Source: Marsha B / Marsha B
When Carol’s Daughter invited me to LA for the premiere of The Color Purple, it was a no-brainer. The leading brand in Black hair care is the exclusive hair care partner of the Warner Bros film, and they celebrated the collaboration by inviting a few editors and influencers for a luxurious couple of days in LA. The accommodations exuded royalty and set the tone for my stay at the swanky 5-star hotel, L’Ermitage, in Beverly Hills.
On premiere day, I was casually told to come up for hair and makeup prior to the purple carpet and premiere. Hair and makeup, I thought to myself – fancy! I quickly responded, “I have a weave in. Not sure if that makes a difference. Either way, I’ll be there.” The contact replied, “Nope! All Black glam team.”
“Then I’m coming busted! Get me together.”
And that they did. When I said I would come busted, I meant it from the depths of my soul. This was my first time receiving hair and makeup treatment, and I wanted to take full advantage of it. The Carol’s Daughter team sought out the best of the best in the beauty industry to pamper their guests. Celebrity hair guru and stylist Dhairius Thomas gave me romantic updo that rivaled my leather bustier and black wide-leg pants. His vision was to provide contrast to my look, he also wanted to highlight my face by pulling my hair back.
Source: Marsha B / Marsha B
Source: Marsha B / Marsha B
My glam was done by Dennese Rodriguez. Because my ensemble was black, we decided on a soft glam look with a bold purple ombre lipstick.
Carol’s Daughter is the official hair care partner for The Color Purple
Besides the obvious perks of having a glam team get me together for the premiere, I had a chance to pick the brain of Lisa Price, the founder of Carol’s Daughter and overall visionary of the Black hair industry.
Partnering with The Color Purple is a dream come true for Price. “I saw The Color Purple, the original film, in the theater with my mother when I was 23. And I saw the play on Broadway more than once. And when it was mentioned that this was a possibility, it was so good that I almost didn’t want to pray for it because what if it didn’t happen?” she says. “I had to let go of that fear.”
The Goddess Strength collection was on deck at the glam suite, and was used to style our hair for the premiere. “Goddess Strength talks about the strength of your hair; your hair has to be able to bend and not break. And that’s the best way to be able to style it and do all the things that you need to do with it. Women are like that a lot of times. Women are strong because we have to bend, not break, and flow around obstacles. We don’t get the luxury of running into the obstacle and pushing it. We have to work our way around it,” she explains.
The Color Purple is a great example of women who navigated life’s obstacles without breaking. Growing up, I thought the root of the film was oppression. I viewed it through the lens that only saw the abuse of women and the destruction of Black families. Watching this adaptation, I saw an emphasis on joy, forgiveness, and healing while staying true to Celie’s life. The ability to retell the story from a new perspective is powerful, fostering a new sense of unity.
“There’s something that you can see in the retelling of the story now without giving things away: there’s a freedom that we have as black people and black creatives where we can lean in differently than we could have before,” Price says. “The way West Africa is represented in the film is so different from the first time, and it wasn’t bad the first time. It was beautiful, but this takes it up a notch. The wardrobe, the cinematography, and even the character development are different because we have the ability now when we’re in films and telling our stories to not just be so one dimensional. And we get to have depth, and we get to be flawed and forgiven. All of that comes through in this version of it in ways that it couldn’t have come through before. It’s remarkable,” she continues.
Concluding our chat, we headed over to the Academy Museum to walk the purple carpet and watch the film. Thanks to Carol’s Daughter, they secured me a spot on the carpet to capture footage and interview the stars. At the end of the movie, we headed upstairs for the official after party. We had a time!
You can catch The Color Purple on Christmas Day. Until then, stay tuned more more exclusive content on the film. A huge thank you to the Carol’s Daughter team for their superior accommodations.
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Purple Carpet Rundown: Black Hollywood Shows Out At ‘The Color Purple’ World Premiere
