Ami Colé Is Closing, and I’m Not Well
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Yesterday, beauty brand Ami Colé’s founder announced inan article on the Cutthat come September, it will be winding down operations. It’s news I don’t want to be true. Ami Colé’s lip treatment oil — which I calledthe Telfar bag of lip glossback in 2021 — was revolutionary in that it ticked all the boxes (shiny, non-sticky, comfortable) while also charting a new path by delivering lip benefits too. It’s insanely comfortable and one of a few formulas that moisturizes deeply rather than just covering up dry lips. It apparently took three years to formulate, and you can tell. It was a lip gloss created by someone who had clearly spent time in the Black beauty community she was creating for, had spent days with mirror-shine glosses from the beauty-supply store, and wanted to elevate that experience. Not to mention the color. The first shade, Excellence, a neutral brown, remains a perfect nude, working for most everyone straight out of the tube.
But the brand is more than just its iconic gloss, which I’ve seen in hands in D.C. and L.A. and Accra. So much of my beauty routine is Ami Colé. Thebrushes— soft but dense — inspired me to stop using a Beautyblender. Its powder is nice, too, mattifying but not cakey, as are the multi-sticks, which come in bright shades that pop on deep skin tones and blend like a dream. In losing Ami Colé, we’re losing an inclusive and intentional brand — a New York brand, born in Harlem by way of Senegal, that prioritized melanated skin but made products for everyone.
Most anyone who loves beauty agrees — this is a massive loss for the industry and marks a bigger shift in the market that reflects the moment. Founder Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye cited economic conditions as the driving factor for the brand’s closure, a perfect storm of tariffs and massive up-front costs resulting in an unsustainable financial situation. While it’s upsetting, it isn’t uncommon; it was just a month ago that Hyper Skin voiced similar concerns, sharing on Instagram that the brand would need to pull off a sizable preorder campaign or risk shuttering. This story will likely become more common in the coming months. Big brands with corporate money and the founders with cash cushions will make it through, but many of the independent brands will not. It’s unfortunate, given that diversity in this space pushes everyone forward.
What Ami Colé managed to do in the space of a few years was beautiful. It still is. Until September I’ll be slowly stocking my lip oil coffers, quietly looking for a replacement while knowing there won’t be a formula that’s as shiny without sacrificing comfort. I’ll finally try the complexion stick too, which got my mother back into makeup and amassed so many fans, and perhaps try some more Desert Date blush shades. I believe we’ll look back on these four years of Ami Colé and remember a time where someone was creating and formulating with intention. While, eventually, her products will no longer be around, what N’Diaye-Mbaye and the Ami Colé team built will remain — in our medicine cabinets, in our camera rolls, in our collective memory. Ami Colé is forever.
WhatI’mstockinguponnow…
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The product that started it all. After hearing the closure news, I bought five tubes of the clear gloss (Excellence is already sold out on the Ami Colé website). I’ve gone through at least six or seven at this point — there are currently two in my main purse and another in my car. I swear by this non-sticky gloss, which delivers an unreal shine level and wears comfortably all night.
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I buy these whenever they’re on sale — currently one is just $8. I use it to tap in my foundation and love the finish so much that I’ve given up my Beautyblender altogether.
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Same goes for this concealer brush. I can’t do my makeup without it.
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I’ve heard great things about the skin tint, which has a satiny finish and offers a little coverage without completely covering up skin.
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