- 10 hours ago
Shop Essence Live Episode 3 is a special Mother's Day edition that highlighted the vendors Kendi Amani Accessories, Quon's Eyes, and Pint Size Faith.
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00:00I love that theme song. You guys have tuned in to episode three of Shop Essence Live.
00:10And before we get started, I have to thank everybody so much for their support. This is
00:14something that Essence was already planning to launch before COVID-19 hit. And we just
00:21saw the need to support our vendors and our small business owners so much right now. The first
00:27episode was 12,000. Last episode, 131,000. And that means so much, not only to Essence and
00:36myself, but to the vendors that you guys are supporting. Absolutely amazing, amazing. So
00:42I have such an exciting show. It is supersized because you know Mother's Day is coming up,
00:47right? I know nobody's going to the mall and you're going to be ordering stuff. So why not
00:52order from shop.essence.com and support these Black business owners. So today, I'm so excited.
00:59I have three amazing businesswomen. We're going to be joined by Kendi, who has amazing accessories.
01:06And then Charlotte from Pint Size Fashion, who has very cool faith-based clothing. We're going to see
01:13all of that. And then later, we're going to be joined by Kwan from Kwan's Eyes. She has a giveaway
01:18for y'all, which is amazing. You're going to be able to see how you can enter to win a year's worth
01:24supply of lashes. And she's going to give us a demo. So when I tell you today's show is packed,
01:28is packed. I'm going to stop talking. All right. So up first, we have Kendi. Tell me about your
01:34business, how you got started. Thank you for having me. First of all, this is absolutely
01:39what Essence is doing. My name is Kendi Amani, and I run a fashion brand called Kendi Amani.
01:48I'm originally from Kenya, and I've been living in Chicago for quite a while. And that's where I run
01:53my business from primarily. Our business makes handmade jewelry, accessories, such as hats and
02:02travel bags. So we have a few different things, but they're all under the umbrella of accessories.
02:07Yeah. I got started in 2018, as I was working a corporate job. I just thought, you know, I have
02:16a passion for, actually at the time was mostly hats. And I created these white sun hats using Ankara
02:24material. And I took them around the city of Chicago. People really loved them. But my point was, I really
02:31wanted people to see how versatile and unique and relevant African fabrics are. We can do so many
02:38things with them. So that opened the door to some additional items. Our jewelry is a very cool addition
02:47that we have. What's interesting and nice about our jewelry is we work with artisans, female artisans
02:55in Kenya. And they are experts, beaders. These are the best beaders in the world. And we're able to
03:02use their incredible skill and craft and create modern and contemporary looks. So we're really proud
03:09of that. Also that for me, it means a lot to be able to work with women back home who are now getting
03:14an opportunity to be on this ride with me and showcase their work around the world.
03:19I absolutely love that. You see where your dollars are going. When you support these vendors, they all
03:26have amazing causes. And you're giving back to these women in Kenya, which is absolutely incredible.
03:32Yeah, it means so much to us because I like to say we're queens, you know, supporting queens.
03:40And your dollars go a long way because every single item is handmade. And so there's so much
03:45poured into it. So we appreciate the love and support that we're getting from a variety of
03:51communities, but especially our Black communities here in the U.S. have really embraced this. And
03:57we're grateful. Absolutely. And speaking of support, talk a little bit about this pandemic getting hit
04:05with COVID-19. Black businesses are, you know, doing everything they can to survive it. How has your
04:12business adjusted? Yeah. So one of our core business missions is to inspire adventure. That's
04:20what we've always been about. We use the tagline safari chic and stay adventure ready because that's
04:26what Kenya is also known for. It's the land of adventure, land of safari, but really in your
04:31everyday life, you can create joy and find something that inspires you. So during the pandemic, it's just
04:37been a real test to do that out. How do we continue to inspire people to maintain joy, to be creative,
04:45because we are going through a very difficult time. Right. The way we can get through this is
04:51staying together and finding moments of joy. And if it's just wearing that necklace that makes you feel
04:57amazing on your zoom calls, right? Mama Africa set that I have on that makes you feel connected to
05:04other people, then that's our part. And that's what we want to contribute in this time.
