- 21 hours ago
Shop Essence Live Episode 5 highlights two small businesses, Glamourina and Pooka Pure & Simple.
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00:00Hello and welcome to episode 5 of Shop Essence Live. I am so, so excited about today's episode.
00:08We have two fabulous small businesses to show you guys today. We're going to take a peek and say
00:15hello to everybody. So we have Tia Nicole of Glamorina and Dawn of Pizza, Pure and Simple.
00:23And when I tell you, these ladies' stories are amazing. Their products are amazing. You know
00:28it's Thursday. Every Thursday we're bringing you a new small business and this Thursday is no
00:33different. So make sure if you guys have questions, drop them in the comments. You want to know about
00:38their products, their stories, any advice, please do drop them in the comments. And also you can go
00:44to shop.essence.com to support their businesses. So Dawn, I'm going to talk to you in a second from
00:51Book Up, Pure and Simple. But first we're going to chat with Nicole and Kia. Hey ladies.
00:58Hi.
00:58Hi.
00:58Hi.
00:59Hi. You guys are gorgeous, first of all. So.
01:02How are you?
01:03I'm good. So why don't you tell us a little bit about your business and how you got started?
01:11Yeah.
01:11Yeah. Well, we are the co-owners of Glamorina. And Glamorina is the go-to activewear brand for
01:17culturally conscious women. Nicole and I started this brand in 2017 really because we felt like
01:24women of color are just highly underrepresented in the athletic market. And so we wanted to create
01:30some culturally inspired pieces that was going to represent black women in all different shapes and
01:35sizes, the diversity of our community. We really wanted to represent that. And also to motivate
01:41women of color to live healthier, active lifestyles. You know, heart disease is the number one
01:47killer in the black community. And so we really just wanted to motivate women to live healthier
01:51lifestyles with our culturally inspired activewear.
01:56I love that. So how did you guys come up with the design of it? Like this is not just your
02:03regular run of the mill athletic wear. I haven't seen anything like it. Talk a little bit about
02:08how that all came about.
02:11Yeah. Well, kind of like Kia mentioned, we really wanted to represent women of color with this brand
02:16alongside of, you know, encouraging women to live healthy, active lifestyles. So when we started our
02:22design process back in 2016, we hadn't seen anything like this. We really wanted to incorporate African
02:28prints and the vibrance and the bold colors into our activewear. And that was one of the influences,
02:33just kind of getting back to, like we can say, the Ankara prints and trying to incorporate that into
02:39movable material, breathable material that you can work out in.
02:44Really, really dope. So we know that right now everybody's on lockdown. We're in quarantine,
02:51self-isolation. I'd love to hear from you guys just how your business has been affected,
02:57how you've been pivoting in your marketing. And just love to know how you're doing as black women
03:02right now, period. How has that been for you guys?
03:07Well, in terms of business-wise, to be honest, our business really hasn't been affected.
03:14You know, even though we're on lockdown, people are still conscious about being healthy and working
03:20out, even if it's just home workouts or going for a walk. So you still need activewear. And then a lot
03:25of times people still want to look cute, even if they're sitting in the house. And so we've really
03:30had, you know, a lot of old customers continuing to purchase our brand. Yeah. All right. So I think
03:39we are ready to get into these looks. Why don't you guys show us some of your products that's
03:44available on shop.essence.com. Okay. So we actually have a few things available on shop
03:51essence, but from our current collection, we have four different legging options. I'll show you two of
03:56the current options in here. We'll show you two as well. So these right here are our Rohani red legging.
04:04So it's a deep red color. You have this kente print going down the side, all the way down the
04:11leg on both legs. We also have a mesh material on the front and back of the leg as well. The material
04:20is really body contouring, moisture wicking. So if you're sweating, you will not see your sweat
04:25through the leggings. All of our leggings actually has this symbol here, our logo on the back. And
04:31this really just encourages you and motivates you to know that you are represented through our brand.
04:37And then I'll also show you our Gynema green leggings. All of our material is moisture wicking,
04:44like I said before, body contouring. So it's going to keep everything in place, make you feel very
04:49secure. Your leggings aren't going to fall down when you're working out. Again, the logo in the back of
04:55this one, you actually have a reflective silver logo, as well as on this left pocket, it's reflective
05:01silver. So if you're out running at night or when it's dark, this logo will actually keep you visible.
