We were lucky to catch up with Shay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I’ve always had an entrepreneur spirit and have been fascinated with the idea of having my “own thing”. Even as a little girl I made paper clothes for my stuffed animals, tried to start my own “treehouse club” in my neighborhood and even wrote a gossip column for my 5th grade class (and yes, I still have it!) As I got older I tried multiple creative outlets like woodwork, soap making, and writing, but nothing ever stuck because the passion wasn’t there.

In January 2019 I was offered my first “big girl” job. I had a whole month off before my start date, so this gave me ample time to take it easy and wind down. But instead, I was doing my eyeshadow one day and I started admiring the sparkles in it. My inquisitive mind took me down a rabbit hole of thoughts. What is the sparkle made of? What makes up the colors? I looked at the ingredients on the back and didn’t understand a single word. I started looking up the role each ingredient played in the final product, solely out of curiosity. Then it hit me- I love makeup and I love creating, so why not learn how to create makeup?! After hours of research, I ordered some basic ingredients and started experimenting with different products.

I posted my first creation on my personal Facebook- a pan of hand-pressed, shimmery eyeshadow. I was surprised at how many of my friends wanted to try it! One pan turned into hundreds of pans of all the colors you can imagine. I was having so much fun meeting with people that wanted to buy my eyeshadows. Eventually this came to a halt, as COVID-19 was running rampant. Meeting people wasn’t an option anymore, but neither was shipping fragile eyeshadows. I needed to create something firmer that would hold up in the mail. I thought of lipsticks and I got right to work. After many weeks of researching, tears, curse words and constant trial and error- I finally created the perfect lipstick formula!

Shay, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m the founder of Jeweled Cosmetics where I create handmade lipsticks that are moisturizing, creamy and pigmented! Learning how to make lipstick was a daunting task, but with the help and encouragement of my husband, Zack, I finally did it! I work on the creative and social media side, while Zack does the packaging and shipping. We live in a small town in Tennessee with our dogs and love to explore together (even though we don’t get out much). I’ve been in the military for 10 years now and always have to be doing something- so my hobbies depend on what day it is. Currently I love being outside, reading and binge watching a good tv show (we just finished Outer Banks!) I’m always in the mood to listen to Taylor Swift and I will never turn down a trip to the local coffee shop. Zack loves watching sports and is a big Kentucky and Indianapolis Colts fan! When we’re at a game, he actually watches the game, whereas I’m talking to anyone and making new friends (we are very different haha!) He also likes to read, cook and lift weights. But no matter the day- we always, ALWAYS love hanging out with our dogs (did I mention we’re obsessed with them?! ) Together we make a great team and I’m so proud of us for starting a small business completely from scratch and building it up in a time of major uncertainty.

Now more about the business! When I first started making lipstick, I knew right away what my goal was. I wanted the buyer to feel like a million bucks when reapplying their lipstick-no matter where they are or who they are. And what’s better than a quality lipstick? A quality lipstick in a sparkly tube! I put my heart and soul into creating the perfect formula that not only nourishes your lips, but also is entirely cruelty-free. I’ve personally used only cruelty-free products for about 7 years now, so that was one thing I would not budge on. No one should have to choose between affordability, quality and integrity, so it was my mission to combine the three. (The luxury look is just an added bonus!)

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

When I first started creating lipstick, I only sold it to my family and friends. One day a friend asked me if I wanted to set up a booth outside of her boutique for Small Business Saturday and of course I said yes. This was my first “jump” and we had put so many hours and energy into getting everything just right. Excitement turned into defeat when 6 hours had passed without a single visitor. My husband said, “Why don’t you post your lipsticks on TikTok? I mean at this point it can’t really hurt.” I had been creating makeup for about 2 years already and was pretty comfortable with how I did things. Plus, social media can be a brutal place, so the thought of putting myself out there was terrifying. But that night I made a website and a TikTok account and uploaded my first video. Somehow, someway my video went viral and the orders started rolling in. The excitement, the chaos, the fear, the hope- we were on a roller coaster of emotions. To this day, I’m so thankful no one stopped by my booth.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I currently work a full-time job and I’m also in the military, so learning to balance my business has definitely been a challenge. Every chance I get I’m making lipstick, answering emails or keeping up with social media accounts. The thought of Jeweled Cosmetics growing into a full-time job is an absolute dream of mine! To be able to step out of the corporate world and step into a life of endless possibilities where I can travel and take care of my loved ones. We are huge animal lovers so I’d also love to be in the position to save all the homeless animals we come across. (They always find us!) Until then, I’ll keep working to make that dream happen!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jeweledcosmetics.com
• Instagram: Jeweled Cosmetics
• Facebook: Jeweled Cosmetics

Image Credits
Brianna Zeno-Schlangen, Elizabeth George