We recently connected with Shonovia Phillips and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shonovia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I actually took the initiative to start my own business when I was in college around 2017. I started creating my own eyeshadows (loose pigments), but I didn’t take it seriously back then like I am now. I wish I would’ve taken it serious though because I definitely believe I would’ve been further than I am now. It was just hard to remain focused being that it was my junior year so the timing was a little off but, I believe everything happens for a reason and everything technically worked out for me.

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

So, I got into the beauty industry in early 2021. I’ve always loved makeup, fashion, hair, and thing you can name pertaining to me elevating my appearance. So when Covid started, of course we know nail salons were placed on lockdown for a while and some of us were out of work so we couldn’t afford to get out normal 2 weeks mani/pedi. That’s when I decided to start a press on nails line to offer affordable nails to women and since then I’ve expanded into an all around cosmetics line. I still offer my customers custom press on nails, but I also sell natural ingredients lip gloss, eyelashes, and more. Being that inflation is on the rise now, it’s hard to offer products at the same price range from when I first started but I try my best to remain under a certain amount for the girls.

My mission for my brand is to help others feel more confident in themselves because growing up I’ve always had other females dislike me because “I think I’m cute” as they would say. So I want to show them like girl we can be cute together. Here’s what I like to use, here’s what I like to wear, etc.

The thing that separates me from others is the fact that I’m actually doing this alone. When I say alone I mean no real support system, funding straight out of pocket, self promoting and marketing, creating and producing the products and the content to promote, etc. I’m doing literally everything. But, I’m learning and have learned a lot along the way.

I’m most proud of myself for my consistency and determination. Once I put into thought, “Okay this is what I want to do” I always figure out ways to do it and bring it to life. I tend to get bored and easily distracted so knowing that I actually started a business, have a real plan in place and I haven’t given up yet is really all the self motivation I need to keep going.

Lastly, I would like my future clients to know that they can trust me to deliver. I believe in quality over quantity. So I’m investing more into my brand each day in order to give them top tier services and products to make their first experience, the best experience. I’m not doing this for the money. I’m doing this because I love everything about beautifying myself. That’s MY confidence booster. Every woman, and even man, wants to feel comfortable and confident in their skin, so if upgrading your appearance is all you feel you need to do then my brand is here to help you accomplish that.

Have you ever had to pivot?

After I graduated from college, starting my business back up wasn’t on my mind. I actually started pursuing a career in dance. I ended moving to New York 4 months after graduation and began training at BDC (Broadway Dance Center) for 3 months. Once the program was over I didn’t know what to do after that. So, what was only supposed to be a 3 month residency turned into a 3 year residency. I eventually started teaching dance classes myself in New York for about 6 months. Things took a turn in 2022 though so I had to stop teaching, move back with my mother and basically start all over. I was having the time of my life, especially being that I was doing what I loved. I can’t tell you how many times I say, I wish I was still in New York or in the dance studio.Until this day I still don’t know why things happened the way they did but, like I said everything happens for a reason.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that just because I help others doesn’t mean the favor will be returned. I have a big heart and grew up surrounded by love, especially from my grandmother because she loved to help others. So seeing her do that made me automatically do the same as I got older. It was definitely a learning process because I’m not selfish but eventually you start to notice that the more you pour into someone they’ll just continually take from you and take advantage of you. So unlearning how to see everyone isn’t built with the same character as you is a hard pill to swallow. You eventually learn though.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thenuxeset.one
• Instagram: Shonovialashon/The Nuxe Co
• Facebook: Shonovialashon
• Youtube: Shonovialashon
• Other: TikTok: shonovialashon1 nuxecosmetics

Image Credits
Shonovia Phillips