

Exclusive: What JT’s Kiss Colors & Care Endorsement Deal Means For Black Women In Beauty Campaigns
Like most of us, Jatavia Shakara Johnson, better known to the world as JT, grew up with KISS Colors as a household name. From press-on nails and lashes to professional hair straightening tools, KISS Products have proudly been part of every Black woman’s beauty must-haves in their bathrooms and bedrooms for years, and now the Miami native has become their latest brand ambassador while being one of half of the chart-topping femcee duo known as City Girls.
“I'm a big fan of KISS. I think we all are and we grew up [on it]. It was always in a beauty supply store or Walgreens. It was always a quick go-to. You always see it. It's always there for you. KISS, even now with your nails, it's just there for you. So when I heard about them doing partnerships and stuff, I was interested in doing it,” JT excitedly told xoNecole correspondent Sha Ravine during her official New York Fashion Week launch event.
Decked in Acne Studios while sporting a Hermes Kelly bag and fresh jumbo braids, the “Act Up” rapper revealed that the girls can expect “a whole lot of motherfucking laid edges” from this forthcoming collaboration, which was made possible thanks to the brilliant minds of Harp Media & Creatives.
“I just felt like she'd be a perfect fit. It was around the time that [she] and Yung Miami had started to venture off and do their own solo projects, and I just wanted to have the opportunity of trying to get JT her first major brand deal - and we did,” Whitney Harper, founder of Harp Media & Creatives, exclusively told xoNecole. The multifaceted Beauty and Style Creative Director’s style concierge and agency work has expanded across the entertainment industry from Glorilla and Yung Bleu to Coi Leray and her very own niece Saweetie, who also had her own KISS Colors & Care collaboration.
Whitney Harp.
Photo courtesy of Harp Media & Creatives.
But now, with a goal to level the playing field between Black and brown women and mainstream beauty and fashion campaigns, she is securing a top spot for the “Pussy Talk” raptress with a major beauty retailer while dismantling the notion that all representation in the beauty industry equates to diversity.
“JT being the face of Kiss Colors & Care is a big deal. It's bigger than any of us - it’s the beginning of so much more,” Abesi Manyando, owner of Abesi PR and public relations expert for Harp Media and Creatives, told xoNecole. In an effort to put more women who “look like us” at the forefront of endorsements and securing branding dollars, Harper and Manyando are passionate about the monetization of personal brands and social media leverage to translate representation into streamlined income for Black and brown women.
Manyando continued, “Oftentimes, Black women set beauty and fashion trends but get erased from profiting from that or being the face of major campaigns. Many times [marketing executives and brands] fulfill the diversity box by inserting what they call 'ambiguous' models who can appeal to all audiences. This is erasure. Whitney and I are trying to dismantle this in media, beauty, and marketing.”
And Whitney's partnership between JT and Kiss Colors & Care is one of the first steps. Included in the launch with JT’s ambassador debut are products such as the KISS Colors & Care Braiding Gel Maximum Hold and Braiding Gel ($8.99), KISS Colors & Care Locking Gel Regular Hold and Locking Wax ($8.99), KISS Colors & Care Twist Curl Gel ($8.99), KISS Colors & Care Foam Mousse ($7.99), Care Edge Fixer Wax Stick ($9.99), and the Reversible Premium Crepe Satin Bonnet ($8.49).
When asked what inspired JT to expand her portfolio outside of music and entertainment and into the chaotic world of fashion and beauty, she promptly responded, “I’m pretty.”
She followed with a light laugh and added to her initial answer. “No, I’m just joking. I want to be more into beauty because I'm obsessed with beauty. Like my make-up artist will tell you, my hair stylist will tell you, I'm very hands-on with them. God knows, they know I know how I want my make-up to look [and] I know exactly how I want my hair to look.”
Attesting to her passion for creativity and beauty, Harper chimed in on how hands-on her client was during the process from ideation to product placement. “JT is a very hands-on person. I don't care who you are; she's hands-on. She's a creative in her own right. She knows what she wants. She knows what looks good, and you really can't blame her.”
While JT’s undeniable stage presence and effortless beauty, as demonstrated through her viral Paris Fashion Week runway slay, would make her the obvious choice as the face of any beauty brand, there was something uniquely special about this partnership that embodied empowerment, self-expression, and trendsetting individuality in its entirety.
“Fighting with brands to give the talent what they want is extremely hard. But my company makes it happen,” Harper said about the deliverables and approvals that go into a brand endorsement deal. “KISS is a brand, JT is a brand, and for me, it's important that it is an equal amount of representation for each person. I don't mind because my main goal is to make sure all of my clients are happy.”
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Feature image courtesy of Harp Media & Creatives.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Blac Chyna Opens Up About Her Initial Fear To Share Her Spiritual Journey With Others
Watching Angela “Blac Chyna” White’s transformation in real-time has truly been a sight to see. It wasn’t that long ago that she announced that she was reversing her cosmetic surgeries in an effort to go back to who she was before the world came to know her as Blac Chyna. In previous interviews, she stated that she was dissolving her facial and lip fillers, removing her breast implants, and getting a butt reduction, as well as removing the dimple piercings that enhanced her fame and controversial tattoos.
In a recent Tamron Hall interview, the mother of two said that she has “fully recovered” from the procedures. She is also celebrating one year of sobriety and opened up about being worried about how her new journey would be received by others.
“I’ve been in the entertainment industry for so long, right, and of course, like, you know, coming out, I’m like young, I’m gonna do wild things as we all have,” she said.
“...I feel like by me being vocal and showing everybody you can change your life and things can get better, like through myself, that right there is an accomplishment, and that’s a part of freedom, too.”
But as she started on her journey, many people have shown her grace, which is something she’s grateful for. “And then the fact that people have been showing me grace, it’s like amazing,” she said. “And I feel like when I did it, I just did it. It was more so like spiritual thing and I feel like people see that, and I’ve always been like my authentic self, so what you see is kinda what you get with me, and that’s just kinda what it is.”
Chyna, who recently received an honorary doctorate from Sacramento Theology Seminary and Bible College, has also repaired her relationship with her mom, Tokyo Toni. The social media celebrity surprised her daughter on the Tamron Hall Show. Prior to the sentimental surprise, Chyna dished on the reconciliation and having a better understanding of her mom.
“I must say, some of the things I have to take accountability for because, like my actions. As a mother, you don’t want to see your daughter doing certain things ‘cause it’s like it doesn’t matter what my past was or what we’re going through, I didn’t raise you that way,” she admitted. “So, it’s like, okay, maybe I was a little bit wrong. Maybe I was acting out a little bit. But I feel like as we grow older, I kinda see more, and I understand more.”
Chyna will be starring in season two of Fox's reality competition show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
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Feature image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images