Beauty: Grace Bol by Toto Cullen in Full of Grace

Image source: http://fashiongonerogue.com/portrait-grace-bol-toto-cullen/

Whilst browsing through fashion blogs, in particular ‘Fashion Gone Rogue’ ^[1] I was pleased to find such a striking fashion portrait of a dark black woman. After researching race and beauty especially how dark-skinned models are scarce in the fashion industry it was surprising to see this headshot amongst the fair-skinned faces you regularly see. Though some may say she looks vacant I believe Cullen captures her intensity and how her eyes are almost squinting, but looks natural doing this. I love the splash of red on her lips and compliment the soft blue tones in the shadows on her skin. Her skin is flawless and the studio lighting accentuates her exquisite bone structure. I particularly like the fact she has little hair, like Daemian Smith’s photo of Kelly Moreira; Bol’s hair is natural to her ethnic make-up and isn’t straightened or weaved on a wig to look like Caucasian sleek hair. The beautiful soft tones are what I enjoy most in this image.

1. Full of Grace – Grace Bol (Muse NYC) stars in Toto Cullen’s striking portraits wearing a mix of colorful designs and makeup. Styled by Andrea Perini, the designs of Karl Lagerfeld, Versace and Charles Anastase stand out with her elegant poses. / Makeup by Kristen Arnett

References:

Toto Cullen (Fashion Gone Rogue) http://fashiongonerogue.com/portrait-grace-bol-toto-cullen/

Other images in the shoot: