Meet The Pregnancy Beauty Awards Advisory Board & Nominating Committee

To help us select the winners of Romper’s Pregnancy Beauty Awards, we asked a diverse group of style-savvy moms — medical professionals, makeup artists, hairstylists, beauty editors, brand consultants, and entrepreneurs — to nominate the products they found to be safe, efficacious, and even luxurious, both during pregnancy and after.

From these nominations, the Romper editorial team did extensive research, narrowing down the products to a list of finalists based on ingredient safety, efficacy, and positive reviews.

Simultaneously, we enlisted two doctors — Dr. Kiarra King, board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, and Dr. Anna Karp, board-certified dermatologist — to serve as Romper’s Advisory Board, sharing the ingredients they tell their patients to avoid during pregnancy, weighing in on murky Internet information, and generally serving as a sounding board for all of our medical-related questions when it came to beauty products, pregnancy, and health. Their feedback was instrumental in shaping our list of winners, and we feel confident that the products we recommend have all been seen by these two medical leaders.

Ahead, get to know the women on Romper’s Advisory Board and Nominating Committee.

The Expert Advisory Board

Dr. Kiarra King

Dr. Kiarra King is an obstetrician-gynecologist based in Chicago. As a board-certified physician and surgeon, King has spoken on critical women’s health topics such as breast cancer and has written on key subjects like cervical cancer and postpartum depression. Her medical advice has been sought out by outlets Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan, Self, Black Enterprise, and more. King's mission as a creator is to engage with her community and openly champion for women's health and Black visibility in the medical field today. Aside from her career as a medical professional, she has a flare for fashion, beauty, and healthy living. Her candid take on motherhood and working as a mother is a refreshing perspective in the modern age, and King hopes to be a lighthouse to women in her community.

Dr. Anna Karp

Dr. Anna Karp is a double board-certified dermatologist practicing at SINY Derm in NYC and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine. She has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been featured in major media outlets such as Allure, People, InStyle, Self, Women’s Health, and NY Magazine as a skin care expert. She has served as a consultant developing AI technology in skin care. Karp specializes in medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology and is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The Pregnancy Awards Committee

Sunnie Brooke has been at the forefront of the beauty industry for more than 20 years. As an experienced celebrity hairdresser and educator, she infuses her artistic knowledge into creating styles that are innovative and exude relaxed luxury, working with clients such as Elisabeth Moss, Amy Poehler, Hailey Bieber, and more.

Dr. Umbareen Mahmood is an Ivy League trained board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon practicing in NYC. She specializes in cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures of the face, breast, and body, and is a proud new mother herself.

Carly Cardellino is one of the most highly-respected experts in the beauty industry with more than 17 years of experience. Carly has worked at Health, Shape, Cosmopolitan, and Cosmopolitan.com, formerly acting as beauty director for the latter two.

Aya Kanai is the head of editorial and creative at Google Shopping. Before that, she spent many years as an editor at magazines like Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, NYLON and more. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and 4-year-old daughter.

Kathy Lee is the editor-in-chief at The Zoe Report and a mother of two lively, gentle monsters. A recently converted sunscreen aficionado, Lee is always searching for the best skin care products that don't require a 10-step routine and a shortcut to looking rested while juggling the joys of family life and work.

Tina Kolokathis is the executive editor at Elite Daily, where she oversees coverage across all verticals. She’s been with the brand for seven years. Outside of the office, you can probably find Tina booping her Chihuahua-dachshund mix, Luna, on the nose or juggling one — but probably both — of her sons (Erik, 2, and Sean, 6 months) in her arms.

Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs is a mom, writer, organizer, and artist. She writes the column Raising Antiracist Kids for Romper.com. Her work can also be found in Parents, Good Housekeeping, Apartment Therapy's Cubby At Home and more.

Jamie Rosen is an award-winning editor and storyteller who works with beauty, wellness, tech and travel brands at the luxury level. Her objective is to create beauty that resonates: ideas, products, and brands that are compelling, covetable, and impossible to ignore.

Kaitlin Cubria is the deputy editor of experiences & style at Elite Daily, where she oversees all fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content. When she’s not at the office (aka her couch), she’s navigating the world of pandemic parenting as the proud mom of her 2-year-old son, Tanner.

Anne Vorrasi is Romper’s senior lifestyle editor. She is a mom of two, based in New York, and has believed in the magic of a solid skin care routine since middle school.

Jessica Richards is the powerhouse behind Brooklyn’s premiere beauty destination, Shen Beauty. Jessica continues to serve as a consultant for wellness brands across the globe and was hand selected by Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow to grow its wellness division.

Janice Kinjo is a New York-based groomer and makeup artist. Specializing in melanin-rich skin tones has made her widely popular with the likes of Idris Elba, Donald Glover, Forest Whitaker, John Legend, and more. Her work can be seen in publications such as Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Paper, The Hollywood Reporter, Esquire, and GQ Korea.

Parizaad Khan is a New York-based freelance beauty writer and editor. She is a contributing editor (and former beauty director) at Vogue India. You can read her pieces in Allure, The Cut, The Zoe Report, Bustle, and Self Magazine.

Alex Taylor is the founder of Perelel Health. She is is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and was the president and executive editor in chief for Clique (FKA Who What Wear). Ultimately, Taylor is a passionate creative strategist with a natural penchant for leadership, marketing, and building truly iconic brands that engender community, inspire action, and provide identity to its fans and followers.

Jenny Wu is a Shanghai-born, L.A.-raised legal counsel at a Fortune 500 company, a beauty/style content creator, and mommy to two rambunctious boys. She loves creating content featuring easy to recreate beauty looks, practical style tips, and relatable parenting moments.

Janell Hickman-Kirby is a Brooklyn-based digital communications strategist and copywriter. She is an experienced senior women’s beauty and lifestyle editor with a focus on diversity and cultural awareness. She can give your brand a customized, digital-first content marketing strategy that attracts consumers of color, cultivates a distinct product POV, and focuses on smart storytelling that builds customer engagement, trust, and loyalty.

Shari Siadat is the force behind TooD Beauty and the #myfiercebrow movement. As a first-generation Persian American, Siadat seeks to dismantle ideas of “otherness,” instead putting glitter on the parts of ourselves that bring us shame.

Meaghan O’Connell is the features editor at Romper and the author of And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two sons.

April Daniels Hussar is the managing editor at Romper. Her focus is on the day-to-day content that answers the questions keeping parents up at night, as well as big-picture initiatives like partnerships, special issues, and ambitious content packages.

Elizabeth Angell is the editor-in-chief of Romper, where she oversees all content on the site. Previously the digital director for Town & Country and Elle Decor, she has also worked at Allure, Lucky magazine, Brill's Content, and Newsweek.