Beauty trend setter Pat McGrath is exploring an asset sale of her beauty company. Pat McGrath Labs was founded in 2015 and launched its first product, Gold 001, a gold-pigmented mixing liquid used on eyes, lips, limbs, or lashes. It “sold out in record-breaking time” following its launch on social media, according to the brand’s website. One thousand units sold on the site in six minutes, Modaes reported. The brand is sold at retailers including Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, Bluemercury, Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods, Revolve, and Selfridges, notes the brand’s website. At Selfridges, it became the retailer’s best-selling beauty brand after launching in stores in April 2019. McGrath’s makeup looks have also appeared on runways for Dior, Prada, Gucci, and Balenciaga, per Pat McGrath Labs. McGrath has served as British Vogue’s beauty editor-at-large since 2017, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. In 2018, Pat McGrath Labs reached a $1 billion valuation, supported by a $60 million investment from...

DeAndre Brown’s decision to walk away from the corporate world is still paying off. The Morehouse College grad entered corporate life after securing internships at top investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. He went on to land a full-time role at Citigroup in 2021 as a global consumer banking analyst, according to information on his LinkedIn. Brown began leaning into social media, and what would place him on the map was creating content under the moniker “The Corporate Baddie,” which resonated most with Gen Z, who make up the majority of his following. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, his content explores how Gen Z is enforcing work boundaries and prioritizing mental health. @imdrebrown Have you filed your taxes yet? What’s the hold up!? The tax deadline is April 15th and @Intuit TurboTax has you covered! Get started today! #ad #turbotaxpartner ♬ original sound – DeAndre Brown At the time of this writing, Brown has garnered 1.1 million followers and 76.4 million likes...

Miami Art Week, the international art fair held annually, returns to Miami Beach, FL, from Dec. 1-7, 2025. This year continues to highlight the importance of Black art , thanks in large part to efforts spearheaded by architect Neil Hall. At Art Basel in 2008, Hall noticed a lack of representation for Black art galleries and artists, according to the Miami Herald. “It astounded me because the diaspora has so much creativity all over the world, and I didn’t see it,” Hall said, per the Miami Herald. “I decided that it was not acceptable.” A few years later, Hall and several friends hosted a Black-centered art fair in an empty parking lot in the historically Black Overtown neighborhood, known as the Harlem of the South. That event would become Art Africa Miami, reports the Miami Herald. While Hall no longer presents Art Africa in Overtown, his efforts to elevate the Black art scene during Miami Art Week have inspired others to carry on the mission. Across Miami, Black curators continue...

Issa Rae has built a multifaceted career as an actor, producer, director, and entrepreneur. With a net worth that Celebrity Net Worth estimates to be around $20 million, Rae first gained a devoted following through her 2011 YouTube series “The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl,” and later cemented her cultural impact with the Emmy-award-winning HBO series “Insecure.” Despite her achievements, Rae admits she doesn’t feel successful — at least not right now. Appearing on the first episode of KevOnStage’s “Not My Best Moment” podcast on Nov. 11, 2025, Rae shared that she currently feels stagnant in her career. “I know that I appear successful to other people, but right now, no, I feel really stagnant… because I only feel successful when my sh-t is on the air. I don’t have sh-t on the air right now,” Rae said, acknowledging that creating shows is her first love. “Like I can have the 18 businesses that you said, and those are like great passion projects, but like what I do and what...

Food critic Keith Lee has launched an initiative to ensure people on SNAP benefits can remain fed. During what is now the longest U.S. government shutdown, individuals and families are not receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as of Nov. 5, meaning some families may not have the means to buy groceries amid the holiday season. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of Providence, RI, has ordered the Trump administration to use a contingency fund for those who rely on SNAP benefits. The Hill reports the administration has agreed, but payments will still be delayed and are projected to be half the amount of what recipients typically receive. Community support is needed more than ever, and Lee is using his platform, which includes 17.3 million TikTok followers alone (at the time of this writing), to launch a relief initiative for those impacted by changes in SNAP benefits. Lee revealed that when he got his start on TikTok, he was...

Qatar Airways is breaking new ground in the world of art and culture. The airline has teamed up with Grammy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur Swizz Beatz to launch the Qatar Airways Creative 100, a global initiative celebrating 100 of the world’s most influential creatives, according to a press release. The partnership was unveiled during Art Basel Paris 2025, where Qatar Airways serves as a Premium Partner across all five of the art fair’s international exhibitions. The Creative 100 is the first platform of its kind for an airline, designed to highlight visionaries shaping global culture across music, fashion, technology, design, sports, and more. The initiative will debut with a flagship event at Art Basel Qatar in February 2026, showcasing the work of creatives whose ideas cross borders and influence multiple industries. The first inductees include Grammy-winning South African DJ Black Coffee, Olympic fencing champion Miles Chamley-Watson, and Kristian Teär, CEO of luxury...

Twenty-four-year-old Quenlin “Quen” Blackwell has never lived a life without the internet. She’s A Content Creator The Dallas, TX, native was raised in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood and began posting on Facebook when she was eight years old, she reflected during an interview with Complex. Her personality can be described as witty and spontaneous. In 2015, she went viral at age 14 due to her content on the short-form platform Vine — which shuttered in January 2017 — under the nickname “Quensadilla.” She has entertained and maintained audiences while transitioning to other platforms such as Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube, where she has collectively garnered more than 19 million followers, Cosmopolitan reports. Authenticity remains her superpower. @quenblackwell IM FEELING THE SPIRIT TODAY ♬ Praise Break – Claflin University Gospel Choir “I know that I’m very authentic to myself. I know that I am a true person when I look at myself in the mirror … My parents raised me...

Olandria Carthen said she is finally experiencing financial freedom. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the Decatur, AL, native previously worked as an associate sales specialist at Otis Elevator until July 2025. She is now living out her dreams, including modeling down a runway, and is booked and busy with a slew of brand deals as a result of her time on “Love Island USA” Season 7. As keynote speaker during the Her Conference “Butterfly Tour” stop at Texas A&M University, Carthen credits her friends for running her social media and creating a professional email on her behalf while she was in the villa. With brands reaching out during the show, she was able to come back to thousands of requests for partnerships. Friends Set Her Up For Success “My friends even made a professional email for me for brands to contact me while I was in the villa. They were emailing them back… Handling all of that,” Carthen said during the Her Conference event. “I came back to an inbox with over thousands...