05:10I love that. So speaking of your jewelry set, why don't you tell us, show us the products that you
05:17have? Yeah. So I thought I would just model it for you guys so you can see it. The partnership with
05:23Essence has been fantastic. And we've put together a very special package for Mother's Day. This is a
05:29very easy gift because you order it and it comes completely ready in the keepsake box. Oh, that's
05:35great. It's like linen burlap. And inside you have the Mama Africa. Oh, that's beautiful. Exactly what
05:45I'm wearing, the necklace and the earrings. What's great about our products is we use real brass. So
05:51it's hypoallergenic and nickel free. So we're not going to have any reactions. Got a nice shine and a
05:57nice lens. So we have a sale on shopessence.com. So grab them while they last. Once they're gone,
06:05that's it for a while. So definitely move fast if you're interested in that. And also, I don't know if
06:10I can say this now, Noni, but you know, a lot of people have asked how they can support us and
06:17that means the world to us to hear people asking. And one very simple way that you can really support
06:24us is even just following our page on Instagram. Noni. So yeah, of course you can say that,
06:31Kendi. Thank you. We're here to support you. Absolutely. Yes. And what else do you have for us?
06:40So I also have the necklace that you're wearing. That is our customer favorites. It's our Maasai
06:46necklace. 22 inches of pure fun. It's long. I can't even get the bottom. Hold on. It's long.
06:54We have our queen neck plate, which is also brass. And it's got a very easy clasp on the back.
07:01So beautiful. The point of all our jewelry is to add pizzazz and just color and class to
07:09any simple outfit. So if you're doing your Zoom calls and you're wearing a plain t-shirt,
07:14a tank top, you can dress it up with any one of our necklaces. We have a variety on ShopEssence.
07:20So get one. They're very reasonably priced. And again, your support goes a very long way.
07:27So check us out.
07:30I absolutely love this. The comments are coming in crazy. So Kimberly West just asked,
07:38what business is this? Will you just tune in to ShopEssence Live? This is a special Mother's Day
07:43edition where we have three business women showing us their products. And this is Kendi
07:48from Kendi Amani and showing us her amazing accessories, which I absolutely love. You can
07:56order today and make it in time for Mother's Day, right? We're not going to the mall. We're not going
08:00anywhere. You're going to order anyway. So you might as well support these beautiful, powerful,
08:06inspirational Black business owners. This has been so amazing, Kendi. Thank you so much.
08:14You're loving me.
08:15Absolutely. So before we get into the next vendor, I have to have to let you guys know that tomorrow,
08:22Essence is putting on an entrepreneur summit that you need to know about. So get your pen and your
08:31paper. Look at this lineup, right? So Essence and the New Voices is doing a virtual entrepreneur
08:38summit streaming on Essence Studios, okay? We'll be connecting you to capital insights and resources
08:46to help your business now and post-COVID-19, right? This is not just happening for coronavirus.
08:52That is Essence's mission to help small business owners. You see, we have billionaire investor,
08:59Robert Smith. He's the guy that paid off all those student loans last year. Then we have D-Wade
09:06and Gabrielle Union, Bozoma St. John, Nicole Valentine, and so much more. You have to register
09:12for this, right? Make sure that you register. Okay.
09:18Yay. So up next, I am so, so very excited. We're going to bring you Charlotte from Pineside
09:28Special. Hey, girl. Hey, girl. I'm so excited to be here. I'm loving what Essence is doing.
09:35Look, we're twin. Are we twin? We're twinning right now.
09:41I feel like I'm very spoiled. I'm a mom of two. So thank you so much. So I can't wait to talk to
09:53you and your story. It's just so incredible. Tell us about Pineside Fashion and how you got started.
