21 Afro Latina-Owned Businesses That Will Take Your Holiday Shopping To The Next Level
Supporting small businesses is more important now than ever.
We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
1. Glamlite Cosmetics: Best known for their creative, food-inspired makeup palettes, Glamlite will have you reaching for a slice of pizza with one hand while you put your eyeshadow on with the other.
Any foodie who loves makeup needs to be able to say that they're wearing a matte lip inspired by churros.
Get the Pizza Lovers Holiday Bundle, which comes with The Original Pizza Palette, a Meat Lovers Pizza Slice Palette, and a Veggie Lovers Pizza Slice Palette for $69.
You can also get holiday bundles inspired by ice cream, tacos, burgers, and desserts in general.
2. Azteca Negra: For anyone looking for a brand "where indigenous and modern art, fashion, and culture intersect," this is your place! Azteca Negra is a culturally and environmentally-conscious line that makes items like earrings, head wraps, masks, pillows, and other accessories that are too gorgeous not to share with someone.
3. Radiante Candles: Since everyone is spending a lot of time at home now, you might as well gift a loved one the wonderful smells of Coco Mango, Peppermint Eucalyptus, or Santo Domingo (which is a fruity scent with piña colada, orange, and rum.)
Each candle is hand made by founder and candle connoisseur Angelica. Her site states that "her intention is always to create a quality product that above all spreads love, and light into your home."
Get your pick of Coco Mango, Lavender, Midnight Teakwood, Peppermint Eucalyptus, Pumpkin Chai, Sandalwood Coconut, Santo Domingo, Vanilla, or Vanilla Sandalwood in an 8 oz. gold container for $12.
4. The Flowerchild Bruja: They're a flower-powered botanica with artisan-made spiritual gifts that the bruja in your life would be very grateful to receive.
This is really a one-stop shop for all your sacred ritual tools, like smudge sticks, crystals, smoke wands, incense, flowers, and even t-shirts.
Get the California Love smudge stick, which has California white sage and rose petals, for $22.
5. Cafe con Libros: They're an Afro Latinx owned feminist indie bookstore and coffee shop in Brooklyn that centers the needs of their community. And no, you don't have to be local to support them/get a gift for someone else. You can order books through their Bookshop page, get their Feminist & Bookish monthly subscription, or buy an audiobook or e-book through their site.
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Now more than ever indie bookstores need our help, so there's no better time than the present to support them while you do your holiday shopping.
Just to reiterate, if you live in Brooklyn, NYC you can (and should) buy directly from them, but if you're not local, you can buy a book through their Bookshop page which helps support them. You can also subscribe to their Feminist & Bookish monthly subscription — which has varying age-based levels and provides valuable intersectional feminist literature, or you can also buy audiobooks and e-books through their site.
6. Reina Skincare: If you speak Spanish, then you already know that "reina" means "queen," which is truly the only name that can fit a skincare line as royal as this. Whether it's their Papaya Enzyme Cleanser, Grapefruit Salt Scrub, Rice Water Jelly Toner, or Guava Mama Body Butter, they've got your bases covered.
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Nothing says love like gifting someone a luxury soap bar!
Get the Deluxe Reina Holiday Gift Basket, which comes with their Caribbean Queen Body Butter, Coffee Scrub, Sunflower Oil. Guava Piña Body Oil, Grapefruit Salt Scrub, Grapefruit Body Butter, Honey Turmeric Cleansing Bar, Guava Mama Cleansing Bar, and Green Clay Cleansing Bar for $85.
7. ChillinInSpace by Yesenia Moises: Yesenia is an illustrator, toy designer, and children's book author whose gorgeous work will add a pop of color to any wall, jacket, backpack, basically anywhere your loved one chooses to display her work.
Aside from making art, pins, and keychains, Yesenia is also releasing a children's book named Stella's Stellar Hair, which comes out on Jan. 5, 2021. You can pre-order it here.
Get the Colorful Braids Rainbow pin for $12.50 and the Mermaid Whisper art print for $10.50.
8. Jam + Rico: Owner Lisette Scott began to create and design as a way to connect with her ancestors — which hail from Jamaica and Puerto Rico — on a cultural level. She now carries beautiful and intricate jewelry pieces that anyone would be lucky to own.
Take it from one reviewer named Nina who said, "I’ve been looking for a piece to add to my collection that I can wear all the time/becomes a part of me, and this beautiful necklace is it!"
Get a gold custom name necklace for $95 and the RED Zon earrings for $75.
Note: If you want the custom name necklace in time for Christmas, the order must be placed by Dec. 9, unless you don't mind receiving it a bit later.