05:09And then on this design as well, you have meshed down the side. Let me just open this stuff a bit.
05:15Down the side of each leg. So you kind of get a peak of, you get a peak of skin
05:21on each leg, not showing too much, but she's just showing enough and also offering that breathability
05:27through these leggings.
05:29Yeah. And so Nicole showed you guys two of the leggings, two out of the four leggings that are
05:33currently on Shop Glamorina.
05:35This is our Bahira black legging. This is perfect for someone that likes to wear black, that doesn't
05:42want to have too much color. It also has that prints, that piping down the side, as well as our logo in
05:48the front and the reflective logo in the back. All of our leggings go from a size small to a 3X.
05:55So we offer a variety of sizes in our leggings. And then our Panambi plum leggings. It's a beautiful
06:03plum color, very similar to the Panambi green leggings. They have a mesh material right here
06:10on the side. And these two leggings have very deep pockets, so you can stick your cell phones.
06:15It has the reflective logo right here on the side, as well as on the back. All of our leggings are
06:23high-waisted. And like Nicole mentioned, moisture wicking, so they keep you dry while you're working
06:27out. And they're just perfect for whether you're running errands or you're working out, you're doing
06:32lunges, they're squat-proof, so you don't see, you know, they don't start sliding down. You don't see
06:37your underwear when you're working out. So they're perfect for just the everyday busy woman.
06:42That's absolutely amazing. And I love the functionality of the reflective Africa patch. And that's so,
06:51so cool to, like, see running at night and you have a little peek. They're saying, I love the pockets.
06:57Yes. So, so great. Pockets are important. You need to be hands-free. So the pockets are very important
07:02when you're working out. Yep. As you can see, I got my phone in there. So it fits a good-sized cell phone.
07:10100%. And I love a high-waisted. These are absolutely amazing. So once again, guys,
07:14this is not only you supporting Black businesses, but these pieces, they are so fly. They're curated
07:22for you, your style. Stand out when you're going out and you're working out and you're feeling good
07:27or you're just lounging inside. Definitely, definitely support these ladies. So I'm going
07:33to bring you guys back in a little bit. But right now we're going to talk to Dawn. Come on in, Dawn.
07:39See you later, ladies. Dawn. Hey, girl. Hey, hold on. I got you muted. Hello, girl.
07:46Hello. How are you? I'm amazing. You know why I'm amazing?
07:50Why? Because I'm in love.
07:53All right. So Dawn, why don't you just set up what Hookah Pure and Simple is and what kind
08:01of products you sell? Okay. Hookah Pure and Simple is a natural bath and body company.
08:06Started the company many moons ago. We won't say how long ago. In my kitchen. And actually,
08:13I was working in the music industry and I got sick. And for years, the doctors could not figure
08:20out what was wrong, what was going on. So they kept sending me home telling me I'm healthy. I'm
08:24like, all right, if I'm healthy and I don't feel good, I'm going to have to do something about it.
08:27So I changed my diet. I changed everything, food, things like that. And then I turned over my bath
08:32and body products. And I was like, all right, what is all this stuff in here? I couldn't figure
08:35out what the names were, you know, why I needed all this stuff. So I was like, I'm going to clean
08:39out my system. I'm going to clean out my skin because everything goes in your skin right into
08:43your system. So I just started making products for myself just to be a little healthier from
08:47things you could eat, you know, avocado oil, olive oil, things like that. And, you know,
08:52the graphic artist in me said, put a label on it, make it me. My mother called us her Pookah leaders
08:57when we were little. We have no idea why, but we know it was a term of endearment.
09:00So I just started making products and I just had stuff everywhere. People would come to
09:05my house. I always say, like, when you come to my house, I don't really cook. So you won't
09:10eat, but you'll be moisturized. That's important. So that's important. Many people, like my friends
09:19were like, all right, let's just take this stuff to a festival. So we went to a festival
09:22in Jersey and we put the stuff out and we sold out. We're like, okay, we have a business.