10:00All right. So I actually always like to say that Pineside Spape is a family business just because
10:05of how it started. I'm actually, I was born in Africa, just like Hindi. And I moved to Chicago
10:12from Ottawa, Ontario. So I was born in Africa and then I grew up in Canada. And when I got here,
10:19you know, I was bored a lot because I wasn't working. My husband was working. And I really got
10:25creative in terms of, you know, looking for things to do. And so when I got pregnant with my first
10:30child, Naraya, who's now eight, we were looking for faith-based apparel, but that had like a
10:38minimalist approach to style because that's how I dress. And so I couldn't really find anything that
10:43really spoke to me, you know? And so we just decided to create our own. So when we initially started,
10:49it was just Pineside Spape is the name because it was just for children. And as we grew, you know,
10:56adults started wondering, hey, do you guys do this for adults as well? And so we started
11:00offering for adults as well. So that's really how we started. And every shirt that we have,
11:09every accessory, everything that we offer is faith-based. And so it's also inspired by scriptures.
11:15And so for instance, the mercy one is inspired by Psalm 43, 26. I think it is that says grace and
11:22mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. So everything that we carry has to have some type
11:27of faith. And it's always, we always like to say that it's inspired by the Holy Spirit by God. So
11:31it's so inspirational. And if there ever was a time, you always need faith and mercy. If ever there
11:41was a time, we need it right now. Wow. Exactly. Yeah. And I know there's some women in your lives
11:46right now that would love these products. Before we get onto your products. Yeah. For the people that
11:54need a word right now or need some advice or need, if it's a scripture that they can just meditate on,
12:01what piece of advice would you give to business owners or anybody that's having a hard time?
12:07Honestly, I think from the scripture that has really sustained us as a business and just
12:11thing that we keep sharing on Instagram and through our social media is Psalm 91. Just to know that
12:17people, you know, yes, there are going to be some hard times, but God is there and we're going to get
12:22through this. So not to be fearful, not to be anxious. So Psalm 91 is definitely one of them. And also
12:27do not be anxious for anything really, because everything is going to be fine. Yes, it's a very,
12:35very difficult time that we're in, but God is still on our side. So I agree with what you say.
12:39If there's ever a time where people need faith, it is now. And so we're having people to at least
12:45bring that through our apparel. Come through, pint-sized babe. All right. So why don't you show
12:51us what you have for us available on shop. So Mother's Day is coming up, as y'all know. And so we have
12:58these Grace and Mercy shirts that you have on right now. This is the woman's fifth. And we also have
13:04the unisex fit if people don't like some women don't like to wear fitted items. So we also have
13:09a unisex fit that fits pretty large. And so this is the one we have on women's fit. And we also have
13:16matching ones for children. So that I love me type of style. And actually, this is actually our most
13:23our bestseller, this one. And this one that was also recently added to our shop on essence,
13:30which is a mustard seed faith. Yeah. Oh, I love that. And we're going to be adding this on Friday
13:38as well. It's already on your site, but we were on our side as well on in t-shirt form. So and
13:44we carry both women's and men. So there's something for everybody, for the whole family.
13:53Absolutely. Amazing. Charlotte, so great. I may bring you back a little bit later. You guys,
14:00you can send your questions. If you have any questions for any of the vendors today,
14:03I'll ask them at the end of the show. So make sure you're asking them, drop them in the comments.
14:08We're looking, we're looking at you and your comments. So thank you so much, Charlotte.
14:15Kwan!
14:18How you doing, girl?
14:19I'm here!
14:20All right. So we're in here. Kwan, Kwan's eyes. You hooked me up with such a beautiful package.
14:28I opened it last night and I was like, oh, it's Christmas time. But as you guys can see,
14:33my lashes are extra glam this week because Kwan hooked me up.
14:36So why don't you tell us about your story? Tell us about your business, how you got started.
14:42Yeah. So I have loved the world of beauty ever since I was a child. It's just something that's
14:48always been a part of me. I'm also a makeup artist. So to that end, I've always had an obsession with
14:54the eyes. I love the eyes. With the eyes, you can say everything while saying nothing at the same time.
