It seems like everyone is a beauty guru these days. If you aren't adept at creating the perfect dewy complexion in the middle of winter, slaying a highlight that shines in the dark, or "beating your face to the gawds," sis, what are you doing? The traditional concept of beauty, which we used to leave to the professionals at our MAC makeup appointments and salon styling chairs, is now something we experiment with daily. Thanks to social media, the ubiquity of "beauty gurus" has been on the rise. And, unsurprisingly, as the times and politics shift, so do the faces of the people we trust to show us how to create beauty.
Today, beauty gurus aren't just the glamorous IG-famous girls whose perfect pout, nose, and eyes are the (obvious) flawless base for a perfect makeup look. We now look to everyone from 12-year-old boys who happen to love makeup more than mud, women with vitiligo and freckles, to 68-year-old grandmothers who are proving that beauty isn't just reserved for the young.
When it comes to beauty, inclusivity is in. This LGBTQ Awareness month, we want to highlight the designers, brands, and stylists that embrace their differences and the differences of humankind. They're creating their own lanes in the industry, and, in turn, creating lanes for everyone else who doesn't necessarily fit the status quo (who's status quo is this anyway?) of what beauty is supposed to look like.
Keep reading to learn more about the movers and shakers who are pulling up more seats to the table.
Coco & Breezy
LGBTQ Beauty Brands
Photo: Instagram
At 19 years old, social outcasts Corianna & Brianna (Coco & Breezy, respectively) began building their popular line of unique sunglasses at their home in Minnesota as a defense mechanism. Today, the twins have turned their defensive shields into a successful brand with celebs like Beyonce, Prince, and Nicki Minaj all sporting a pair.
In an interview with Business Insider, Breezy confessed, "We started making sunglasses because we were bullied," Breezy told me from one end of the twins' large dining room table. "We had low self esteem and we couldn't even take someone looking at us. Right now, how we're looking each other in the eye, I couldn't even do this, like, last year."
Though their brand isn't directly geared towards beauty, the empowerment that comes along with rocking a pair of fierce shades is just as priceless as a full face beat with laid edges.
Tokyo Stylez
LGBTQ Beauty Brands
Photo: Instagram
The self-proclaimed "wig god," is the definition of "started from the bottom now we here."
From humble beginnings in Omaha, Nebraska, Tokyo got his start by doing his little sisters' hair. He eventually moved on to helping his friends create wigs for cancer patients, and that eventually turned into him becoming the most famous wig maker in the country.
A lack of models to showcase his wigs became a blessing in disguise. He threw the wigs on himself, struck a few fierce poses, and his business blew up from there. Today, he's styled some of the most iconic hair moments of all time including Kylie Jenner's platinum blonde bob at the Met Ball (which was Mayvenn hair, btw!) and Nicki Minaj's racy i-D cover.
You can shop his custom wig creations here.
Fluide
LGBTQ Beauty Brands
Photo: Instagram
Imagine a world, where beauty norms work for everyone - regardless of gender. Fluide is looking to champion this notion with their line of gender-neutral beauty products.
According to their manifesto on their website, "Fluide is where we meet our irreverent, otherworldly selves. An irresistible future where radical inventiveness & queer kinship thrives. To us, beauty is malleable, political, powerful, play...We are you. We are Fluide."
You can shop Fluide here.
Johnny Wright
LGBTQ Beauty Brands
Photo: Instagram
The first thing you'll see on Johnny Wright's IG page is "I AM HOTUS" (Hairstylist of the United States). Without needing to read anymore, it's pretty clear that he is an OG in the hair game. As the former stylist to Michelle Obama, Wright got his start by styling his grandmothers' hair. While the stakes are much higher as a presidential stylist, the rewards are much, much greater. His best piece of advice for new stylists? "Remain open-minded and embrace the power of Yes," he told Mane Addict.
Ted Gibson
LGBTQ Beauty Brands
Photo: Ted Gibson Website
Gibson is a legend, an innovator, and, in all honesty, one of the best to ever do it. Ted Gibson has been there, done that. He's a stylist who's done hair for almost every A-lister that has ever gotten their hair done. His original claim to fame was as the resident hair stylist on cult-favorite fashion show *What Not To Wear, but *these days he is still slaying his celebrity clients and makes regular appearances on places like “The Today Show” and “ABC News.”
Learn more about Ted Gibson.
