A number of years ago I was in Ghana working with OrphanAid Africa which helps families of children at risk of abandonment and gives them secure futures within their communities. It was a emotional trip for me, as most third world visits are for anyone with a heart. I brought my daughter Ava because I really wanted her to experience the stories of these children and families and I wanted us to experience Africa as mother and daughter. I truly believe that to understand the world you have to travel it, experience it and it has therefore been very important to me to fill up her passport from the day she was born. One of my first and lasting memories of my time in Ghana at the orphanage was when we first drove up and all of the little girls came running up to us full of joy, excitement and curiosity. The first thing they wanted to do was to look in my handbag. They were so fascinated with what was inside! They were memorized and delighted with my cosmetics, my lipsticks and such, they loved the packaging and the bright colors but most of all they loved their own image in my small hand mirror of themselves with my make-up on...it truly brought them innocent joy.
It was in that small moment that it hit me: little girls (and really women) are the same everywhere - whether they are rich or poor - little girls are little girls are little girls, it makes no matter where they were born, or how much or how little they have; the same things make young girls happy, the simple gesture of putting lip loss on and feeling pretty. I watched as these little girls laughed and giggled as they tried on my make-up. It united us - gave us common ground - and made both them and me feel good. Together, As a group. All through the gesture of lipgloss....
I really appreciated seeing these little girls sense of curiosity and openness to the world through beauty. It reminded me of growing up guided by traditional Indian heritage. I grew up seeing almost all Indian women, rich or poor, wear black kohl eye makeup everyday. It wasn't what caste or station in life you were, women still kept this Indian tradition alive know matter who they were in society. I still love to this day how you can take kohl and make it say anything about you - a tousled wild look with a messy smoky eye or a crisp thin line - and every time I use kohl, which is nearly everyday, I think back to the hundreds, thousands, and millions of women who used it before me - as a sign of the Indian beauty behind the eyes.
Beauty and make-up for me has been a journey - I've seen it unite little girls in Ghana and the historical role kohl has played in my own family history. Make-up for me has always had these transformational qualities - who do I want to be today, what story do I want to tell through the type of make-up I choose to put on my face? It's these stories and questions that led me to start to develop my own beauty collection, starting with an eye palette. There's a specific intention and name for each shade, mostly stemming around the stars, heaven, and spiritual uplifting. For me it was about creating something that helped in making women feel better about themselves- curating a palette of day and night shades that make a statement of beauty. The kind of bold statement I think strong women should make - when they want to. Maybe something that puts a smile on our face, unites us, and has a story behind it.
The Rachel Roy day/night eye palette can be found at select Macy's, macys.com and rachelroy.com, $32.