Beauty Maven Maisie Dunbar is Thankful for Mother Africa This Holiday Season

Rocking That Style! Aunni’s Fashion and Beauty Column
By Andrea “Aunni” Young (AFRO/NNPA Member)

Celebrity beauty expert and Bluffa Jo Cosmetics creator Maisie Dunbar once told her social media followers “God sent me to Ghana for 2015 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week,” and that “Ghana chose her and she chose Ghana.” Maisie says that after prayer, she felt in her spirit to expand the Bluffa Jo cosmetics line in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Maisie, a licensed makeup artist, also a nail and body therapist, is owner of the award winning Maisie Dunbar Spa Lounge located in Silver Spring, Maryland. About her trip to Ghana, Maisie said “I felt like I was home, I hadn’t been to Ghana in 35 years.”

Now moving into the 2016 holiday season, Dunbar recently returned from Accra, her fourth global business trip. She travels to West Africa every three months to sell Bluffa Jo, a luxury, yet affordable brand. The products are sold year round in the Exotic Trendz salon and spa locations at Osu Mall and A&C Mall.

Maisie has also sold Bluffa Jo in Lagos, Nigeria, and in her hometown Monrovia, Liberia. A woman that loves to give back, Maisie raises the bar of excellence by teaching sanitation, skin care, nail and makeup artistry.

Maisie was inspired to create Bluffa Jo after her mother died in 2004. She wanted a family legacy. The line was created as a combination of great skin care and great makeup. Her cosmetics line is all natural, contains no fillers and is paraben-free.

What is a “Bluffa Jo” you may ask? Maisie told me in a 2014 interview, “a Bluffa Jo is always put together, a fashionista,” a colloquial term from her Liberian heritage. Bluffa Jo was the official cosmetics sponsor for the 2014 Maryland Fashion Week.

Andrea “Aunni” Young says that for a silky, pearlescent skin finish, the Bluffa Jo’s Bronze Baby Glo lotion is a holiday treat for face and body.

Maisie is no stranger to faith, with expansion resulting in high levels of achievement. Maisie has been one of the most sought after beauty experts for more than 20 years. Her celebrity clients include Patti LaBelle, Common, Chaka Khan, Zhane, Raheem Devaughn, Kelly Price, Marcus Johnson, Mary Mary, and Dr. Bobby Jones to name a few.

Maisie’s work has been featured in several publications such as Oprah’s “O” Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Italian Vogue, Essence, Seventeen, and Ebony. Maisie also shares her expertise on television and radio shows on Fox TV, Washington News Channel 8, and WOLB Talk Radio, Black Entertainment Television (BET) and Danya International.

“Maisie’s philosophy supports my desire to show up as an authentic woman endeavoring to make the world a better place through creativity, honesty and integrity,” Washington, D.C. songstress Temika Moore said in an interview. “Her brand is transforming lives through the art of color.”

Moore is a Bluffa Jo brand ambassador. Her favorite product is “Temika,” a versatile pink lipstick Maisie named after her. “I rock “Temika” year round, it’s timeless,” Moore said.

Maisie’s holiday trends are Bluffa Jo’s Eye Light Liquid Shimmer in “Goldee” and “Gifted” colors. The brand also has a shiny, smooth Vinyl Lip lacquer in holiday colors “JMP” and “Wild Gypsy.” For a silky, pearlescent skin finish, the Bronze Baby Glo lotion is a holiday treat for face and body. And for nails, Maisie recommends chrome nail lacquers with metallic flecks to bring the glam.

Maisie once told me there is a “Bluffa Jo” in everyone. I personally love Bluffa Jo’s liquid matte lipstick in the pinky-nude color “Love Me.” It sets dry and wears well without color bleeding. There is also a bit of Maisie in others too. The Zoya Nail Lacquer Company named a turquoise polish with shiny flecks in it in honor of her, they call it “Maisie.”

For all things Maisie Dunbar and Bluffa Jo Cosmetics, check out http://www.bluffajo.com/ and http://www.maisiedunbarspalounge.com/. Happy Holidays!