xicana, a deep brown; and Tatuaje, a vamp-y blackened purple shade. The two best-selling shades (and my personal favorites) are Brava and Rosa Salvaje.

Another must-have from Reina Rebelde is the Rebel Eye Definer Liquid in Zapatista ($11.99 at Target.com). This liquid eyeliner is the darkest, richest black, allowing you to really trace the perimeter of your eyes so they can pop, and letting you create the fiercest cat eye ever. And unlike so many liquid eyeliners, this one doesn’t run or fade — it stays put all day long.

See why Reina Rebelde has the crown?

RAHUA

Fabia Lliguin, a renowned hairstylist and colorist in New York City who grew up in Ecuador, founded the luxury green and clean haircare line Rahua in 2008. As a passionate environmental activist, Fabian had started Ecoagents, an NGO dedicated to protecting the Amazon rainforest and advocating for the indigenous people therein, and so he began to travel frequently to the region. On one trip, a group of Amazonian women introduced him to Rahua oil —which is extracted from the ungurahua nut and is really rich in Omega-9 fatty acids— and they said it was the secret behind their long, healthy, lustrous hair. The women entrusted him with a bottle of their prized oil and, upon his return to New York City, Fabian began testing out the substance on some of his clients with dry and damaged strands and witness first-hand the transformative powers of this Amazonian oil. He was inspired to create a line of haircare products incorporating this ingredient and formulated using eco-friendly, sustainable and ethical practices that mirrored his respect for the Amazonian rainforest and its inhabitants. To this day, the rahua oil used in all of the brand’s products is hand-processed by indigenous people using traditional methods and ancient ceremonial practices.

One of the brands’ latest launches are the Rahua Hydration Shampoo ($34 at Rahua.com) and Hydration Conditioner ($36 at Rahua.com), both of which are designed to provide a powerful punch of moisture to dry, over-processed, thirsty hair. They feature three organic, hand-harvested, rainforest-grown oils —Rahua oil, Sacha Inchi Oil, and Morete Oil —as well as protein-binding sugars derived from mango juice. They also smell delicious!

LUX BEAUTY CLUB

Hair plays such an important role in women’s self-esteem — and that’s why extensions can be such a game-changer. After all,   they can help you add length and volume, hide a bad haircut, and experiment with new styles and hair colors. The problem is that high-quality human hair extensions can be prohibitively expensive. Luckily, Mexico-born Victoria Flores has come to save the day. In 2012, she co-founded Lux Beauty Club, which specializes in luxury hair extensions at affordable prices. They offer sew-in, tape-in, clip-in, and magnetic hair extensions in a broad array of colors.

For those seeking easy-to-use extensions that even novices can apply with ease, there’s nothing like the Lux Beauty Club Magnet Hair Extensions, which are made of pure 100% Indian Remy human hair that is ethically sourced from the temples in India. To apply, you just place one piece below a section of your own hair and then another atop that section, and the magnets will snap in place, keeping the two strands secure — all without distressing your hair or placing undue pressure on the scalp. Moreover, the extensions can be flat ironed and curled — I actually curled the ones I wore in the segment, and they helped to add a ton of volume to my ‘do!

Each pack costs $159.99 at LuxBeautyClub.com and features 10 pieces to create 5 full extensions.

SCENTBIRD

You know when you smell a fragrance in a magazine advertisement and decide it will be your new signature scent, only to discover (after shelling out a substantial amount of money) that it gives you a terrible headache or smells completely different on your skin than it did in that alluring scented strip of paper? Well, that’s one of the reasons why Cuban and Costa Rican entrepreneur Rachel Ten Brink decided to co-found Scentbird in 2014 with the idea of allowing customers to “date” a fragrance before “marrying” it. Scentbird, then, is a monthly subscription service that empowers beauty lovers to discover new fragrances, as well as scented home and care products. For $14.95/month, members can log onto Scentbird.com and browse through an expansive catalog of over 450 fragrances — including designer brands like Gucci, Michael Kors, Burberry, and Dolce & Gabbana, as well as niche brands like Juliette Has A Gun, Nest, and Acqua di Parma— then choose the scent they want to test-drive and add it to their carts. They’ll then receive an atomizer with a month’s supply of that fragrance. Every month, then, they can try out a new scent that piques their interest.

Now, Scentbird has expanded its range of offerings to include body washes, scented candles, hand creams, and lip balms in gorgeous scents, so members also have the option to try one of those products out on any given month. I’m currently loving the Scentbird Melting Lip Balm in Exotic Mango, which contains mango butter, a great source of wrinkle-fighting vitamin A, as well as cocoa and shea butters, sweet almond oil, and avocado oil. And that Rose & Prosecco Airy Body Polish makes every shower feel like the most indulgent of happy hours!

And unlike so many subscription box services that send customers a random array of items, Scentbird puts members in the driver seat by allowing them to select exactly what they’ll receive each month, thereby facilitating a truly personal experience.

DECK OF SCARLET

Already impressed with Rachel Ten Brink’s resume? Well, get this: in addition to Scentbird, the Latina #girlboss co-founded Deck of Scarlet, a subscription-based brand but that focuses on color cosmetics. What’s so special about Deck of Scarlet is that the brand partners with top social media influencers and makeup artists when developing every palette, which includes lip, cheek and eye colors.

In fact, Rachel Ten Brink has said that she was inspired to create Deck of Scarlet after watching countless YouTube makeup tutorials and thinking about how to make it easier for viewers to replicate the looks created by their favorite YouTube tastemakers, without having to go and buy 30 and 40 different products. To that end, each Deck of Scarlet palette includes everything needed to execute specific looks — all in one place. Plus, subscribers can log onto DeckofScarlet.com and check out Youtube tutorials to help them create different looks, following the lead of the expert who helped to create that specific palette.

This bi-monthly subscription service costs $29.95 every other month (and you get a palette every other month). Members and no-members can also log onto DeckofScarlet.com and purchase items a la carte.

The palette shown above (and in the “Great Day Houston” segment) was created in partnership with Raven Elyse, and it was inspired by the image of driving into the desert at sunset, so that the hues have a warm, roasted, fiery quality to them. Commence swooning now!