15:00So to this end, I wanted to provide women with high impact, minimum effort lashes that would give
15:06them a gorgeous look instantly. With minimum effort. We're all on the run. We're all on the go.
15:12And now we find ourselves in Zoom calls. And it's important to, you know, look the part no matter
15:17what's going on.
15:18Absolutely. And talk a little bit about how you've been pivoting your business. Have you been trying
15:27any new tactics in your marketing during this time of the global pandemic?
15:33Yes. I mean, so for sure, COVID has really changed everyone's life, especially when you talk about the
15:39beauty industry. Before things really hit the fan, we saw how Sephora closed, Ulta closed.
15:44They stopped doing samples, you know, things that us beauty lovers have always flopped to the stores
15:51to try. So now is the time to really rethink how we engage and interact with our customers.
15:57I know for our brand, one of the things that we are now implementing when it is safe to finally
16:03reopen and begin to take clients again, one of the things that we're going to implement before we
16:09take any client for a lash application or for a makeup application, we are going to actually have
16:16everyone do a non-touch digital thermometer scan to make sure that they don't have a fever.
16:22If anyone is found to have a fever, we will then offer them a complimentary get well soon gift and
16:29reschedule their appointment for another date. The other thing that we're doing, because I also
16:35did a lot of pop-up lash bars during the spring and summer season. The other thing that we're doing,
16:40we're now doing disposable tweezers. So when we now service our clients, whenever that time comes again,
16:46we're going to be applying lashes with disposable tweezers. So they'll be thrown away after each use.
16:52And also to that respect for makeup clients. I've moved forward with, tongue tied, I've moved forward
16:59with purchasing disposable brushes, brush sets. So now every client that gets service, they're going
17:06to receive that brush set. That's going to be their personal set, a gift from us. So we're just
17:11minimizing contact between customer to customer. You are ready. Okay. You had it all laid out. So
17:20incredible. So you're actually going to do some demos for us today. Yes. Right. I am excited.
17:27We have two demos. Awesome. So I'm going to toss it to you, go full to you and you take it away.
17:35Awesome. So today, the first thing I'm going to demo is our magnetizing eyes kit that is on sale now
17:42at Shop Essence. Our magnetizing eyes kit is our solution to help women be able to instantly apply
17:49lashes with minimum effort. So our kit includes a pair of wing lashes and a rounded lash.
17:57And our magnetic eyeliner, our magnetized eyeliner. The really cool thing about this eyeliner is it
18:03actually teaches you where to properly place your lashes. A lot of people don't know where to
18:09properly place their lashes. Sometimes women will post their lashes, excuse me, paste. Look,
18:16I'm tripping y'all. They'll sometimes adhere their lashes on top of their natural lashes. And that's
18:21something that you do not want to do. So with our magnetized eyeliner, you just shake it up really
18:28well. And you want to do that so that you can get all of those magnetic particles evenly distributed
18:34throughout the bottle. And then I'm going to apply this. But before I go into that application,
18:39each of our magnetized lashes has five tiny magnets on the back, five tiny points of magnetic
18:46connection. So as soon as you put your liner on, the lash will click right into place.
18:51So I am going to take off one of my lashes and show you just how easy this is to do.
18:59And Stephanie, just so we can keep things moving, if you want to take any questions,
19:03I'm happy to answer questions from the audience while we're doing this at the same time.
19:08Come on, keep it moving.
19:10First of all, I have definitely been putting lashes on wrong. So what do you mean? We're not
19:16supposed to put it on our lash, uh, our natural lashes. I thought you were supposed to do that.
19:21No, seriously. No, that is totally the wrong thing. Um, ladies, you really want to be careful
19:26of how you apply your lashes because you don't want to get to the point where you have to wear
19:31lashes. Whenever you apply your lash, you're supposed to apply it right above your natural lash line,
19:39never on top. And even those of, um, those of us who get the individual lashes, they're beautiful,
19:44but they're not good for you. Long-term, you will get to the point where you have to wear them.