9. Boricubi: Founder Jolín Miranda told Voyage LA that Boricubi, "features artwork creations and adornments made to empower women with self-love and representation." Her shop features everything from a Frida-inspired cross-body bag to beautiful handmade earrings, mugs, vinyl stickers, and art prints.
10. Earthy by Ari: With an array of unique, handcrafted items like gold-plated earrings with pressed flowers, a resin ring with rose gold flakes, or cow earrings so cute they practically moo, Earthy's definitely got the "Earth" part down pat!
11. Luna Magic: This indie beauty brand was founded by Dominican American sisters and is magical in every sense of the word. They've got items every beauty lover needs — like an eyeshadow palette with vibrant and neutral shades, matte liquid lipsticks with names like "Gostosa" and "Bon Bon," as well false lashes, and some T-shirts that help pull the entire look together.
When creating this brand in LA, Mabel Frías and Shaira Frías were inspired by the rich cultures and music of the Caribbean and Latin America.
Get the Dynamic Duo Makeup Set, which comes with both the Uno eyeshadow palette as well as a five piece makeup brush set, for $20.
12. Bomba Curls: By using using beauty secrets from the Dominican Republic, Bomba wants to ensure that people show their curls some love with products that help maximize length retention and just make them pop overall.
Founder Lulu Cordero is literally giving us all her beauty secrets with these products, so we'd be fools not to snatch them up!
Get the Forbidden Growth Bundle, which includes Bomba's Forbidden Oil and Forbidden Hair Mask, for $45.
13. Miss Rizos: With all-curly hair salons in both NYC and Santo Domingo, Carolina Contreras — AKA Miss Rizos – has been on a mission to help women love their naturually curly hair. And while your gift recipient may not be in either city, Miss Rizos also has an online store that's filled with some great stocking stuffers.
Miss Rizos originally began as a Spanish-language blog dedicated to providing info on how to care for Afro-curly hair, and has since expanded into the successful and impactful growing empire that it is today.
Get the Past Dominican Women shirt for $23.80 and the Deep Treatment Bundle, which has Curl Junkie's Moisturizing Hair Treatment, Deep Fix Moisturizing Conditioner, and Kinky-Curly's Hydrating Deep Treatment, for $60.
14. Gleam Eyewear: Everyone and their mom is pretty much glued to a screen these days, so you might as well shield their eyes in style with cute blue light glasses from this Afro Latina-owned indie eyewear brand. Gleam says they may help wearers get better sleep, minimize eye strain, and prevent headaches.
15. Beaut & Beast Co.: Founder Estephanie Ortiz created this company so that she could teach her son to love and believe in himself by learning about leaders who looked like him. So, she's now passing down that important value to future generations through illustrated flashcards and clothing that teach kids about a diverse group of world and community leaders.
16. La Botica Studios: They're a sustainable luxury fragrance house that focuses on self-care, showing deep respect for the Earth with their ingredients, and minimalist design.
17. The Lit Bar: As the only bookstore in the Bronx (yes, the only one), this Afro Latina-run shop deserves every bit of your business! And if you're not in NYC, Lit Bar has an online Bookshop page with book lists like "Featured Fire" or "2020 Survival Kit" that help tailor your book buying experience.
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When Barnes & Noble decided to leave the Bronx, founder and Bronx native Noëlle Santos decided to give back to her community by opening this bookstore.
If you're in NYC and know how to wear a mask properly, feel free to stop by and pick some books up for yourself. For those who aren't, please support them by buying some books from their Bookshop page here or getting a loved one a Lit Bar digital gift card.
18. Mixed Up Clothing: They are a children's apparel company with heart. Founded by an Afro Mexicana who was born in Puerto Rico and then lived in Hawaii, her mission is to share the vibrant cultures of the world through her clothing.
And if you're an adult who's jealous of these clothes, don't worry, Mixed Up also has an adult collection as well.
Get the teen/small adult size face mask for $14.99 and the Sweet As Pan Dulce kid's t-shirt for $25.
19. FOR TMRW: If you have that one friend or relative who is obsessed with getting their nails done, consider this nontoxic and vegan nail polish brand that has vibrant, long-lasting colors and also donates a portion of sales to Sad Girls Club, an organization that creates community for women of color.
20. Midas Cosmetics: With a big focus on inclusivity and diversity, this indie beauty brand is already making big waves in the beauty world despite being only 2 years old.
21. Black by Maria Silver: It's not everyday an acclaimed rock band drummer also has the skills to create a clothing line, but leave it to Maria Silver to be the master of all trades! She creates memorable pieces that are both comfortable and unique.
