Our story for February is a heart warming tale of hope and confidence … Ramya Ramana.

For a nineteen year old, she is one of the most put together, socially advanced and aware, passionate young teenager. Read her story in our stories section.

Cinnamon Spirit had the privilege of interviewing Ramya. In her own words …

“Social activists are misunderstood. We are not angry. We do what we do out of love.”

Wow right?

What makes model turned actress, Mugdha Godse so irresistible?Maybe it’s her deep set eyes, or those full pouty lips – no it’s definitely that dark brown skin!

Mugdha is a 28 year old model and former semi-finalist at the Miss India 2004 competition. Towering at 5ft 9, she was one of the tallest contestants in history! There is so much of her to love!

She came from a modeling background and wanted to fill her hands with a new project: acting. When Priyanka Chopra burst into the limelight as one of the darker skinned women of Bollywood, it soon marked a path for Mugdha to follow. In 2008, Bollywood released a film produced by Madhur Bhandarkar called Fashion. It flew under the radar for a bit, but she and Priyanka became great friends. Mugdha played a supporting role playing a model herself – I suppose it wasn’t actually acting. She impressed several audiences and since then has been seeking the right next new role.

Mugdha says she has been offered countless acting roles but is waiting for the right time and opportunity to strike again. She says her journey has been “great – no, fantastic!” and is so thankful for Madhur Bhandarkar’s film and all her fashion education for giving her this start, but is in no rush to become the next it-girl.

On being darker than the average bollywood queen, Mugdha says she’s been very appreciative of her skin color. She doesn’t however draw attention to this “breaking of convention”. She doesn’t believe she is a dusky outsider, but just another actress. A gorgeous one at that!

The North American International Auto Show is underway in Detroit, Michigan and I had the privilege to experience what’s coming in the world of the motor car.

From production car introductions and concept cars to after market mods. You get to see everything.

Presenting some of these metallic beauties were our brown beauties.

It made me happy to see the number of brown women presenting these vehicles, so I had to make a quick post about it.

At the turn of the 20th century, bronzed skin became the new fashion must-have. Coco Chanel famously got sunburn on a yachting trip, which spurred her acolytes to start spending more time in the sun. Doctors of the day began prescribing sun therapy, which was quickly adopted by the upper classes, as were outdoor sports.

We believe the following have always been standards of beauty that will stand the test of time.

1. The Happy Confident Smile: It doesn’t matter what you are wearing, how thin or thick you are, how tall or short you are, how rich or poor you are …. A smile that says you are happy with being who you are, tops our list.
2. Sunshine Spirit: The ability to make others smile is someone with the Sunshine Spirit. This is a beautiful thing. It brings about a beautiful atmosphere of well being to those around you and cynosure to you.
3. Being Fit: Will you be able to run if there were to be a zombie apocalypse? Human beings were meant to lead active lives. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind and less time at the doctor’s. Studies have shown that one’s skin glows from adrenalin, so we think this is all around beautiful.
4. Neat clothes:  We think some energy spent on keeping your clothes straight (washed, mended, ironed) goes a long way in adding clarity to everything around you.
5. Cleanliness : No matter how beautiful you are, if you haven’t showered and smell bad… forget it. You ain’t gonna be considered beautiful.

The holidays are coming up, and i’m sure i’m not the only one looking forward to the Turkey, gingerbread cookies, and cranberry sauce! Oh and of course the being-surrounded-by-family-and-friends part is fun too.

One dish that comes as a side to this season is always a serving of sweet potatoes. They come in pie form, melted among marshmallows, crispy wedges or condensed into soup form.  Whether you like sweet-potatoes or not, there’s no stopping these shape-shifting vegetables from entering your home on Thanksgiving. In light of the sweet potato’s inevitable upcoming appearance on your plate, I’ve decided to  write an article entirely about its skin enhancing benefits. I’m sure there are other ways to make your brown skin glow this season, but I can’t think of a better way to do that right now than eating a big heaping of sweet potato fries.

I first learned about the sweet potato’s skin enhancing benefits from an article on Everyday Health about ten foods that are actually good for your skin. Sweet Potatoes was one of them. When added to a healthy diet, sweet potatoes give you a boost of vitamin A. According to WebMD, people commonly take vitamin A as “treatments for acne and other skin conditions, including wrinkles” (1). After looking into this further, I found  Jenné Claiborne of Sweet Potato Soul, an online vegan workshop that provides you with diet plans and so many delicious recipes, many of which are based on sweet potatoes. Jenné Claiborne has been featured in Reader’s Digest,  Vegetarian Times, Shape, and many other publications. She is a beautiful dark skinned woman who works in New York City as a professional chef. She creates recipes, videos, and spreads her passion for a healthy lifestyle. She is a certified holistic health counselor having earned her title from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2012.

