For our Fourth Issue, MJ Lifestyle’s Founder & Chief Photographer Jennifer Skog teamed up with The Westside Collective and Cure Designs to celebrate five Black Women-owned beauty brands in Joshua Tree and raise awareness for three movements putting Black lives first: Color of Change, National Bail Out, and the Shine App.

Dorian Morris, Founder Undefined Beauty

“I don’t have all the answers and it’s frustrating living in a system that has been set up against you. But it does fuel my passion and purpose to change the rules of the game with Undefined’s focus on Conscious Capitalism across every piece of the business model and supply chain. Business empowers business. I created Undefined to change the narrative, democratize beauty, destigmatize, and normalize plant-based wellness while also infusing social impact in the process. It’s about re-framing and rejecting what beauty and wellness have historically stood for; there’s not just one way to be, live, love, consume, appreciate, vibrate. It’s about celebrating the beauty of choice. I personally hate rules and being told what to do and Undefined embodies this mindset as rules are meant to be broken, especially when the rules were set up by a patriarchal system that did not (and still does not) want diverse and underrepresented communities to thrive. It’s about taking our power back. Not conforming. Embracing individuality, quirkiness, duality, fluidity, and uniqueness. Not putting limits on yourself and moreover, recognizing you are not alone and you are more than enough. Beauty starts in your head, not in the mirror, and Undefined is about reinforcing and celebrating this new and important approach to beauty and wellness. As a black, queer, female founder, leading with this purpose is part of my brand DNA and it shows up in how I personally lead—focused on radical transparency—and it also shows up in how I communicate, inspire and educate my community aka my Undefined Crew.”

—Dorian Morris, Undefined Beauty

Tess Taylor, Founder of TAYLOR & tess

"I knew the purpose and mission behind our brand before I knew what our product offerings were going to be: inclusivity, plant-focused, sustainability, and the normalization of cannabis + hemp use. We focused on representation and human connection, and everything flowed organically from there.

We have connected with so many beautiful humans + brands on our journey, and we will continue to lengthen our table and include as much diversity as we possibly can. As we find ourselves in the middle of a pandemic and revolution, I know which communities are hit the hardest: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and immigrants. Our hope at T+t is that you will educate + inform yourself about the pressing issues, not shy away from them because it's uncomfortable: that's privilege. We can't have unity, freedom, and justice for all until we self-audit, start the discourse often, and support the groups that our current administration would rather erase." —Tess Melody Taylor, TAYLOR & tess

Models Samiere + Ashleigh Jones

Kimberly Dillon, Founder of FRIGG

“Cannabis is a tool for my anxiety and generational trauma and I want to normalize that for others.

Burnout, Mental Health, and Therapy are all topics that are still super taboo in the Black community, despite it being in the community with the greatest needs. Can a beauty brand raise awareness around mental health? We like to think so and we are trying by talking about the impact of stress on the hair and the skin as a starting point.”

- Kimberly Dillon, Founder of FRIGG

Specifically, People of Color are more likely than white adults to report significant stressors in their life as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, namely getting coronavirus—71% vs. 59% respectively, basic needs—61% vs. 47%, and access to medical care services 59% vs. 46%.

Rebecca Grammer-Ybarra, Homebody

“Homebody was birthed out of a need. In January 2019, I was in a traumatic car accident that left my body broken and my spirits at an all-time low. My traditional doctor prescribed me a plethora of pharmaceutical pills and heavy synthetic medication which ultimately made matters worst for me physically, mentally, and emotionally so I sought out a holistic physician. It was here that I was introduced to CBD, cannabis, and herbal remedies and I began the journey of my being my owner healer through plant medicine. I began formulating herbal remedies as bath ritual treatments and soaking in them every day. As I started to notice improvements in my overall wellbeing I was curious as to why and how I could feel better than ever before, so I researched and studied cannabis, the endocannabinoid system, color therapy, and the power of plants as medicine. After 60 days of soaking in my own “solution”, I knew I had to share these elixirs with the world. A few months later Homebody was born—a modern wellness brand intended for you to experience the power of the whole body.

Each of our bathing experiences are intentionally designed with a purpose and need in mind. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, stress, pain, moods, or unhealthy sleeping patterns, we’ve created a system of products as an ally to help you thrive, rebalance, and feel more at home in your body.”

—Rebecca Grammer-Ybarra, Founder & CEO of Homebody

“With all of the attention on black-owned businesses I feel it’s about time. And I really wish I would’ve seen this outpouring of support when my three bakeries were closing two years ago —but I’m grateful it is here now and I can still participate. I am open to learn about the plans and strategies of the retail partners who want to partner with Homebody. We are now in the position to ask important questions and vet these partners by starting the hard conversations around social injustice, systemic racism, and what part are they playing right now to make the change and how they are going to move going to empower BIPOC within their establishments, communities and the world.” —Rebecca Grammer-Ybarra, Founder & CEO of Homebody

Kiara Tenae, iNTITLED

“Intentional Self-Care is not a Luxury it’s a Law! iNTITLED was born to support uplifting and transformative practices with a focus on women & womb healing. Having discovered I had fibroids & then moving through the loss of a child due to miscarriage I dove hands first into African womb healing/massage as a form of aftercare. Learning/experiencing in my own body the healing properties of yellow Shea butter, I then made it my mission to transmute the negative energy into something positive to support other women. You are iNTITLED to LUXURY. You are iNTITLED to SHINE. You are iNTITLED to INTROSPECTION. You are iNTITLED to HEAL.”

—Kiara Tenae, Founder of iNTITLED

iNTITLED’s plant-based formulas don’t contain CBD at this time.

45% of Women report symptoms of PTSD

30% of Women reported miscarriage affecting their professional life

40% of Women reported that the loss affected their relationship with friends and family

55% of Women who miscarry experience depressive symptoms shortly following the incident

40% of Women experience anxiety immediately following a miscarriage

and up to 15% reach the clinical threshold for a major depressive disorder in the months following the loss.

These symptoms can exist for one to three years after a loss.

(Imperial College London, 2016)

Models Samiere + Ashleigh Rebecca styled in Bel Kazan

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