Abi Ishola, the New York style blogger, journalist and mother who shares her musings on her blog Scripts and Sightings. I recently met her in connection with her newest project, Beyond Classically Beautiful and I was immediately drawn in. As I get to know Abi and her work, it is clear that she has an eye for identifying and amplifying the most beautiful quality celebrating the inherent beauty beheld by each of her muses.
What rituals help you feel your most confident and beautiful?
One of my constant rituals is applying makeup in the morning. I love makeup. I believe makeup to a woman is what shaving is to a man. You can be beautiful with or without it, but makeup is a great way to enhance your natural beauty when applied properly. Not to mention, makeup is fun! I love wearing a nice pop of color on my lips.
I’m also finding that meditation helps me feel more confident. There’s nothing like being completely silent and getting in touch with your spirit. It offers me the best reminder of who I really am.
Last but not least, I love listening to braggadocios hip-hop songs like Nas is Like by Nas and Rigamortis by Kendrick Lamar, lol. One of the best things about hip-hop is it allows for total freedom to be as full of yourself as you possibly can. We should all be completely full of ourselves, totally in love with our abilities and ourselves.
How do you bring joy into your daily life?
I bring joy into my daily life when I’m totally present in the moment, especially when I’m with my family. My husband is the absolute best and I find joy just staring into my daughter’s eyes.
What’s the best thing you do for your skin?
I recently started doing facial exercises. I’ve been noticing some changes since I had my baby girl last year. My aunt, who I lived with in Nigeria when I was in middle school, had a facial workout DVD that she would do every morning. I thought it was completely ridiculous. But now that I’m in my 30s, I’ve turned into my aunt.
What Superpower do you wish you had?
I would choose the ability to fly. There are so many places I’d like to visit. The ability to fly would take me there without breaking the bank.
What is your personal mantra or guiding principal?
One thing I’ve always tried to do is use my fears to push me closer to my goals. When I’m afraid of something I feel an urge to conquer it. That’s not to say I’ve conquered all my fears, but I’m definitely on the path.
Your best beauty secret that no one else knows about?
I use Milk of Magnesia as a primer under my foundation. I have a very oily T-Zone so I’ve tried it all. MOM is the only thing that works for me.
How does what you do bring out beauty in others?
As a style blogger I’m constantly bringing out the beauty in others. One of the things I do on a regular basis is cover street style around New York City. I’ve found that people love to be approached by me, a total stranger, and told they look great. So far, nobody has turned down my request to take their photo. It speaks to human nature and how many of us want to be celebrated and acknowledged. Some may call it shallow, but I believe it’s a beautiful quality because it’s completely human.
Most recently I made it a goal to bring out the beauty in others with a photo story I produced titled “Beyond Classically Beautiful.” The idea for the project came to me after the New York Times published an article in which the writer referred to actress Viola Davis as “less classically beautiful” than lighter skinned black actresses such as Halle Berry. It was highly offensive but many black women have heard that insult in the past. So I decided to turn that negative into a positive by featuring several beautiful black women who represent beauty that goes beyond the classic label.
