We recently connected with Stephanie Chisley and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always had a love for makeup! Growing up my mother and grandmother would buy me “starter” kits from the store. I feel like makeup is a way to express my creativity. In college, my minor was theater and I had to take a makeup class. I would upload mini makeup tutorials, quick makeup looks/trends, and reviews on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Due to my love for makeup, I was asked to be a part of a campaign, but after seeing how it was running, I was not too fond of it and decided to do my own thing. My brand, Diamond Reign Beauty, is based on “royalty”, which the consumer, or as I call them the “Palace” should always feel when wearing the product. I knew this would work because it is passion and while doing research, my theme is completely different from other brands.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started by making YouTube videos where I would create makeup tutorials and do makeup reviews. As social media began to make changes for smaller on-the-go platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, I would make makeup tutorials based on the upcoming trends.

As for Diamond Reign Beauty, I sell lip gloss/mattes, lip liners, 3D mink lashes, and makeup accessories. I have more coming out later this year *spoiler alert*. Each product is creatively named after people in my life and my upbringing. I am most proud of how everything came together as far as products, packaging, and reviews. Hearing other’s perspectives on my products gives me the drive to do more. When doing pop-up shops I love interacting with people and hearing their thoughts. I love criticism because it helps me become better as a business owner and for my brand. I think what sets me aside is listening to my consumers and giving them what they ask which creates that connection.

I am most proud of seeing everything I planned come to fruition. I get excited seeing people’s reactions when trying/wearing the product. The other thing I get excited about is creating promotional content. When creating promo videos, sometimes it comes to me in a dream or just random thinking. I write out the ideas and then try mapping out when it comes to shooting and watching the magic happen once I hit record and start editing.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I have a vendor that manufactures everything for me. During the first stages of creating my business, I reached out to multiple vendors and tried to build a relationship with them. After seeing what they had to offer I started testing out samples which can sometimes take a few months. I knew that I wanted high quality and what I was trying to achieve as far as product wear. For example, my lip mattes can stay on all day, even when you are eating which is a huge plus because no one wants to keep reapplying throughout the day. My lip glosses aren’t sticky and they also hydrate your lips. Also because of the industry I am in, lots and lots of research had to take place because some ingredients are illegal in the US. Anything that I knew was a common allergy I would skip as well. A key factor for me is anything that I do not feel comfortable wearing, I would not put out to my consumers.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I sell my products on my website, www.diamondreignbeauty.com , and at different pop-up shops in Maryland. When having pop-up shops I would create different posts daily to let people know within the area so that they can show their support. The pros of selling at the pop-up shops are that I can interact one-on-one with the consumer and see their first reaction to using the product. They also can test before buying, unlike selling online which can be a con. However, I do love the fact that I have people of different skin tones on my website wearing said lip product so that they can get a reference to see what it may look like on them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.diamondreignbeauty.com
• Instagram: diamondreignbeauty

Image Credits

Anthony Minter, Shawn Mason, Kevin Flores