Make-up artist wants more products for darker skinned people

Despite her name, Princess Davis' true royalty lies in her unyielding pride for her black skin, a crown she wears with unwavering confidence.

For Davis, her melanin-rich complexion is not just her favourite feature, but a symbol of strength, resilience, and individuality.

"Being black, to me, is unique. Being light-skinned is just good, I am not against one who has light skin, but anybody can get the light skin by bleaching or other methods. But one of the main reasons why I love my dark complexion, because a person can't easily get black - it's not something you can buy. But you will see that dark people who want a lighter skin can get to that and come back to a black complexion in some cases. That I would never do, not even in a million years," she said.

But her journey to self-acceptance was not without its challenges. Growing up, although she never struggled with negativity or criticism, she saw the harshness of colourism that permeated Jamaican society. She told THE STAR that there was a time when she wasn't sure that she loved her complexion as much as she does now.

"Back then mi used to love make-up. Mi used to always a get inna trouble fi wear make-up go school. Mi did always think seh if mi nuh add some powder or something, fi look extra cool, then mi nuh pretty enough," she said.

For the Old Harbour High School alumna, despite the confidence she exuded, she still appreciated getting compliments. Davis admitted that many of her relatives bleached their skin.

"But they just always go back. So me seeing that, if it wasn't for compliments, I would bleach too. So it's like compliments keep me in line when you walk outside and somebody say 'A black pretty girl' or 'I like your complexion, your black is cool', that builds up confidence level so much. And if you go somewhere else and somebody says 'yuh black eeh' or the back handed 'you pretty fi a black girl', you don't even care about that one person because it's like the one that comes so rare," she said. The real game changer for her came when she embarked on a modelling career with Pulse.

"They never put make-up on me. I always wondered why, and whenever it was almost time to go on stage I would run to the bathroom and still do it. One day the owner for Pulse pulled me aside and he started asking me 'Are you insecure about the glow of your skin?'. Mi not even did understand 'bout glow! All inna my mind mi just damn shine," she said.

"Mi never like when mi shine, mi just always want to use some type of powder to just keep that coolness deh. He was like, 'your complexion is cool, and that's not oil, that's a glow'."

Now the owner of Royalties Beauty, Davis has made it her mission to celebrate the natural beauty of her clients, particularly those with dark complexions. But she highlighted the challenges faced by dark-skinned women in an industry that often prioritises lighter shades, and is passionate about the need for inclusivity in mainstream media and the beauty industry, advocating for products that cater to all shades.

As she anticipates her 26th birthday, which falls in Black History Month, she urges persons with melanin to embrace it with pride.

"Our skin is not just a shade, it's a legacy," she said.