Whether I'm in full glam or a simple look, you can bet I'm wearing a highlighter. It adds such a glow and sparkle to your look — you can literally go from good to great with one product and who's not here for that?
I tend to try different types of highlighters, whether it's powder or cream — I really don't discriminate. As long as it's pretty and shinin', I'm good.
With all that being said, I tried a few highlighters and here's why you need to add them to your beauty arsenal.
MAC Cream Color Base
ASOS
MAC Cream Color Base in Improper Copper
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Featured photo by Krissy Lewis
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On the journey to becoming a homeowner, Annisa looks back on her experience as a "rough one," detailing that she officially started house hunting in March 2020. It had become so expensive to rent, and the 30-something lifestyle influencer decided she would rather invest the money she spent renting into owning a home. However, nine days into house hunting, her search was put on hold for a year. The following year, in 2021, the process of finding the right home and going under contract took a total of four months.
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
"The resell route didn’t work out, so my realtor suggested a new construction home, which turned out to be the better option," she tells xoNecole of her experience. "Although it requires more patience, it turned out to be a much easier process and a lot easier to maintain since it’s brand new."
As it turns out, the open floor plan three-bedroom two-and-half-bath would prove to be a blank canvas for Annisa to flex her creativity and design skills.
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
As a new construction, she watched the townhome get built from the ground up, and due to the "cookie-cutter" nature of new builds, Annisa knew immediately that she would change everything about it. The best part about it? All of her updates were cosmetic, so transformation could occur without having to do major renovations to achieve the look and feel she desired.
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
"The first things I updated were all the lighting, adding built-ins around my fireplace, and installing wallpaper in my bedroom, office, and dining room! I also had board and batten installed in the upstairs loft to make a statement and the kitchen island," Annisa details.
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
"Lastly, we painted the loft a soft blush pink, the kitchen island is a gorgeous terracotta, and added contrast with black on the doors, fireplace, and stairwell banisters."
In total, she spent $15K in renovations (plus the cost of furniture and decor). And although she says the second level of her home is a "work-in-progress," two years in, she considers the transformation nearly done.
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Annisa defines her decor style as "organic modern meets midcentury modern with a touch of boho," and with thoughtfully placed touches like plants, warm tones, and organic textures, her perspective can be felt throughout. "I found my point of view as a designer in my work and as I worked on my home, so it all came together organically based on what I was naturally drawn to."
"The organic modern meets midcentury modern with a touch of boho' is definitely my signature style. You’ll always see greenery, warm tones, brass, and rattan or wicker in just about every room. My color story is based on my brand [The Creative Peach Studios] colors: blush pink, ivory, olive and sage green, terracotta, and nudes," she adds.
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
It was her brand colors that would be the jumping-off point for her approach to decorating and styling her space. That, and a picture she had of what would become her sofa from Albany Park. She recalled her decor decisions, "It was their olive Park Sectional Sofa, and I knew instantly I wanted it, and it aligned with my brand colors naturally, so it was a no-brainer."
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
By drawing inspiration from Pinterest, favorite design brands like CB2, Arhaus, and Souk Bohemian, and through her work, Annisa allowed herself to be guided by her signature style as well as her instincts when making decor and color choices for her own home. "Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason; it just feels right."
Some of the aspects of her home that she regards as her favorites include her bedroom and its little nook where her bed is positioned, the open upstairs loft, and the open concept because "it really allows you to see all of the details I put into the design all at once." Another of her favorite finds is a purchase she copped from the thrift store years ago.
"I have this little brown and gold chair that I picked up for $6 at a thrift store in Jersey six years ago. I couldn’t afford much in my little studio, but the chair was beautiful and unlike anything I had ever seen."
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
In addition to accent walls featuring blush pink and terracotta tones throughout the space, her gallery wall is another element that immediately draws the eye of any guest who enters. Annisa recalled a fond memory of a fine art piece she purchased from a Black woman artist when she first moved to Atlanta that she now prominently features in her living room. "It was a Black villager from her travels in Africa, and I fell in love with it because it felt like an ancestor I never met. I later found out that she was the sister of one of my very first design clients two years later," she shares. "Talk about a full-circle moment!"
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Kanobi Pollard/xoNecole
Cultivating a space takes time and patience, and that is a sentiment Annisa echoes when advising people who are looking to infuse more of themselves into their own dope abodes through design. "It is not a race, and you’ll spend more money if you rush into designing without really being intentional about the vision for your space," Annisa concludes. "You just need creativity and patience to do it! And most of all, make sure you feel like it’s an oasis for you!"
For more of Annisa, follow her on Instagram @annisalimara.
Tour Interior Designer Annisa LiMara's Modern Meets Midcentury ATL Home | Dope Abodes
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With only 1% of wineries Black-owned, and only 12% women-owned, many enthusiasts, connoisseurs, activists, and entrepreneurs are rallying in a collective effort to not only diversify the representation of what it means to know, love, and consume wine but also how to fight the longstanding barriers of funding, access, discrimination, and cultural division that exist.
