Local woman now the face of Irish skincare line

WADESBORO — An Anson County face is going international.

Belinda Kendall, a Wadesboro native, will be the first African-American face for Miracle Moors Irish Organic Skincare and the company’s new line, “The Dawn of a New Face.”

The Irish company is launching a line of face creams, masks, cleansers and spa-inspired products, which will be available online and in both department and independent beauty stores around the world. The line is set to be released by the holiday season, according to Kendall.

How did the Anson County woman land this position with an international company? The 21st-century way of course, through social media.

With over 30,000 connections of LinkedIn, Kendall’s post can reach audiences of millions, which is how Bill Kenny, President and CEO of Miracle Moor, found Kendall.

Kenny sent Kendall Miracle Moor products to try. He knew she had a background in beauty, saw her videos and loved her skin, according to Kendall. He then asked her to be the face of the brand.

“I was shocked and was like, ‘Are you sure?’” Kendall laughed. “I can’t wrap my mind around this. I was just blown away. Me of all people!”

But it wasn’t just her of all people.

Kendall’s background includes years of beauty expertise. She worked in management positions with companies like Clinique, Carol’s Daughter and Avon in New York City. But still, she traces her clear skin back to Anson County and her mother.

“I’ve been in skincare for a long time and what makes this product great is it goes past the epidermis,” Kendall said. “I can feel the tightness on my skin.”

Kendall wakes up some days at 3 a.m. to work with the Irish company. She lathers on the skin cream and 12 hours later, she still feels it working.

Miracle Moor’s products are unique in using Peat Sapropel extract. Peat is formed through thousands of years of fermentation. Products also include natural ingredients of Bilberry and Ladys Mantle extract.

Kendall plans on traveling to Ireland next spring to watch the creation process, a trip that got delayed because of COVID-19.

What Kendall loves about this line is how the products can be used across the board, no matter the color of your skin.

“I’m honored to be the first African-American face,” Kendall said. “It is totally awesome to be the first, but I think one day that will go away.”

To her, there shouldn’t have to be “the first” of anything anymore. Yes, she is making history, but when all of the “first African American to do X,Y, or Z” goes away, she will be happy.

But for now, she is still honored to hold a place in this company’s history.

“It gives other young black women something to shoot for,” Kendall said. “It starts a bigger conversation to see that Kamala Harris is running for VP, to see us in different places, in higher places. Not so much me, but someone African-American.”

Along with being the face of the line, Kendall was named Senior Executive Consultant for Miracle Moor.

Despite becoming a global face, Kendall always pays tributes back to her hometown. She tries to give as much business as she can to the county.

“One thing about Wadesboro is we are all family, black and white,” Kendall said. “It has its problems, race issues, but it is still my hometown.”