19:49And that's not something you want. Our lashes, you can think of them as a protective style for
19:53your natural lashes. So I'm going to go ahead. Yeah. All right. I'm going to let you do that.
20:00Okay. I have absolutely been putting on lashes wrong. Y'all please drop me some hands if you've
20:07also been doing that. So I don't feel alone. Um, so I see Shanti wants to, Shanti wants to know how
20:20long can you keep the lashes? When should you dispose of them? Okay. Awesome question. It
20:27depends on what brand you're dealing with. So for our brand, our mink lashes are able to be reused up
20:34to 30 times. Um, they have a soft cotton band that allows for maximum comfortability, excuse me,
20:42for a really comfortable wear all throughout the day. Um, our synthetic lashes, those can be reused
20:4820 to 25 times. It just depends on how you care for them. These particular lashes that I'm applying,
20:54they can be reused up to 20 times each. You get two pairs in the box. So that's 40 wears.
20:59So our magnetic liner, and I'm just waving this little postcard around so I can let it dry.
21:10Yeah. I'm going to go now your lashes. It's totally up to you. You can apply your lashes with a pair of
21:18lash tweezers like these. Um, you want to use something that has a blunt tip. You don't want
21:23to stab yourself something that's blunt, or you can use your fingers. So I'm going to use my tweezers.
21:29I'm just going to pick up my lash and I'm working with a little mirror on the side so I can see what
21:37I'm doing. I have already applied our magnetized liner and I'm just going to go in and attach the lash
21:46and it clicks right in place. See, no effort at all. So this is something, ladies, that you can do on
22:00the go. Look fabulous. Minimum effort. That's what I'm all about. High impact, minimum effort glam.
22:06It shouldn't be hard to achieve a beautiful look.
22:09Yes. We have Hattie. Hattie here. Hattie is my mom, by the way, everybody. And she has put,
22:16I want the lashes like five times. I will get this for you, mother. Okay. So she wants to know,
22:22do they stay on in hot, sweaty weather? Very good question. Like what is the durability of it?
22:29Yeah. So these lashes are not made for swimming. If you lose your liner, ladies, you will lose your
22:35lashes. So these are great for the office. They're great for running errands. You can work out. And
22:44if, you know, if you're going to the gym and you're going to be cute, you know, more like you're just
22:48checking out those who are there. You're not really putting in a sweat. You'll be perfect. But if you
22:53plan on really going in, use my strip lashes. Those are the ones that will give you that, that firm hold.
23:00Really great. And I see, Miranda, would you say magnetic lashes are better than using glue? Really
23:07great question.
23:09You know, it's, it's all personal preference. Magnetic lashes. I love for those who are just
23:15starting out with that process, because if you get the liner, the magnet, the magnetized liner
23:21mixed in your natural lashes, there is no risk of you compromising your natural lashes versus if
23:27you're just learning to use glue and apply your lashes and you get that stuff stuck in there,
23:33that can be a problem. So, um, but you know, it's really personal choice, I would say.
23:39Got it. And then I see Lux Luxury wants to know, can I sleep in those lashes?
23:46You cannot sleep.
23:48You know how we want to hold on to a face?
23:50Lash or any lash, ladies, do not sleep in lashes.
23:54You're hearing it from an expert.
23:57No, ma'am. We will always want to take your lashes off before you go to sleep. Um, definitely
24:03you don't want to risk, and especially my 3D mink lashes, because they have some gorgeous
24:08designs to them. You're actually going to see me apply one on our beautiful model momentarily.
24:12Um, and if you sleep in them, you can accidentally crush the fur and, um, ruin the design of the
24:18lash. So you don't, you don't want to sleep in that.
24:20Yeah. Kimberly, I see you ask kind of the same question. So she's answered that for all of us.
24:26Can I sleep in them?
24:27No sleeping in lashes.
24:29So let's get to the next demo.
24:32Okay. Awesome. So because we are practicing social distancing and all that good stuff,
24:38I am going to put on my mask before we bring out our model. And you all let me know if you can't,
24:47if my speech gets a little blurred with this. I haven't tried this yet.
