
Meagan Good Says Skin Lightening Incident Was 'The Most Shame I've Felt In A Long Time'

Meagan Good has had a tumultuous skin journey in 2020. At the top of the year, whispers were running rampant when she sported a much lighter skin tone, causing speculations that she was bleaching her skin. She never responded, as many also assumed the noticeable difference was due to lighting. It wasn't until a user on her Instagram directly referred to the changes that she decided to reveal her truth. She said:
"I didn't Queen. A (unbeknownst to me) unlicensed aesthetician gave me a product to correct a sun damage mark on my forehead that messed up my skin.
"By the grace of God only; I'm about 80% through recovery and regaining my color daily. To be honest it was a beyond painful and traumatic experience because I would never wish that on anybody. I'd really appreciate if you wouldn't continue to spread assumptions and rumors. God Bless You."
Now that she's healed, Good is speaking out more about what happened. She recently joined The Same Room (a faith-based outlet), for an emotional interview, where she discussed the "shame" she felt during the time.
"I went to an unlicensed esthetician..."
"I went to an unlicensed esthetician who convinced me that I needed to get rid of some sun damage. And a few months later, I am like five shades lighter than I actually am and it was a really traumatic experience because I really trusted the person."
"I kept asking her through the process, like 'Is this what's supposed to happen?' She's like, 'Oh it'll lift and it'll come back.' I got to the place of realizing I don't know if it's going to come back, I think I've been bamboozled."
"It was super embarrassing and super painful especially in the climate we're in as black women.
"I love my skin, I love myself."
"I'm over-confident when I look in the mirror, I like what I see. And to feel like someone stole that from me and to feel like I was misled and now there's commentary on it and people thinking I don't love myself, that's something I can get through but when I'm thinking about these young girls, these young brown-skinned girls who are thinking that I've changed myself and what kind of ideas are putting into their head, that just broke my heart."
Meagan goes on to say she's found the "Good" in the situation.
"As I'm working through it, the blessing in it is, because we don't sometimes know why God allows certain things to happen. I was in a place where I couldn't really defend myself, so for the first time in my life, instead of actually defending myself, I had to sit back and let God...and trust Him."
Her fans were definitely sympathetic after finding out that the skin lightening was unintentional with some even pointing out that it's best to see dermatologists that specialize in African-American skin.
Although it's taken her some time to heal, Meagan revealed that she's glad she went through this situation and she's much stronger because of it.
"I do feel a lot stronger and I feel thankful that I went through something that traumatic, and that I can use it to God's glory and say, 'No, I've actually been through that.'"
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On her debut album,CTRL,SZA crooned about her desire to be a “Normal Girl.” Now, nearly eight years since its release, her Not Beauty line represents her commitment to existing outside of traditional beauty norms.
The singer whose real name is Solána Imani Rowe first teased the idea of a lip gloss line during Super Bowl LIX in February, noting that the release would be happening “very shortly.” Not Beauty debuted simultaneously with the Grand National Tour, which she co-headlines with Kendrick Lamar, in Minneapolis on April 19.
Each Not Beauty pop-up would offer fans the opportunity to purchase the glosses, learn more about the brand, and have the opportunity to meet the superstar in the flesh regardless of their ticket status.
During the Los Angeles tour stop, which spanned three dates on May 21, May 23, with the finale on May 24, xoNecole had the opportunity to test out the glosses included in this soft launch, as SZA revealed in a statement that "this is just the start of other lip products, including plans to launch stains, liners, and creams all inspired by SZA's “infamous layered lip combinations.”
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So, what is included in the first Not Beauty launch?
The current Not Beauty products available are lip glosses that come in three shades: In the Flesh, Strawberry Jelly, and Quartz.
During my visit to the first LA Not Beauty pop-up activation, I not only had the chance to purchase all three glosses but also took a peek inside the blow-up log tent. Inside, fans got to experience SZA’s love for nature and her fascination with bugs, which are prominently featured in her performances for this tour. At one point, she even had human preying mantis prancing across the stage y'all.
There were blow-up photos of the beauty that is SZA for fans (myself included) to take photos, but in wooden-like tree trunks were a deeper dive into some of the ingredients featured in her products and their benefits.
For example, the glosses feature Hi-Shine Lip Jelly and Shea Butter as key ingredients and some of the listed benefits included are:
- Shea Butter - “A powerhouse ingredient, offering both functional and nourishing benefits.”
- Hi-Shine Lip Jelly (featured in the In the Flesh shade) - “Formula glides on with perfect adhesion to the lips without stickiness).
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What are in the products?
Featured in an orange package, with images of a bug and flower on the side, the back of the box reads: “It’s NOT BEAUTY, it just works. Developed by Solána “SZA” Rowe.
As someone who never leaves home without a good lip gloss, I loved how compact the wood panel packaging is. Perfect to slip into my purse, or in the case of the show at SoFi Stadium, into my pocket when I’m not carrying a bag.
Because I’m a sucker for a good black and brown lip liner and clear gloss combo, I decided to wear the Quartz flavor on night one of the Grand National Tour LA stop, and it did not disappoint. I’ll admit, it’s light weight feel made me nervous because it felt like there was nothing on my lips. However, when I checked my lips in my compact mirror several times throughout the night, I was shocked to find that my gloss was still intact. I only reapplied once out of the habit of looking cute and applying my gloss, but not necessity.
Here are some of the ingredients featured, but not limited to, in the Quartz flavor.
- Polyisoubutene
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea)Butter
- Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
- Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
- Tocopherol
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Lip prep
I’m a simple girl who loves to stay true to her roots. So ahead of the show, I stopped by a local Inglewood Beauty Supply store and grabbed a Black and Brown shade lip pencil for just under $2 a piece.
Shading the outline of my lips with the black pencil first, I used the brown to lightly fill the inside of my lips before applying my Quartz Not Beauty shade gloss.
How to apply
There’s truly no right or wrong way to apply lip gloss (in my opinion), with this being a brush applicator sort of product, I simply untwisted the top and swiped the gloss around my top and bottom lip generously.
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Results
Again, my Not Beauty Quartz product stayed on my lips from the start of the show, which began with a fire DJ set from LA’s very own, Mustard, to the conclusion when Kendrick and SZA reunited on stage to send us home to their duet, “luther,” featured on the rapper's GNX album.
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2025 BET Awards: Ciara Lists Her Dating Non-negotiables, Jordin Sparks Talks Love & More
Last night was "culture's biggest night" in Black entertainment and all the stars came out. Hosted by Kevin Hart, the BET awards celebrated 25 years and reflected on the network's success by giving viewers a taste of nostalgia.
The network's beloved 2000s show, 106 & Park took over the stage along with the show's former hosts, including Free, Terrence J, Julissa Bermudez and Mr. 106 & Park himself, Bow Wow, who performed his hits.
Other artists who performed during that segment was Ashanti, Mýa, Keyshia Cole, Amerie, and T.I. The night continued with three icon awards presented to Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey, and Kirk Franklin.
Prior to the show, xoNecole took to the red carpet and interviewed some of our favorite people. See who we caught up with below.
Ciara
Ciara stopped by to share her dating non-negotiables and the mother of four wasn't holding anything back.
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks walked the carpet with her husband, Dana Isaiah, and together they shared how they stay connected.
Teedra Moses
Teedra Moses dished on whether she thinks she's Phylicia Rashad's doppelgänger.
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Feature image Rob Latour/ Shutterstock