Angela McCrae, founder of the media platform Uncorked And Cultured, has turned her love for travel and wine into a major career pivot toward fulfillment and advocacy. "I actually got started in the wine business after a trip to South Africa in February 2020. A friend of mine scheduled wine tastings, and the very first we went to was a Black-woman-owned winery and vineyard called Seven Sisters," McCrae shared.
"I got a chance to meet the owner, as well as a woman who was working on transformation efforts within the South African wine industry to bring equity to Black wine producers. I was inspired."
Courtesy of Angela McCrae
Finding Her Wine Career Niche Within Challenges
Upon coming back to the U.S. and in the midst of the beginning of total global lockdown, McCrae, like millions of other women, began to strategize her next move. "I didn't know what was going to happen next with my career," she said. "I reached out to a friend of mine who I knew doing a lot of work in wine, and low and behold she was doing ambassador work through a very large production company based in Napa Valley. I became an ambassador and quickly started building my clientele."
At the time, she had been doing grassroots work on documentary projects to amplify Black culture, voices, and history. She'd also previously worked at NBCUniversal in creative production and found joy volunteering in the diversity and inclusion space, helping to push DE&I initiatives within the company's employee resource groups (ERGs). "I found my passion points with those experiences."
"Being resourceful, having an entrepreneurial spirit, building communities, having a background in content creation, and being fearless has been really helpful in the work I'm doing now."
She initially launched Uncorked And Cultured as a Facebook group where Black wine industry leaders, lovers, and producers could network before deciding to expand it to a full content site in 2020. "At the time, there weren't a lot of Black-owned publications that were amplifying what was happening in the movement from a holistic standpoint." Her platform is now part of the super-successful Black Owned Media Equity And Sustainability Institute (BOMESI) collective, an organization that she says was essential in the growth of her platform, affording her the opportunity to expand her in-house team and her audience.
McCrae also started working with Dr. Monique Bell, author of the "2023 Terroir Noir Report: Study of Black Wine Entrepreneurs," and partnered for the State of Black Wine Business Summit. "When the report came out, I knew as a media professional the value of data and the value of, when telling stories, having the numbers behind it." She and Bell collaborated to launch the Sip Consciously Directory, highlighting Black wine producers, distributors, and retailers.
Angela McCrae, director, and Chrishon Lampley, vice president, of the Association of African American Vintners, at WSWA Access Live conference in Orlando.
Courtesy of Angela McCrae
Leveling Up In The Wine Industry
While balancing the duties of her media platform and wine-related projects, she also serves as executive director of the Association of African American Vintners, a nonprofit that works to increase diversity in the industry, boost awareness of Black winemakers, and offer resources to students from underrepresented minority groups pursuing wine industry careers.
"It's been an interesting ride. I never would have imagined I'd be leading an organization helping women winemakers and wine professionals. Our organization was founded in 2002 with just four members, and now we have over 200." The organization is inclusive of Black winemakers and professionals as well as allies from diverse backgrounds who support the foundational mission.
"One of my biggest accomplishments as an executive director is developing a program called the AAAV Wine Entrepreneurial Grant. It's my baby because it allowed us to be able to give $5,000 to five entrepreneurs for the first time in the organization's history."
With the funds, McCrae added, the entrepreneurs selected could "slowly but intentionally scale their businesses," using the funds for vital business functions like hiring sales brokers to get their brands in stores, updating their websites or social media strategies, or upgrading their packaging for wine products.
Pushing For More Representation Of Black Women In Wine
For Black women who want to pursue careers in wine or launch wine brands, McCrae is all for exploration, research, and networking. "First thing you gotta do is drink the wine, and not just what's in the grocery stores. You gotta be a student of wine. Try what's new and unique, at different price points. Ask questions when you go into a wine shop or wine tasting. Take a few courses or even get a certification. I'm certified level 1 with the aspirations of going up to level 2 and possibly going beyond that. Wine education is needed, respected, and appreciated. People invest thousands of dollars and many years of their lives to be an expert in this field, so that's definitely a requirement."
She also recommends volunteering in order to get hands-on experience within wine companies, events, or other spaces where industry leaders are. "Most of our producers in this country are small, family-run businesses, and they can always use the help and support. Go to your local wineries and ask if you can work in their tasting room on a weekend. Show up and ask questions. Be available to meet and network."
McCrae even recently added yet another unique career experience to her plate: serving as an apprenticeship with Silver Oak Cellars, a leading California wine producer. Through the program, she's enjoying her own immersive experience in everything from marketing to the actual grape harvesting process.
And pursuing a career in the industry doesn't end with being a wine producer or brand entrepreneur. "Look into other ways to get into wine like the retail side, or most importantly, the distributor side because they're the gatekeepers," she added. "The more we're part of the distribution pipeline, and the more we diversify that, the more equity can potentially trickle down to make the wine brands be on par [with] what the consumers look like."
For more on Angela McCrae's journey in the wine industry, follow her on Instagram. You can also find news and other stories linking Black culture, entrepreneurship, and wine via Uncorked And Cultured.
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Featured image courtesy of Angela McCrae