24:52Stephanie, are we good? Can you hear me okay?
24:56Yes. Okay. And you still look fierce with that.
25:01See, ladies, this is why you need our lashes. So you can definitely peer over the mask with your
25:07lashes on. So I'm getting ready to bring out our beautiful model, Kaylee and Utley.
25:13So Kaylee, you can have a seat for us.
25:19And ladies, what we're going to do, this is our gorgeous Kaylee and Utley.
25:23What we're going to do ladies is demo how to correctly apply a strip mink lash.
25:31Okay. I'm going to come in a little bit closer to make sure you all can see.
25:34All right. So on this eye, Kaylee and Utley already has her lash on.
25:41I'm going to adjust my mask so that you can hear me a little better.
25:46So the first step that we want to begin, the lash style that Kaylee and Utley is wearing today is
25:54I Won't Cry For You. This lash is available now on Shop Essence. The first step that we're going to do
26:00is remove the lash from the lash container. This is our case. And y'all forgive me. I have self-isolation
26:08nails. We can't get to the nail shop right now. So we have to make it work. So these are our gorgeous
26:12lashes in style. I won't cry for you. I'm just going to remove them from the case. Before you begin to
26:19apply your lash, you want to take your lash and measure it against your lash line. And I'm going to get a pair of
26:27tweezers so we can get a little closer.
26:29So when I say measure the lash, I'm going to have you sit up just a little. When I say measure the lash
26:39against your natural lash line, what I mean is you want to hold the lash to your natural lash line
26:45and see if you need to trim anything before applying it. So this lash, I already know that it's a little
26:52bit longer. So I'm going to actually trim it. Now, when you trim a lash, you want to trim evenly for both
26:59the left and right sides of the lash. And if you are trimming a wing lash style, you want to make
27:07sure you trim only that inner corner. When you trim from the outer corner, you can risk ruin the design
27:14of that lash. So as much as possible, try to trim from that inner corner of the lash. So I've already
27:20snipped off and I apologize. I'm trying to get this all in the shot. Let's see. Let me try to angle a
27:27little bit better. So I just trim slightly the edge of the lash. And in doing so, when you trim,
27:34you want to make sure you trim in a rounded motion because you don't want to create any jagged edges
27:40that anything that would irritate the eyes. So you want to trim again in a rounded motion.
27:45So now that that is done, I'm going to take our lash adhesive. The lash adhesive that I love to use
27:52is by Duo. This is Duo's Brush-On Lash Adhesive. And to apply it, you just want to take out a little
28:01bit out of the tube. And I'm just going to lightly line the lash band. You don't need a lot. Now,
28:08the key to a successful lash application is allowing your glue to get tacky. Most people,
28:15they mess up their lash application because the glue is still super wet. And when the glue is super
28:22wet, it slides all over the place and it creates a huge mess. So we're just going to allow the glue
28:28to get tacky. So if you have a question and maybe you say, well, how do I know when the glue is tacky?
28:34So I love using Duo's Brush-On Lash Adhesive. It starts off a white color, if you can see that in the camera.
28:41And as it starts to dry, it starts to turn a blue color, like a bluish color. Kind of see that blue
28:48tint that's starting to come in. So it's letting you know that, you know, the lash is now starting
28:52to get tacky. So when you apply it, it won't be all over the place. So I'm going to wave it around
28:57a little bit more just so we can get that lash dried out a little bit more. All right. Now I'm going
29:07to go and place the lash on our model's eye. So again, when we were talking about the correct place
29:16to place the lash, we always want to place directly above the natural lash line. That is the place you
29:24want to place your lash. Never on top of the lashes because you can damage the lash, your natural lashes.
29:31So I'm going to use my lash tweezers. Again, these are blunt tweezers. You never want to do this with a
29:39sharp pair of tweezers. So I'm just going to lift the eye slightly. And I'm just going to place
29:47starting right in the center. And I'm just going to smooth it down.
