The Founders Of Mented Cosmetics Created A Makeup Brand For All Of Us
Have you ever spent over an hour in the beauty aisle trying to find your shade?
There's a sense of helplessness that overpowers you. Before you know it, you're an artist mixing foundations, concealers, and lipsticks together to match your tone. Questions like, "Why is bleached eggshell the default?" can have you fuming.
It's no secret that women of color have always struggled to find our correct shade of nude, whether it's lingerie or shoes. The most frustrating experiences occur in the beauty department and if you live in a city that is predominantly white, then you are really out of luck. With that being said, you have to understand why we appreciate beauty bosses, KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson, for creating Mented Cosmetics.
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KJ and Amanda not only saw a void in the market that they could fill with Mented, they also broke barriers while doing so. The two have recently been named the 15th and 16th women of color to raise $1 million for their business - a difficult feat for women, but especially for minority women of color. What's even more incredible is that the ladies have gone on to raise a whopping $3 million in funding, as recently announced by Forbes.
"There are lots of reasons venture capitalists back startups, and one that they may not love to admit is familiarity," KJ shared with xoNecole. "At the early stages of a company's life, you're betting just as much on the entrepreneur as the idea, and when that entrepreneur is familiar to you - whether because of their gender, race, educational background or another reason - it's easier to give them the benefit of the doubt. That said, raising capital is difficult no matter who you are, and I'm grateful that our investors were able to see and support the Mented vision."
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The entrepreneurs are clearly making big moves for inclusion in the beauty industry, as well as for WOC in business. We decided to learn more about Amanda and KJ and see what their journey to making the vegan, nontoxic makeup brand Mented Cosmetics could teach us about bossing up.
Why Mented Was Intrinsic:
Amanda: KJ and I met in business school and became fast friends. Post-school we knew we wanted to work together, but we didn't have the idea yet. So with our full time jobs we'd meet periodically to talk through ideas. One night, when we were discussing our issues with beauty, I said, "I've been looking for the perfect nude lip for three years." KJ expressed that it'd been hard for her to find any makeup that she liked and that was our light bulb moment.
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Two professional women with plenty of disposal income should not have a hard time finding beauty products, that's when we knew we had something.
Where It All Began:
KJ: To create a line for a wide spectrum of skin tones, you have to start with a wide spectrum of skin tones - and that's exactly what we did. When we began making the initial shades in our kitchens, we started with ourselves - in fact our top selling lipstick shades are our two favorites, Mented #5 and Dope Taupe - and from there we brought in women of every skin tone we could find to make sure they were all represented in the line.
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The Meaning Behind Mented:
KJ: Amanda and I spent a very long time nailing down the name. Eventually we landed on a name neither of us loved but neither of us hated, and started using it as a placeholder. Throughout the process of developing our shades, we kept referring to how pigmented they would be compared to other brands. We said it over and over to each other, and eventually something clicked - I turned to Amanda and said "Wait...we keep talking about how pigmented our line will be...what if we call it 'Mented'?" - and the rest is history.
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What Sets Mented Apart From Other Brands:
KJ: The thing I love about what we're doing, and how it differs so wildly from our predecessors, is our dedication to everyday beauty products for women of all skin tones.
I think one of my biggest frustrations in the past was the fact that I was only ever marketed to with bright, bold colors.
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I love a bold look as much as the next girl, but like many women, my everyday beauty routine consists of nudes and neutrals. Our nude lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadows and nail polishes are the products you can wear from work to happy hour and everything in between, and we're immensely proud of that.
The Challenge Of Building A Beauty Empire As WOC:
Amanda: Every beauty entrepreneur will tell you that a constant challenge is getting noticed in such a crowded industry. We have to make sure that the message and authenticity of Mented is heard and felt within our target community. It's important that our community feels invested in the brand we're building and the products we're launching. We are redefining the norms of beauty and that is no easy feat.
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Mented For Every Woman:
Amanda: At Mented, we firmly believe that every woman should be able to find herself in the world of beauty. That belief is the foundation for our product development and community building efforts. As a woman of color, I know the frustration and struggle of going into a beauty store and not finding a product that works.
I understand the pain of feeling other.
We wanted Mented to solve that issue for women everywhere.
For more Mented Cosmetics, follow the brand on Instagram. Also check out their website for some nude beauty finds.
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Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy