Meet the bella behind content and community of Las Morenas de España, aka: queen of beauty and natural products.
Danni Roseman is the beauty behind the content and community of Las Morenas de España, our favorite blog for expat women of color. She’s also “a queen when it comes to beauty and natural products, etc” according to her colleague and founder of LMDES, Sienna Brown.
As a long-term expat, Danni has a good idea of how beauty standards and conceptions change across different cultures. Here she shares on insights on what she considers beautiful amidst her travels and what beauty means to her personally.
What is beauty to you? (How do you define beauty?)
Beauty for me is obtaining a degree of self-love that doesn’t waiver according to the whims and fancies of those around you. It’s accepting, and embracing your body and all its eccentricities. Beauty doesn’t tolerate, it celebrates. And above all, beauty is diverse, and relative, and seeks to uplift, and never tear down. For me, it means recognizing that my unique beauty is not diminished by acknowledging the beauty of another.
How do you see ideas and standards of beauty change as you travel to different parts of the world?
Traveling is such a rich experience! It’s sobering to travel and witness what other cultures praise and consider “beautiful”. It simply reminds me that it’s all so relative! In some cultures, porcelain skin is the norm, whereas as a bronze tan is idealized in another. Say you find yourself in a place that may or may not share your beauty standards, all I can say is keep traveling, and keep living: there’s something for everyone in this big, wide, world.
How has travel reshaped or influenced your idea of beauty? Have you had any personal experiences throughout your travels that affected your ideas?
One thing I’ve learned in relation to travel and beauty is that comparison is extremely dangerous as it goes directly against self-love. As a woman of color living in Western Europe, I spent my first few months here dissecting my thighs, hair, lips, and eyes. I wanted to blend in for so long, until I realized that while I was busy trying to “fit in”, people were admiring me for how much I stood out! I’ve come to embrace my crown of curls, brown skin, and curves because… I’m on a constant mission to love myself. That’s where it all starts. And at the risk of sounding like a trite Tumblr quote, I challenged myself to practice what I preach, and three months ago, I stopped wearing make-up! At first, it felt like diving into an ice cold swimming pool every time I left the safety of my home; however, now, I’m feeling unapologetically me, and beautifully human.
What are some beauty products that you can’t travel without?
I try to keep it simple since, more often than not, I’m only traveling with a carry-on! That said, I’m a huge fan of Lush! You will always catch me with at least 2-3 sheet masks, and depending on the climate of where I’m headed, I’ll adjust the ingredients accordingly. Apart from that, I use Lush’s ‘Dark Angels’ to clean, ‘A Breath of Fresh Air’ for my toner, ‘Cup’o’Coffee’ for exfoliating and either organic jojoba or argan oil to moisturize!