29:51Okay. Let me see. Open. Okay. Perfect. So now our lash is on really simple, easy to apply.
30:08See ladies, you can do it too. So no more being afraid to apply lashes. We can do it.
30:16You have just given me more confidence. I'm going to try it. I'm going to try it out. I do have the
30:23Baywatch lash on. Oh, now Baywatch is one of our Korean silk lashes. Those gorgeous lashes can be
30:34reused up to 25 times. Wow. So you know what? I have a question then about that. So reusing lashes,
30:42what's the proper way to remove them? What's the proper way to clean them and get ready for a brand
30:50new use? Awesome. So for our magnetic lashes, once you take those lashes off, you want to take a Q-tip,
30:57put a little bit of makeup remover on the Q-tip and use the Q-tip to clean the back of the magnets that
31:04are on our magnetic lashes. Because what happens is if you get too much eyeliner built up on there,
31:10you're not going to be able to get a strong connection when you go to apply the liner the
31:15next time. So that's what you want to do. And the magnetic tray actually has little teeny magnets
31:24that are in there. So it'll lock the lash right in place when you put it in there. It'll click right
31:30in there. So as soon as you take them off, just put them right back in the tray. And our mink lashes,
31:35which you want to do, and our Korean silk lashes, you want to take them off, take a pair of tweezers,
31:41pull off any excess glue that may be there, and put them back in the container. And just keep them
31:47there like that until you're ready for your next use. And that way you don't get debris and all of
31:51that stuff that gets attached to the lashes. You don't have to wash them or anything like that.
31:56You just take them off? Um, you know why I'm asking? It's probably because I put mascara on my
32:02lashes, which is probably, you're probably not supposed to do that. You're going to tell me
32:06that's going to do that. Definitely not for our 3D mink lashes. You definitely don't want to put
32:10mascara on those because the mascara will clump those gorgeous mink hairs together and you'll lose
32:16your design. Um, lashes, you really shouldn't need to wash them. If you get things, um, makeup caught
32:24in there, I like to just... It's all right. You know what just happened? Uh-oh. Are we there?
32:33Kwan, you're just so popular. Somebody called you, right? Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. Am I here?
32:40We are live. You are here. We're in here. It's all good. So you were saying if you get makeup caught
32:46in it, what you like to do? Yes. You want to just take some, take some Q-tips, um, makeup
32:53remover on the Q-tips, use the Q-tips to just clean the lash off. Got it. Okay. Amazing. So now
33:02we have something very exciting. Our first Shop Essence live giveaway.
33:08Yay! All right. So I'm going to tell you guys how to enter. Forgive me. I'm going to be,
33:14it's official rules. I have to read all the words. Um, and then Kwan's going to tell you what you win
33:19if you win. Okay. So to enter Kwan's Eyes giveaway, number one, you have to follow the Shop Essence
33:29and Kwan's Eyes on IG, right? Y'all should be doing that anyway, but follow those two handles.
33:36And then number two, you have to repost the contest photo. There is a beautiful contest photo with
33:44Kwan's face in the Shop Essence Live logo. Repost that, tag the Shop Essence and tag Kwan's Eyes.
33:52And this is really what I love. You nominate somebody for it. So it's not really for you,
33:57but it's for somebody you love, somebody, perhaps a frontline worker that's out there every single day.
34:03Um, and then, or a lash lover, right? You can only nominate one person. Don't get crazy with the
34:10tagging under these posts. Nominate one person. And then finally, um, you should be submitted via
34:18Instagram and you must include the hashtag Shop Essence Live. That is what you do to enter the
34:24contest. It ends on April 28th at 1159. So if you win, you're going to get a DM from the Shop Essence,
34:33um, from the Shop Essence on the 30th. So exciting. Kwan, thank you so much for providing this giveaway.
