6 Black Beauty Creators in Australia You Should Follow Immediately
Image: All creators featured in the article in a collage with “Creators we love” written above.
Representation matters. We all know that. But until you’ve lived in a predominantly white country as a person of colour, it may be hard to grasp just how much it matters.
I was one of 2 black kids in my grade when I first moved here, 1 of 3 total in the primary school. I grew up during a time where black talent and black beauty wasn’t showcased or celebrated in the media or magazines.
Things like that made me feel like there were a lot of spaces here that just weren’t for me. At all.
I currently work in the beauty content creation space, and I know without a doubt that I wouldn’t have this job had it not been for creators like Jackie Asamoah [nee Aina] and Patricia Bright.
They taught me to do my makeup, find my personal style and stand up for myself, all through my little laptop screen.
Cut to the current day, I’ve been fortunate enough to discover some incredible creatives, all black women, all based in Australia who have carved out incredible spaces for themselves on the internet.
Speaking through the language of beauty [whether that be makeup, skincare or fragrance], these beautiful women are helping myself and many other black women living here feel seen, heard, and celebrated.
*these are in no particular order
Tatenda Muzondo, @tatendaluna
Image: Tatenda at the Australian Open with Australian fashion brand Selfie Leslie. Credit: @tatendaluna
You might have already seen this ray of sunshine on your feeds but if not, let me facilitate the intro.
Tatenda is known for her gorgeous fashion looks (some of which she has designed and sewn) and her ethereal makeup style.
The first time I saw her on my feed, she was designing and sewing a look that she would wear later that week for an event.
I was immediately hooked.
She has over 500K followers on Instagram and 2.3 million on TikTok so I’m obviously not the only one who loves seeing her create.
If you end as up in love with her sense of style as I am, you’re in luck; Tatenda has a fashion brand in the works ‘Luna Cosima’ and her LTK @tatendaluna has all the links you need to shop her style.
In an interview with PopSugar for their ‘Unstoppable’ series, Tatenda said “I wish that I had someone like me when I was in high school, the thought that I can be that person for a black girl in THIS country is what motivates me, it’s what makes me unstoppable.”
Anabelle Ussher, @glowy_chronicles | @anabelle_ussher
Image: Annabelle attending a Summer Fridays event in Sydney. Credit: @glowy_chronicles
Anabelle Ussher is a Sydney based makeup artist, writer, model and beauty content creator.
She is the definition of a multi-hyphenate. Her skin always has that golden hour glow and she genuinely has one of the warmest smiles I’ve ever seen.
Her content on her main beauty page is everything from product recommendations to makeup try-ons and reviews.
I love going to her page and scrolling anytime I need an opinion on a product I’ve been checking out because I know that she’ll be honest and detailed about it.
In addition to that, she has a makeup artist page where she showcases her work on other faces too!
As a creator, Anabelle has worked with huge brands such as Huda Beauty, Adore Beauty, MAC Cosmetics and L’Oreal Paris.
Susan, @scentswithsusan_
Image: Susan glowing in a light peach satin top. Credit: @scentswithsusan_
Susan’s Instagram and TikTok pages are packed full of fragrance recommendations, usually from brands that not many other people are talking about.
If you’re in the market for something signature scent worthy, underrated and usually affordable, hers is the page to go to.
Her most notable showcase series have been on Arab and Australian fragrance houses.
All reviews are super in-depth, telling you everything from notes, to the general vibes of the perfume as well as wear-time.
Susan will tell you everything you need to know about a scent before you go in to purchase or smell it and I love it.
The world of fragrance has at times been gatekept but she makes it so accessible and approachable to understand and explore.
Nkisu, @nkisu_truffles
Image: Nkisu wearing a lacy white top and layered gold necklaces. Credit: @nkisu_truffles
Nkisu’s page is one of the most aesthetically pleasing things you will ever set your eyes on.
Her main feed is full of the dreamiest close-up product shots, some travel inspiration as well as beauty product recommendations.
She has such a distinctively dreamy style of capturing products that makes every upload feel like a snippet from this month’s issue of Vogue.
Nkisu’s presence on her stories is less curated and more relaxed, and on there she discusses everything from fitness to food to daily outfits – it feels a little like a traditional ‘day in my life’ vlog.
As a creator, she has recently worked with brands such as Foreo and L’Occitane.
Kee Reece Searles, @keereece
Image: Kee brimming with a full smile, in a creamy white tee. Credit: @keereece
If you are after some big sister advice, let me introduce you to Kee Reece Searles. Kee has a background as a beauty publicist and influencer marketing specialist and now is a content creator herself.
On top of being the mother to two gorgeous little bubs, she is also the host of 2 incredibly successful podcasts.
Her independent podcast ‘Eat Sleep Sh*t Repeat’ was launched in 2023 and it reached 175, 000 listens in its first season.
Kee also co-hosts a podcast with her bestie Lucy Neville called ‘I’m Wigging Out’.
She really does manage to do it all, and in the midst of it all, she vulnerably shares any mistakes and lessons she might have learnt on her platforms.
The ‘I’m Wigging Out’ podcast also has a monthly ‘I’m Glowing Out' segment where both Kee and Lucy go all in on beauty and lifestyle.
They’ll tell you their current beauty loves, the hot goss in the beauty industry as well as their top recommendations for your next purchase.
Winniy Manyang, @winnniy
Image: Winniy beaming in a hot pink mini dress with long sleeves, with a matching hot pink purse at a Fenty Beauty event. Credit: @winnniy
Winniy Manyang is to me, the definition of black girl luxury, and I love to see it.
She has established an audience of over 40K on Instagram with her fashion and beauty content.
Every photo on her page looks like it came right off someone’s Pinterest page – as in it’s all beautifully curated and aspirational.
She showcases everything from new products you should look out for, to her tried and true favourites and also the luxury fashion pieces you need in your life.
As if that wasn’t enough, Winniy has a generational face card (translation: her face is undeniably sculpted and gorgeous) and is the queen of the soft glam look so the inspiration keeps coming.
As a creator, Winniy has worked with notable brands such as YSL, Jimmy Choo, Mecca, Naked Sundays and Fenty Beauty.
Conclusion
These beautiful black women have not only inspired me as a beauty creator, but they’ve also been a well-needed source of inspiration and comfort to me.
They continue to succeed and for lack of a better word, slay, in a space that can sometimes feel very homogenous.
It makes me so hopeful for the next generation of little black girls growing up here because I know they’ll absolutely have creators they can look up to and product recommendations they can actually go and purchase in their shades.
I know that this is not an exhaustive list so please comment down below any other black beauty creators you’d like to shoutout because as Issa Rae once said, “I’m rooting for everybody black!”