09:28So it's been pretty exciting. It's been a long road, but, you know, ups and downs,
09:32but amazing. The entrepreneur journey is amazing. Yeah. So speaking of the entrepreneur journey,
09:38how has it been for the past few weeks for you in adjusting? We know that, you know,
09:44there have been small business loans, but then there's like whole controversy of those getting
09:49completely wiped out by big business. How has your business been adjusting to this time?
09:54Um, I could say we've actually been doing pretty good. Um, I sort of did the pivot. We have a health
10:02and wellness group called the best life tribe. And I was like, all right, if business is not going to
10:06be doing what it's supposed to be doing, then I'm just going to pivot and I'm going to serve. And I
10:10think as entrepreneurs, we all have an opportunity right now to serve. So I went into the tribe and we
10:16talk about health and wellness and how we can all get better and what we can do and how we can support
10:20each other. And just from doing that, and it wasn't done intentionally, but that tribe has
10:25supported me because people still want to feel good at home. They still want their butters. They
10:30still want to smell good. So they have been ordering and I've been feeling truly, truly blessed. So
10:36yes. And I got to thank you so much for sending me these products and you're so right. Like
10:42there are days you don't feel like doing anything else, but we're going to shower and making yourself
10:47smell good and feel good with your products. So without further ado, why don't you tell the
10:53people about your products and describe for them what's available?
10:57Sure. Um, one of our biggest, our biggest sellers are our body butters. Um, what I love about these
11:03actually in 2007, I was diagnosed with MS. So I started really doing some research about things that I
11:10can put in the products that are actually going to be good for me because I'm using them and good for
11:14other people that they don't even really know about. So our body butters are, um, shea butter.
11:20They really, they all smell really good because I'm a girly girl and I like, right? The guava.
11:25The guava. The guava. But what I did, I mean, besides the fact, like everything and all of our
11:30products are just five ingredients and you can understand them. You know what they are.
11:34So this is just, that's true. Shea butter, avocado oil. Um, it's a moisturizer for the whole
11:41body. Beeswax. Beeswax coats your skin but lets it breathe. So that's really nice. But what we did
11:46is we added ginger and turmeric essential oils. Oh, wow. Because ginger and turmeric is great for
11:53inflammation inside and out. So whatever, like I said, whatever you put on your skin is going in
11:58your skin and into your system. And right now, I mean, just having something that fights inflammation
12:02for the skin and for the inside is really good. So I like to think that it's giving you a little
12:07dose of wellness inside of here. Oh, that's amazing. What we have on Shop Essence, we have
12:12the guava mango. So this is the fruity scent. This is the, um, you want to be on the island.
12:18You don't really want to be in your house. So you want to be on the island. So you're going
12:21to put on a little guava mango. You're going to make yourself a pineapple smoothie. You're
12:26going to feel like you're somewhere else. It's a very fruity scent, but it's pleasant. It's
12:30not a kid fruity. It's a, it's a nice fruity scent. So this is one, this is for our fruity
12:34fanatics. And then along with that, our second one is the pomegranate. Now the pomegranate
12:41is, this is always a battle between guava and pomegranate. It's a little fruity. It's
12:46a little more, I don't want to say grapey because it's a little more, let's think wine
12:50Merlot instead of grape. It's a really, it's a pretty scent. It is a little on the fruity
12:55side. I think the guava is a little bit fruitier, but if you are a fruity person, fruity girl,
13:01you will like either of these scents. And like I said, all the butters have the, um,
13:05the, uh, turmeric and ginger essential oil in them. And then the last one we have on shop
13:10essence, this is for the fellas. Cause guess what? If you're planting in your house, you
13:13want your man to smell good too. Exactly. And you want to take care of him. So this is called
13:18Caliente Man. And the Caliente Man, it has some notes of a little bit of sandalwood, a little
13:24bit of patchouli. It's a really, really nice scent. And we had to call it Caliente Man because
13:29the guys want to see that it says man on it. Yes. It says, it is for you, but it's a really
13:35nice scent and the guys like it, but the women make it as well. So they like it on the gentleman,
13:40but I also do for women that don't like sweet scents, they also enjoy the Caliente. The women
13:46that like the China musk and those types of scents, Caliente as well. So I say it's unisex
13:51because we do have a lot of women that like the Caliente. I love it. You know what I love too?
