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

Queneisha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it, and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission in life is to create beautiful things that inspire people, specifically Black women, to celebrate themselves and feel good. I’ve had a long journey creating projects that uplift those around me, which has evolved into Le Bleu Bodycare, a wellness brand and clean body care essentials. Le Bleu Bodycare’s mission is to inspire people to connect with their bodies and learn their body language.

After having my daughter, I developed a greater appreciation for my body. I started to be more mindful of what I put into my body and skin. I incorporated holistic remedies into my wellness regimen, including herbal supplements and essential oils. My new regimen led me to experiment with essential oils as a perfume because I noticed my skin would become irritated with certain fragrances. That’s when I started crafting and testing different natural scents.

Wanting others to connect with their bodies and learn their body language also stems from me watching my loved ones battle various health issues. I want to help people understand their condition and the triggers that cause their bodies to react. I am pursuing a certification in Holistic Nutrition & Wellness to be educated and a valuable resource.

Each LE BLEU BODYCARE product is a reminder to help you get intuned with your body and see it for the work of art it truly is. Soon we will produce educational content and experiences centered around body care and wellness.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to? Where you are today to our readers

After launching NOLITA BLEU, a conceptual fashion brand, in 2020, I decided to take my deep interest in defining free femininity and understanding the body’s function to a professional level. That catapulted me towards pursuing my certification in holistic nutrition and developing products to launch LE BLEU BODYCARE.

My passions are creating communities and experiences around elevating the mind, body, and soul. I started LUXE RADAR MEDIA (2015-2019), an online storytelling platform for Black women that collected transparent stories globally. I also produce numerous virtual talks and pop-ups in the wellness space, including the Take Care Pop-Up Series, which infuse the elements of dialogue, music, and art to bring women together in intimate settings.

My vision for LE BLEU BODYCARE is simple – All bodies deserve love and care no matter what phase. I craft each product with the loving body care ritual in mind.

I am so proud of our product collection. I launched the brand this year in February with: Orchid Noire EDP, Renew Body Butter, and Shimmering Body Elixir in Rosè Sparkle. Since then, I’ve added four fragrances to the collection: Soleil Bleu EDP, Flow EDP, Fruit Du Passion EDP, and Hinoki Fleur EDP.

Our Eau de Parfums (EDP) are plant-based. I spend a lot of time researching and formulating to create beautiful smelling products that everyone can enjoy. Although my products are handcrafted, I didn’t want that to interfere with creating products that smell high-end. I standby making a product line that is gentle and nourishing for the skin but also smells amazing.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I got a gorgeous template design from Golden Launch Creative and relaunched my website with all the new fragrances. I was excited and went out to celebrate with a friend.

I keep an LBB fragrance in my purse. I had Orchid Noire this night and sprayed my friend with it as a touch-up before entering a lounge. A gentleman stopped my friend and asked what she was wearing because it smelled amazing. She pointed to me and said she was wearing a perfume I had made. He pulled out his cell phone and asked me to put my website in his browser. In the middle of the dance floor, he pulled out his credit card and purchased Orchid Noire right on the spot. That night also ended up with me in the bathroom speaking to all the women who loved Orchid Noire. That experience made me so happy and affirmed that I have something great on my hands.

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

I sell my products on Squarespace, Shopify, and Etsy.

Squarespace is LBB’s official website host. It’s a fantastic platform because you don’t have to be a professional developer to create beautiful web pages and emails. I love the features that come with Squarespace because I can monetize multiple ways with my upcoming subscription-based network and product subscriptions. Squarespace now has integrations with social media platforms that make it easy to run ads and share content.

Shopify is the go-to e-commerce platform. The integrations and apps are unmatched and give endless options for customizing your customer’s experience and journey. I use Shopify for my online Boutique NOLITA BLEU and stock Le Bleu Bodycare products there too.

I am new to Etsy but wanted to open an Etsy shop because of the niched audience. So far, Etsy sales have been more frequent, and my products get a lot of visibility. Since Etsy is a niched platform for handmade products, I feel the audience is more open to handcrafted products. I like the reach Etsy advertising provides for a small budget, which is helpful for my indie brand budget.

I look forward to learning the platform and growing on Etsy.

My next goal is to stock LE BLEU BODYCARE in-store and produce in-person experiences to connect with my audience in Miami and other cities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lebleubodycare.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lebleubodycare
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LeBleuBodycareStudio NOLITA BLEU: https://www.nolitableu.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/nolitableu

Image Credits
For the portrait photo of Queneisha Harvey please credit photographer Jacri Akeem IG: @noclimbnoview