Billy Porter Launches Debut Makeup Brand, Black Mona Lisa

Whether he’s rocking thigh-high leather heels à la “Kinky Boots,” giving Cinderella a makeover with a flick of the wrist or stepping out onto the red carpet in any of his hundreds of show-stopping fashion and beauty looks, Billy Porter is always unapologetically, authentically himself. The Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winner is what I would call the definition of industry royalty, and in true Porter fashion, he’s taking his success and turning it into an opportunity for growth and boundary-breaking in the beauty world, as he announced today the launch of his industry-shaking beauty brand, Black Mona Lisa.

Billy Porter Launches Skin-Care and Makeup Brand, Black Mona Lisa

While beauty and makeup specifically are powerful tools for self expression, the beauty world today can make artistry in makeup feel unaccessible for many. That’s where Porter’s debut beauty brand, Black Mona Lisa, comes into play. “Black Mona Lisa Beauty was created from my desire to give all people everything they need to feel beautiful,” Porter said in a press release. “I have always loved makeup, and my vision is a beauty space where diversity isn’t a feature, it’s the foundation, regardless of skin tone, gender or style.” Created to be completely gender-free, Black Mona Lisa provides consumers with high-quality, efficacious skin-care and makeup products that focus on self expression and individuality rather than what’s “trending.”

With skin-prepping and nourishing products like its Hydration Serum ($36) and Anti-Aging Rose Gold Oil ($42), an entire line of shimmer products for creating out-of-this-world, holographic looks, plus a healthy helping of Matte Lipsticks ($27) and Liquid to Matte Lipsticks ($32), Black Mona Lisa’s products are designed to be bold and unafraid, whether you’re going for a red-carpet glam or an everyday beat and regardless of your age or gender. “In a world where children have to grow up so fast, I think parents will feel comfortable with their younger children exploring with these products,” Porter says of his brain-child brand. In terms of what products we can expect to come next from Black Mona Lisa, Porter keeps it mysterious. “This is only the beginning,” he says. “My journey is unfolding and Black Mona Lisa Beauty will evolve alongside me.”