Black Girl Blogger Magic Is Real!

Black Girl Blogger Magic Is Real!

Happy Monday #cocoabuttercrewe! I hope you had a nice weekend. I went out Saturday night with ma friends to a karaoke spot and it was a wang dang doodle. Apparently you haven’t karaoked properly until you’ve gone with some Asians (my friends words, not mine). But for real, they take that ish seriously! I went so hard that my Sunday was a wash. I stayed home in my pajamas and watched The West Wing in between eating and taking naps. Anyways, enough about me. Let’s get to why you’re really here: BLACK GIRL BLOGGER MAGIC.

Yesterday I saw a tweet in my Instastories courtesy of my fave A Working Wardrobe that really bothered me. Revolve, yet again, was stealing from black culture as they continue not to include bloggers of color in any of their press trips. And since their excuse continues to be, “well, we don’t know of any bloggers of color who are popular” I thought I’d give them a list. These are my favorite black girl bloggers who are, in my opinion, black girl magic personified:

LaNatria Ellis aka @caribbean_cowgirl

Why do I love her so? She literally does it ALL! She’s a entrepreneur, wife, and mom of 2 and is the best at creative direction I’ve ever seen. Her visuals are always on point. Blog photography is more than just standing outside and snapping a picture of your outfit. Background, outfit, color, hair, makeup, accessories, posing…IT’S A LOT TO CONSIDER! But LaNatria has it down to a science. She’s also that friend that forces you to toot your horn. A lot of us, especially me, like to downplay our successes. She taught me it’s not bragging; it’s being confident.

Monroe Steele aka @monroesteele

Anyone who loves shoes as much as I do is an automatic winner in my book. And Monroe’s collection is quite impressive. Besides that though, she’s an incredible blogger and vlogger. Her try-on and styling videos make me want everything she has in her closet (I’m coming for those Celine boots okay) and her #butfirstcoffee dance videos are one of the best parts of my morning routine. They make me so happy!

Jen Jean-Pierre Maull aka @jenjeanpierre

What can I say about Jen? I adore her for one. She’s a great friend to me even though we’ve never actually met. I love her blog because she blogs about real (black) girl issues: body positivity, diversity and inclusion, and how to shop on a budget. She’s also an incredible photographer. She shoots some of the top bloggers in the DMV area such as DC Fashion Fool. Finally, she gives great tips on how to shoot and edit your own photos using your phone!

Denisse Myrick aka @chasingdenisse

I mean, she needs no introduction. Published photographer extraordinaire and all-around badass woman. I first encountered her work when I started following Kyrzayda as Denisse was her photographer. And if you’re not familiar with the late great Kyrzayda I suggest looking her up. She was the street style queen and Denisse captured it all. But Denisse is also a blogger and when she speaks, I listen because I KNOW she’s coming with a message. She read Revolve into the sediment back in 2018 and her blog post made its way into the Huffington Post. NOW THAT’S A WORD.

Monica Awe-Etuk aka @awedbymoni

All hail the blogger queen! Monica is the gold standard when it comes to the big leagues of blogging. Her work ethic is unmatched and it shows with the brands she’s worked with and the imagery she puts out. She’s also mentored some of your other faves like her bestie Toronto Shay and others. I love that when she figured out the secrets of being a successful blogger she shared her gems to help others make it too. And that’s truly admirable. She’s also sweet as pecan pie!

Janelle Lloyd aka @waityouneedthis

She is booked okay! Janelle is always working. And she doesn’t just work for anyone. H&M, Intermix, Shopbop…you name it! When it comes to fashion, working with some of the bigger brands is the hardest to do. They get free publicity from everyone with an instagram account so they really don’t need influencer campaigns. But you better believe that when they do a campaign, you’ll see Janelle. She’s also a blogger that is happy to help when you need it.

Beverly Beal aka @lifeinbeverlyheels

THE BOSS LADY HAS ARRIVED! Beverly is a lawyer with her own law firm, an entrepreneur, and a blogger. She also has incredible style. She puts looks together that I’m not bold enough to even attempt and pulls them off with ease. And with her newest venture, she’s helping bloggers and creatives get their legal lives together with contracts and other important documents you need for your creative business. Seeing a lane that isn’t being utilized and building a business from that is seriously a boss move.

Blake Gifford aka @signedblake

Blake just gets me on a spiritual level. I don’t know if it’s because she’s a Leo too but whatever it is I love it. She’s unapologetically herself and it shows throughout her content. My favorite part about following her though is her instagram stories. She’s insanely personable, her dog Bash is as cute as Dexter (I’m biased, fight me), and I constantly find myself laughing hysterically from not only her content but the DM replies she shares from her followers. It’s like having that group of friends that you never knew you needed. She also put me onto a podcast recently that I’m legit obsessed with now that I ended up telling my own followers about because it was too good not to share.

Danielle Gray aka @stylenbeautydoc

Come for the big hair and bold style, stay for the big personality! I first discovered Danielle on one of Monroe Steele’s vlogs from her Mexico trip. She has great energy and a super bubbly personality. I was like, “who is that I love her!”. And her blog is filled with great style and beauty tips. She really does her research and tells you what’s up. I genuinely appreciate that because I’m always looking for recommendations for skincare products to try. Finally, she gave me the best blogging advice I’ve ever received without me even asking her a question. Who does that?!

Lashoundra Young aka @youngatstyle

The first thing that drew me to Lashoundra was her style, obviously. She could make a paper bag look chic! But as I got to know her better by following her stories and chatting with her, I’ve never met someone so genuinely kind. She always has a word of encouragement or something positive to say. We talk to each other about anything and everything and I’m grateful to have someone in my corner that I can count on in that way.

So, there’s my roundup! If there’s anyone else you think I should check out please let me know! I’m always looking for more bloggers of color to support.

xoxo, CCB