We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kimberly Merritt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kimberly below.

Hi Kimberly, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My initial quest with LSquared was to solve the problem of unflattering nude lip glosses. Nude lipgloss is a staple in every womans makeup bag…IF she can find a good one. As a woman of color, it was always difficult to find nude lip products that complimented my skin tone, that were also of great quality and affordable. Local beauty supplies and makeup counters would always offer their version of nude gloss but there was always a sacrifice at stake. Many women of color have darker lips. When choosing a nude gloss we prefer one that offers enough coverage to help neutralize the tone of our lips. Another pain point that women face is quality. It was found that some of the most expensive glosses will have horrible buildup around your lips after only an hour of wear. Women like myself were also spending upwards of $25-$35 per gloss to only end up with a collection that they were entirely unsatisfied with.

As a complimentary beauty product to lipgloss, I added mink lash strips to my store. Thats where the name came from. Lip and Lashes…two L’s….L^2….LSquared…get it? :)

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

My interest in makeup peaked in my early teenage years – the mid-late 90s. The biggest trend then was clear-ultra shiny lipgloss and dark lip liner. Because I had very sensitive skin – each time I tried to wear it, my lips would tingle & itch and break out horribly. I also had eczema, so it would cause irritation and flare ups around my mouth & face as well. For a long time I was not able to wear anything other than medicated lip balm & it caused me to feel left out amongst my peers.

My mother was a fan of Fashion Fair makeup line. I remember the days of going to Famous Barr with her as she purchased her pink compacts of powder and fuchsia lipstick. I can still vividly remember the smell of the lipstick. When I would have eczema scarring on my face I would sneak into her foundation to try to cover the scars.

As I entered my early 20’s, I had learned to effectively manage my eczema and began to explore makeup again. I joined Mary Kay & Avon and watched countless hours of YouTube Tutorials. I had become my own biggest customer. I was trying all the new trends and tricks as fast as they came. I had never thought that it would be possible for me to have my own cosmetics line, with my name, my vison, my story, my customers, my products. I never believed it was within my reach until one day I told myself – just try it.

In April of 2020, I decided to begin the quest to solve one of the biggest issues that women face. After many conversations, research, samples and a lot of patience with pandemic delays I finally landed on a winning formula. My first shipment sold out in one week. So many women of various skin tones, ethnicities, and cultures all have rejoiced because they have finally found their “perfect nude”. To this day, I am absolutely elated each time a customer tries it on and a smile spreads across their face and they are in shock at the quality and the affordability. We now have a line of nude lip gloss called the “Match Your Melanin” Collection. This collection includes six, professional quality shades of nude gloss with buildable coverage while still safe & affordable.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My most active social media channel is my Instagram (@LSquaredbyKim). I dont prefer to call them “followers”, WE are the “LSquared Squad”. I originally built my audience by utilizing hashtags. I would use certain hashtags in my posts and I would visit those same hashtags and engage with those accounts and posts. I also began to relate to my audience of “the everyday woman”. Many times you see cosmetics ads or influencers they are completely made up with a full professionally applied face of makeup – just to show you the lipgloss. I learned that my audience did not care to know how the gloss looked with a full face of makeup because they were only going to the grocery store or on a date night with their significant other. I helped them feel comfortable with moving their cosmetic routine beyond lipbalm and clear gloss. We began to use the term “get your lips dressed” when we speak of applying the beloved LSquared lip glosses and lip sticks.

Once I integrated lipsticks and lipliners into the collection, I was able to help the level up their lip looks. I used Instagram Live to host virtual tutorials on picking the best shades, application techniques & hacks, and how to be creative and embrace originality of it all.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My original investment in LSquared was approximately $300. The funds came from my own bank account. Because of the pandemic, my savings had increased. No expensive gas to travel to work daily, no daycare tuition because they were all closed, no fast food. The $300 covered the first order of glosses, lashes, and little baggies to package them in. No customized formula yet, no logos, no printing, no website, not even business cards. Just pictures from my cell phone and my personal Facebook & Instagram pages of family and friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: LSquaredbyKim.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/LSquaredbyKim
• Facebook: facebook.com/LSquaredbyKim
• Youtube: youtube.com/LSquaredbyKim
• Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lsquaredbykim_