rachel stewart is a beautiful woman you should know. not only because she’s an indie jewelry designer with pieces so boss, you’ll have chicks doing double takes at your ear and neck candy, but because she also knows how to stay fly from head to toe for milk money.
oh, and did i mention that she also paints and rocks a mean fro?!
check out her style and her funky pieces. trust me, you’ll be whipping out the wallet when you finish reading this!
click on any of the products or links throughout the interview to learn more about rachel’s products or to be inspired by her style.
rachel, i love your jewelery! and most people know you as the indie jewelery designer with the afro pic earrings. but who is rachel exactly? where are you from and what do you do?
Well, a lot of people don’t know that I’m an artist. I’ve been painting all my life. I’ve also been in a band, a go-go band. I am from North Carolina, I grew up in New York as a child but I’m a county girl…
your hair is beautiful. what is your hair texture? is it 4a or b?
I don’t follow the hair rating system, I have no idea what a 4b is…my hair is very thick, coily when wet and kinky when dry, I have about 4 textures of hair on my head.
what’s in your hair product stash? what styling tools do you use?
I have a simple routine, I do not use shampoo EVER. I co-wash with Queen Helene cholesterol conditioner, follow with Garnier triple nutrition, I don’t rinse out all the conditioner, I leave about 20% in.
After I’m done I put another dollop of conditioner on my hair and let it air dry.
Thats all I do, a lot of naturals do TOO much, use too many products trying to fight against their texture.
how do you normally wear your hair everyday?
Normally I just wash and go, when I go out on the town I blow my hair out to a big afro.
do you straighten your hair?
I don’t straighten my hair, I think straight hair looks really boring on me, I look and feel average with straight hair. I did flat iron my hair for a few weeks last year and I really didn’t like it!
how was your natural transition? was it easy to just “go natural” or did you have a few mental barriers to get over.
I never transitioned, I have been natural for 20 years, I shaved my head 20 years ago and never went back to relaxers, It was never a deep thing for me, I wanted a bald head so I shaved my head…
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I never second guess myself, if I like something, I like it…and thats all there is to it…what other people think of it has no bearing on me whatsoever, and it shouldn’t.
you have beautiful skin. what beauty products do you use on your face and what are your problem areas?
Thank you. I never use soap on my skin. I had really bad cystic acne up until about 4 years ago. I stopped using soap and started using the Oil Cleansing Method.
I simply cleanse my skin with a mixture of olive and castor oil, wipe off with a hot rag, follow with shea butter and that’s it. No more acne, my skin has normalized, no more oil slicks and combination skin. I do it every night and in the morning I just rinse my face with water only and keep it moving. I’ll never use soap again.
find out more about the oil cleansing method here.
do you wear makeup? what products do you keep in your purse constantly? got any favorite lipsticks, glosses or mascaras?
I do wear makeup. I used to wear it because I had to, now I wear it because I want too…big difference!
One product I can’t do without is my one and only lip gloss, naturistics Big Slixx – thats all I wear, its cheap and the best gloss I have ever used. Great Lash mascara and Revlon Colorstay Mineral Bronzer are what I [also] use on a daily basis.
your jewelery is awesome – an eclectic mix of remixed couture pieces (chanel inspired) to those funkay afrocentric hair pick earrings. how do you come up with your designs and what’s the design process like for you? do you work out of your home?
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I design pieces that I don’t see in stores…things I wish were more available, things that speak to a woman like me.
I’m a child of the eighties and I think a lot of my pieces reflect that. I do work from home, I have an office space in my bedroom.
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and your style icon? who do you covet when it comes to fashion?
Phyllis Hyman, Bettie Davis, Patrice Rushen..I love their style..I wanted to be like them when I grew up!
every girl needs at least 5 staple pieces. what would you say yours are? what pieces in your closet describe you?
I don’t have any staple pieces..honestly, my look varies from day to day. I do Love Kimono style tops and dresses.
the million dollar question: heels or flats?
Heels, flats suck.
both of these shoes cost less than $40.
what was the first pair of designer shoes that you ever owned? do you still have them?
I don’t have any designer shoes, I’m not ashamed to say I wear affordable shoes. I’ll never spend hundreds of dollars on a shoe that cost 20 bucks to make…as long as its a high heel and its cute…I’m buying it. I might spend 40 bucks on a shoe..that’s it…it doesn’t take a lot of money to look good, and you cannot BUY style.
how do you see your style evolving over time? what are some of your style goals?
Well I’m 38, and all can say to that is I’m wearing more dresses; but I can’t say I have a style goal.
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who are 5 favorite shoe designers or brands?
I’ve never owned these designer shoes, but I love Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu, and Prada (left to right).
what handbag designers are you feeling? and what are you carrying on your arm these days?
I’m not really into handbags…I like the stuff I find at thrift stores. BUT my latest purchase [was] a cassestte tote
do you plan to design pieces outside of jewelry? if so, what and when should we expect it.
I’m working on clutches and fascinators made from African wax fabrics..hopefully I will have these for sale by the fall.
what’s next for rachel stewart the designer?
I want to expand my line, do more customized pieces.
loving rachel’s hair and care routine! like many naturals she keeps it simple. and i can attest to that. sometimes less is more.
rachel’s fashion sense is dope and her jewelery is boss. i want and need those mix tape and chanel earrings in my life. to buy any of her pieces be sure to check her out and support her as an indie designer at rachel stewart jewelry as well as her beautiful art at rachel stewart art.
you can also follow rachel on twitta @rstewartjewelry.
and bellas, rachel’s man chris is also an artist – a photographer. check him out at chris charles photography
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Hi curly bella, I really love ur blog, its really hip. I wanted 2 know if d oil cleansing method culd wrk 4 me, cos I stay in d tropics,(Nigeria) n girl is it really hot, n I have noticed we ladies dwn here tend 2 produce a lot of oil on our faces. Also after d procedure can I still apply sunblock? Cos my face is darker than d rest of my body n would want 2 lighter it up.
“You cannot buy style”–Truer words were never spoken!
I love her thrifty fashion sense!
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