A Detroit mom of five and longtime supporter of Melissa Butler’s The Lip Bar became one of the faces for the beauty brand after being bullied about her dark skin tone, Daily Mail reports. Foundation shade 6.04, Warm Red Ebony, was the perfect match for Joy Mohammed, and in 2019 the woman was named the model for the Detroit-based brand’s newest product at the time.
“I couldn’t get over the fact I was tapped to represent a foundation shade that was unavailable when I was in need of makeup for senior photos and dance recitals because my skin tone was so ‘undesirable’ to the masses,” Mohammed told Daily Mail that year.
The Lip Bar model shared her childhood story of always being the darkest kid in class.
“People would make comments about my skin color and call me things like ‘blackety black,’” she said. A law student at the time, she said she even received shameful comments from the Black community. “People would ask me if I was out in the sun too long or what was wrong with me. They would ask me, ‘Oh, is that your mum because she isn’t as dark?’”
For years, the beautifully melanated woman struggled to find a foundation suitable for her complexion. Most shades left her skin looking too light and mismatched.
According to the outlet, Mohammed was invited to The Lip Bar by product developer Kori Fields to match her skin to the foundation. The brand, launched in 2012 to cater to a wide range of melanated skin tones, was a go-to for Mohammed for a while before she landed her gig with the company.
“I was drawn to this brand not only because it was also Detroit-owned, Black-owned, and women-owned, but because it worked so well and showed up on my skin so well,” she said. “The product color is seamless; it goes on, and you can’t tell when the product ends and where my skin begins.”
As for her dark-skinned daughter, Adaline, the depth of beauty and diversity was instilled in her early. “I wanted her to see that what we consider beauty diversity to be normal for her and that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes,” the Detroit mother said.
Adaline, who was only 5 years old then, witnessed her mother’s breakthrough glam moment with The Lip Bar. Mohammed said she felt relieved after decades of facing racial slurs from her peers and community.
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