Jenné says if you want beautiful skin – who doesn’t – it all must begin at your plate. She says you do not have to eat exotic “super-foods” to feel the beautification. In fact she reccomends sweet potatoes, broccoli, almonds, and avocados. She developed her love of sweet potatoes when she was growing up in Atlanta, Georgia. She considers them her soul food. On her website, she has numerous recipes dedicated to sweet potatos, some of which are listed below.

Maybe you can incorporate one of these into your Thanksgiving meal this year:
1. Sweet Potato Burgers with Green Tahini - feeling all-american? try this twist on the traditional beef burger.

2. Sweet Potato Hummus with Fennel Seeds and Smoked Salt - maybe you want to add some mediterranean into your Thanksgiving, just make sure to bring the drinks to match, Opa!

3. Creamy Sweet Potato Portabella Pasta – Nothing says Thanksgiving like a big Italian family. Maybe you can squeeze in room at your table for a sweet potato, or a few.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Remember to stay radiant and be thankful for your gorgeous brown skin!

(As a reminder, we are not doctors here at Cinnamon Spirit. Therefore we do NOT recommend starting any treatment without consulting an appropriate medical professional first. )

Finding a suitable foundation that works for  our skin tone can be tricky. Here are some tips for you to find something you love wearing everyday. The idea is to match your skin tone and give it a smooth, natural look.

1. Becca Ever Matte Shine Proof Foundation: This product has four different shades for darker tones, making it much easier to find your match….$US42.00

2. Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation: The darkest shade, espresso, has a tiny bit of sparkle, giving you an all-over glow that’s noticeable even on your chocolate skin….US$ 40.00

3. Lancôme Teint Visionniare Foundation: It comes with a spot corrector, perfect to combat manchas or patches in skin tone…         US$ 60.00

4. Makeup Forever HD Foundation: This one includes five different shades of brown and is oil-free….US$42.00

5. Black Opal Foundation Stick: This brand is formulated specifically for brown skin, so it’s guaranteed to meet your needs. Plus it is one fourth the price of some others…US$ 10.00

6. Fashion Fair Oil-Free Perfect Finish Foundation: This cream-to-powder foundation comes with 17 different shades of brown and glides on without that caked-on look that often happens when using powder foundations…. US$ 25.00

7. Clinique Even Better Foundation: This compact foundation comes with many deep shades, and it also combats dry skin…         US$ 32.00

8. Covergirl Queen Collection All Day Flawless Foundation: No need to drive yourself nuts trying to find matching products — this is a primer, concealer, and foundation all in one….US$ 12.00

9. L’Oreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation: The name speaks for itself. The variety of shades blend smoothly into skin, leaving a natural, fresh-faced finish… US$ 11.00

10. Urban Decay Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup: The three dark shades address your specific undertones too, making it a flawless match… US$ 39.00

This article has gathered it’s information from Milly Almodovar‘s work for the Cosmopoliton,  Alden Wicker‘s post for LearnVest and Erica Smith‘s article for TotalBeauty.com.

]]> http://cinnamonspirit.com/2014/11/cinnamon-spirit-foundations-for-dark-skin-tone/feed/ 0 http://cinnamonspirit.com/2014/10/cinnamon-spirit-stunning-brown-miss-new-york-is-crowned-miss-america/ http://cinnamonspirit.com/2014/10/cinnamon-spirit-stunning-brown-miss-new-york-is-crowned-miss-america/#comments Fri, 31 Oct 2014 03:10:42 +0000 http://cinnamonspirit.com/?p=156 Continue reading Embracing one’s identity is beautiful. We love that! →]]>

So, yes I have to root for this girl. First she is a nerd, second she attended University of Michigan, third she is gorgeously brown and fourth… she participated in pageants to pay off school. Moments like this I am proud to say I am American.

From Miss New York

She dazzled the audience with her confident and positive outlook on American  integration and continued with a fushion performance of classical Indian and Bollywood dance ( checkout this link for the video)

Oh did I mention… confidence is the color yellow?

What a great ambassador for America! Go Nina!