34:41So absolutely amazing. You guys need to go to shop.essence.com to support these absolutely
34:48incredible women, right? I'm going to bring the other ladies back. So this is the mother's day
34:56special, all these beautiful women providing us. It's not only a one way thing to support black
35:03businesses, like these products, they're all quality. I'm testing them myself. They're rush
35:09ordering me these products. Thank you guys so much. And it's incredible. And you have these one of a kind
35:15custom made, like Kendi is providing things for people in Kenya. You're getting authentic
35:21African jewelry, which is so incredible. I love this. So go to shop.essence.com to support.
35:29Before I let you ladies go, I would love to ask you, I guarantee there's somebody that's going to
35:36watch this. They saw a problem like how Charlotte saw, you know, I don't see anything that's my style,
35:42but I want to represent my faith or like any of you, how you got started. What piece of advice
35:47would you give to someone? They have this amazing idea and they don't know where to start. Kendi,
35:52I'll start first with you. Yeah. If you have an amazing idea, that's fantastic. Half the time,
35:58that's the problem. People can't think of anything. So be proud of yourself. Then I would say do some
36:03research and do a little test before you go all out, test it out and see if people outside of your
36:11friends and family are interested in what you have to offer. Then from there, don't know if the answer
36:17is no, just make some tweaks until you get to a point where you've come up with your story and you
36:23have a solution or a fantastic product that people really gravitate towards. So great. And then Charlotte,
36:31what about you? Honestly, my advice is really simple. Just start. Don't overthink it. A lot of times
36:39you overthink it. And so just, just start. A lot of us already have ideas that, you know,
36:44we're doubting ourselves. Don't doubt yourself. Just start and don't, you know, grow weary in well-doing.
36:50Just keep going. That's it. Nothing but to do it. I love it. And then Kwan, what about, what would you say?
36:58So my piece of advice would be to operate in your gifts and trust that what you have to present is
37:04more than enough. How many times do we sit on our gifts and our talents because we think what we have
37:10doesn't look like what someone else presented, or maybe we think it's not quite ready for the masses
37:15to see. And what I love the most, one of my favorite scriptures or stories in the Bible before David went
37:22to, well, rather when David went to battle Goliath, he went with a slingshot and a stone. What God gave
37:30him, what God allowed him to have was more than enough to win his battle. So I just want to
37:35encourage all the viewers to know that whatever gift you have, I don't care what it's in, basket
37:40weaving, you already got it. It's in the bag. Go for it. Push it out there.
37:46Can we pass the collection plate to Kwan?
37:48Y'all are giving me chills. This is just, and this is what I love about the community that we have
38:00at Shop Essence. Even off camera, guys, these ladies were all exchanging information.
38:06Yes. And that is what we need right now. And that's absolutely incredible. So honored to have all of you
38:14on today's show. I got to say too, for Kwan's Eyes giveaway, make sure that you look at the
38:20official rules and all the steps. They're recapped in the link. The link is in the bio to learn more
38:27about the contest. And you guys are absolutely amazing. Thank you so much. All right. So don't
38:34go anywhere. Everybody, everybody, because I got to remind you one more time, tomorrow we got Essence
38:42and New Voices Entrepreneur Summit, connecting community to capital. We are going to have so
38:47many people dropping so many gems. If you had any questions, also, we're going to be providing
38:53additional resources of where you can go for help with your starting your business.
39:01And then we also have a pitch competition with 10 finalists. And it's going to be amazing. Like I got
39:08to have a little preview of it. And there's like this little 16 year old girl with her own business
39:13and her whole presentation. And I'm super duper impressed. One of these finals is going to get
39:17$100,000. So you definitely don't want to miss that. Once again, that is tomorrow. You can sign up
39:25at essence.com slash e summits. Okay. So that was today's show. It was a lot of fun. I learned so many
39:35things. I got to go practice putting on my lashes the right way now. But tune in next week. And you
39:41can also we have a text where you can go and find out about future episodes. Let me see you find it.
39:49Here it is. Thank you, Tiffany. You can find out about future episodes, text live to 29071. And you can
39:56get a 10% discount. So if you're going to support right now, you might as well get that discount.
40:01And go to shop.essence.com. This has been another edition of Shop Essence Live.
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