From Bobbi Brown to Sharon Chuter.
As adolescents, were typically taught to pick a career path and run with it.
Youre interested in medicine?
Great, become a doctor.
Sweet, go get your chefs hat.
Then again: What happens if you grow out of a job?
Courtesy of Margarita Ariggada / Design by Cristina Cianci
Or find a completely new passion that fulfills you way more than your current role?
The seed of inspiration came from wanting to pay homage to my mom, says Arriagada.
Whats one thing you learned through the process of switching careers?
I am doing this for my daughter and all our daughters, biologically or not.
As womxn, we still need to break glass ceilings but it begins with breaking our internal ones first.
I also believe we have a responsibility to help each other out.
Courtesy of Alisia Ford/Design by Cristina Cianci
We are a big piece of the solution.
We cannot allow ourselves to be defined by anything or anyone.
I am working through this and as I do, want to help anyone else in this process.
Courtesy of Jenna Lyons/Design by Cristina Cianci
Whats your best advice for someone who wants to change careers?
Its never too late to start overever!
And surround yourself with people who will encourage you not to give up.
Courtesy of Bobbi Brown / Design by Cristina Cianci
Whats been the most rewarding part of following your dreams?
Chuter knew she had to take action when she found herself complaining all the time.
Im a big believer in talk is cheap, she says.
Courtesy of Ron Robinson / Design by Cristina Cianci
For anyone unfamiliar, Uoma Beauty offers a full gamut of products made for both beginners and experts alike.
Youre not going to sleep for two years.
It’s absolutely worth the risk, but you have to understand what youre going to be sacrificing.
Courtesy of Lesley Thornton / Design by Cristina Cianci
What’s been the most rewarding part of changing your path and starting a brand?
When I started down this path, I was passionate about making people feel good.
The transformative power of makeup has always amazed me and how it could make people feelespecially women.
Courtesy of Simedar Jackson / Design by Cristina Cianci
We know that women, in particular, perform at their best when they feel beautiful.
Now Im not talking about wearing makeup, I am talking about generally feelingbeautiful.
However, I was frustrated at the lack of inclusion for people like me.
Courtesy of Robb Akridge / Design by Cristina Cianci
Everyone should be able to go into a beauty hall and feel inspired, included, and beautiful.
I saw an opportunity to put women of color at the center of it all.
Because they make non-toxic products their top priority, you might feelgenuinelygood about where you’re spending your dollar.
Courtesy of Inge Theron / Design by Cristina Cianci
Funny enough, I was just having a discussion with my therapist about this.
Not only is it about the personal freedom of fulfilling your dreams, but also the impact.
How did your background at J.Crew translate into what you do now at LoveSeen?
Courtesy of Amy Liu / Design by Cristina Cianci
Not just for photoshoots, but for presentations.
In addition, we really made an effort to keep Madewell, J.Crew, and Factory different.
So, we were in constant dialogue around hair, makeup, and overall image.
All of those things directly relate to how we approach LoveSeen.
First of all, know your business.
If you want to be a part of that world, get some experience.
What would you tell yourselfabout changing careers if you could go back?
Stop being so goddamn scared.
From there, I launchedEVOLUTION_18, a line of wellness and ingestible products.
Then, Masterclass called me and asked me to do a makeup masterclass, which was such an honor.
It was then when I realized it was time for me to get back to my roots.
What inspired you to start a completely new cosmetics brand, and how is it different?
Its the culmination of my 40 years of experience as a makeup artist and product developer.
I would give that advice to anyone, especially if theyre looking to make a change.
What’s been the most rewarding part of changing your path and starting a new brand?
Were staying close to customers.
And as they say, the rest is history.
What do you wish someone had told you before starting BeautyStat?
I wish someone told me that you have to find ways to work smarter, not harder.
If you dont, youll never have time to find time for yourself to recharge.
They tell me that theyve regained confidence and joy because of BeautyStat products.
There is no better feeling in the world than to hear that something you created really helps people.
This fuels and drives me to develop more innovative products.
I was inspired to create something that I expected but never experienced.
Were particularly partial to theSupreme Seed Cacao + Vitamin B5 Delicate Purification Mask.
What was starting your own brand like, and what obstacles did you face along the way?
The greatest obstacle was the beauty industry.
In January of 2019, I launched Klur and all my efforts fell on deaf ears.
It was a deeply traumatic experience.
I had no interest from any retailer and the press wouldn’t give me the time of day.
I was very close to giving up on the brand altogether.
I had to let go of the concept that industry acceptance was the key to success.
If you might dream it, then you might create it.
You must persist, operate with integrity, and never waiver from your authentic self.
I wished someone had told me to get started and pursue my dreams sooner!
What’s been the most rewarding part of following your dreams?
There are so many rewards to following your dreams.
The biggest reward for me is I get to live my most authentic life.
I wake up and fulfill my purpose.
There is no greater reward than turning an idea into a reality.
The fact that others find personal joy by me following my dreams is beyond anything I could imagine.
But while writing, I quickly realized how little content there was catered towards Black people and POC.
What was the driving force behind starting Skin Folks and becoming an aesthetician?
Write an authentic email and be respectful, the worst they can say is no.
Take the leap even when you’re scared!
What are the biggest lessons youve learned from starting your own brand?
I’ve also learned how to ask for help and that there is no timeline or race.
These combined lessons are what helped me a lot in my decision-making forOPULUS Beauty Labs.
What inspired you to start your own brand and what has the journey been like?
When I left LOreal, I started to dream in color again.
I looked at the beauty industry and thought about innovation and let my imagination take over.
The idea initially came to me in a chocolate shop, believe it or not.
I thought, Why couldnt skincare be like this?
This was the inspiration, but once we started developing, it became so much more than that.
We literally took chemistry and flipped it on its head.
Its definitely a challenge, but my best advice is dont give up.
We had to start from scratch, which can be overwhelming at times but also thrilling.
You have to roll up your sleeves and do whatever the business demands from you each day.
What was the biggest lesson you learned from starting Face Gym?
The biggest lesson was on the operations and execution side.
It was something I had never managed before and it was relentless.
There were days when I didnt think I was going to get through.
My heart was never in it though, she says.
Plus I wanted to flip the script on clean beauty, making it accessible and cool, too.
All of our products are under $28 and super Instagrammable.
Dont let your fears get in the way.
Use them to motivate you.
I had every excuse but ultimately I was afraid of failure.
I worked hard in my career and felt like my most valuable asset was my reputation.
What if I tarnished it by failing?
Instead of letting that hold me back, I used it to propel me forward.
Im so grateful for my incredible team and internet of friends and mentors.
I read every product review, DM and comment.
Its so fulfilling to create products that spread joy and have the ability to boost someones confidence.
Putting together this program with my online grid was definitely a highlight in my career.
What’s a piece of advice that you’d giveyourselfif you could go back?
I think to just chill out a bit!
I spent so many restless days and nights worrying about the future.
Too many years later I realized that there was very little point in working myself up.
