your favorite poem personified

Me: West Oakland, bitch. Tuesday. I like a nigga…like to…lay low.

It's rude. You're making someone take their time to read something you couldn't bother to write. You're telling them they were so unimportant you couldn't be bothered to actually take the time to say something yourself. And frankly, you're lying about it while you're at it.

Those are actually not spiky feathers at all! They sure do look like it, though, and that's likely the point- if I were a raptor looking down upon a pincushion, I would think twice about grabbing it with my bare feet.

However, it's a ruse! Just a marking on a feather

Tea ☕️ thank you 🤏🏿

Ngozi Esther Edeme, better known as Painted by Esther (@paintedbyesther), has become one of the most recognisable makeup artists of her generation 🤎✨

Known for her signature blush-forward approach and instantly recognisable artistry, her work has helped spark new conversations around color, beauty and deeper skin tones.

Speaking to Dazed Beauty, Esther shared:

“I love that my work encourages Black women to wear more colour.”

She also spoke about helping women realise that:

“Pinks, corals and berry shades all suit us.”

Her influence goes far beyond makeup. For many beauty lovers, her work has helped challenge long-standing ideas about what darker skin tones can and cannot wear, proving that color, blush and creativity belong to everyone.

The work speaks for itself ✨