Memoirs of a Beauty Blogger | Chantel Keona

Happy Wednesday, ladies! If you were here for my Memoirs of a Fashionista series last spring, then you probably know how much I love chatting it up with my fellow blogger boos. With this series, I was able to get an inside look at the lives of some of my favorite personal style bloggers. Not only did they dish details on their favorite stores and other fashionistas they admired, they also gave timeless style tips and fun anecdotes about their own adventures in finding their personal style.

And since this series was so much fun for me, not only will I be continuing it this fall, I've added the "Memoirs of a Beauty Blogger" series. This new series, Memoirs of a Beauty Blogger, features my fellow beauty lovers and blogger besties in my head. The mission of the "Memoirs of a Beauty Blogger" series is to highlight beauty bloggers I admire while allowing them to share the love of all things beauty from their unique perspectives.

And what better way to start this segment than with my dear friend and West Coast beauty, Chantel Keona.

Chantel Keona is a beauty writer and influencer at Chantel Keona. There, she shares the latest trends in beauty, tried and true beauty favorites, style inspiration, and personal accounts of her everyday life. She is also a contributor to The Runway Plus as well as the Style + Beauty Editor to digital lifestyle magazine Werk Chic Mag, where she also keeps readers up on the latest in beauty. Always connecting with a kind word and rocking a fierce lipstick, Chantel has been a positive and inspiring force in my blogging journey and I'm happy to be sharing more about her here in this space! Ladies, I present to you Chantel of Chantel Keona.

How do you define your style? Do you have a signature look? I define my style as bold, colorful and very feminine. Although I love changing up my makeup looks on a daily basis I would have to say my signature beauty look is winged eyeliner, neutral eyeshadow, dramatic lashes, a dark or bright lipstick and of course my highlight has to be poppin'. I live for a glow.

Where do you look for beauty inspiration? I look for beauty inspiration in magazines such as Essence, Ebony, Cosmopolitan, also Pinterest and Instagram.

Who are your beauty icons? Hands down my one and only beauty icon is Rihanna, she can rock any hairstyle, makeup look and clothes and slay every time. I love how fearless and bold she is with her look.

Name other beauty bloggers/vloggers you admire. I love so many beauty gurus! Here are a few of my favorites: Nicole Guerriero, Mattie James, Alissa Ashley, Kennedy Cymone, Amra Olevic, Shayla, and Raye Boyce. I admire all of these women for a number of reasons from their work ethic, style, and their influence in the beauty world.

What items do you feel every woman must have in their beauty arsenal? I think every woman needs a good full coverage foundation, brow products, a nude lipstick/lipgloss, waterproof mascara, blotting papers, and a facial mist. These items should be in everyone's beauty arsenal.

What are your favorite beauty brands? My favorite beauty brands are CoverGirl. Morphe, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, ColourPop, Juvia's Place, Maybelline.

What beauty trends were you rocking this past summer? What are you rocking this fall? All summer I [was] rocking glowing skin and bright lipsticks. I am really looking forward to wearing dramatic eyeshadow for the fall with hues from navy, olive green, brown, purple, etc.

Many of us have a jam session or playlist of songs we listen to as we're getting pretty and prepped for the day. What's on your playlist? What are you jamming to?  I listen to music every time I'm getting dressed and putting on my makeup. Currently I am jamming to Nicki Minaj's album Queen--it is on repeat! Here are some of my favorite songs: Ganja Burns, Barbie Dreams, Hard White, Bed, LLC, and Sir.

Do you have any styling tips or advice you would like to give someone who's working on developing their own beauty routine?  My advice would be to research products before buying them to make sure they will work well with your skin type. Also be sure to take good care of your skin so invest in great quality skincare products and of course have fun and experiment with different colors and techniques until you find what works best for you.

To find out more about Chantel and to connect on these internet streets, you can find her on Instagram at @k3ona, Twitter at @K3ona, Facebook at Chantel Keona, and of course over on her blog at www.chantelkeona.com. Be sure to stop through to show her some love and tell her Dre sent you!

And if you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Memoirs of a Beauty Blogger or Memoirs of a Fashionista post, email me at missdre910@gmail.com!

Thank you so much for taking a part in this series, Chantel!