13:55The texture of it. Yeah. And that makes complete sense now that you say it, like not only are you
14:02pampering yourself, but you feel like you're nourishing yourself. We're washing our hands
14:07so often. My hands were like drying up. Oh my God. So it's just, and it lasts and it just
14:17self-care while we're in the house. Take care of yourself. Absolutely. Absolutely. So this is
14:23dawn of puka, pure and simple. I know you guys are like, I'm convinced where can I go?
14:29Listen, this is shop essence live. You go to shop.essence.com and support these businesses.
14:35The products are amazing. This is a shopping experience that's curated by essence. Like we
14:40vet all of these businesses and the, the, um, the products are so quality. It's just so amazing. And
14:47I absolutely love doing this. So what else do you have for us? Um, what we, another thing we have,
14:53which you have right there are body polishes. Now you want to get a chance to actually exfoliate
14:59because you should exfoliate once a week, but we're not going to the spa right now. So this is a way to
15:03take off all the dead skin and it's coconut oil. So it leaves you with a nice soothing layer of
15:09coconut oil. You exfoliate once a week, but this is a way to give yourself like an at-home spa
15:13treatment. You get in there, you run your shower, you lather up, you put on your scrub. And what we
15:18love about all the scrubs is they're made with organic cane sugar. Um, then each scrub has something
15:23different. Like the, um, guava berry has cranberry extract, which is a great antioxidant. So that's
15:29wonderful. Everything has little hidden things in it that are just healing your skin. It has strawberry
15:33seeds in it. Um, and coconut oil, very, very simple things. So if you want to just actually make up
15:39at-home spa treatment, you're going to use your scrub, you're going to get out and then you're
15:43just going to moisturize with your guava butter. We also have the pomegranate, um, which will
15:49actually match this butter. Now the pomegranate has blueberry fibering. So something else, blueberry,
15:53very high in antioxidants and it has seeds. So every scrub has something a little different
15:58in it. The Isla Mosa has a vitamin C in it. And we also have a crushed rose. Ooh, this one is half
16:06empty. Cause I was using this at my house. So if you want something more, um, this is like
16:15rose and sandalwood. So if you want something more, we call this coming to America. Cause
16:19it actually has rose petals in there. So if you want to get your, you know, just your pampering
16:24right now, like we have to care of ourselves. So why are we going to do that?
16:28Dawn is taking care of us. Okay. You hear all of these ingredients, you hear the benefits
16:33of it. And when I tell you, like I use this yesterday, I legit felt like I shed a layer
16:39of skin. Like it was a whole new skin. It was soft. It was luxurious. I was like, I don't
16:44even own any clothes.
16:45I'm on my skin right now because that's how I feel. And that's exactly how your skin feels
16:51after a spa. You take a shower, you use this and it's just like, you feel so rejuvenated.
16:58And it's so nice to hear all the care that you took with putting the right ingredients in
17:04this and making sure that it benefit us. Cause a lot of people, they just put a scrub and
17:08they put some perfume in it to smell good. But we actually have a lot of really, um, great
17:14ingredients to take care of us. But thank you, girl. You're welcome.
17:17All right. So what else do you have?
17:19So once you've done your scrub, you put your butter on, now you have to get your natural
17:24oil perfume.
17:25Oh yeah.
17:26Yes.
17:27Yes.
17:27Oh, pew, pew, pew.
17:29I just tell you, my husband is a fan of yours as well. Cause he's like, thank you.
17:33You smell good.
17:34Well, what we like about these is they're alcohol free. You know, and we used to have a body
17:40that had a little alcohol in it. Now we really just concentrate on these. They're just coconut
17:45and jojoba oil. Your products should be very simple. Then we use a blend of,
17:49fragrance and essential oils. Anytime we use fragrance, our fragrances are paraben and
17:53phthalate free. And then we blend essential oils. I love it. But it's nice. You put them
17:59in your bag and then you just put those pulse points and it's a complete experience when
18:04you're done. So you get the scrub, you put your butter on and then you just top it off
18:08and you're off to the kitchen or you're off.
18:12But this is absolutely incredible. So amazing. So once again, drop some questions in the comments.
18:21If you have any questions, let me see. I'm sold. How do I get it? Shaw, we told you go
18:26to shop.sml.
18:26And then let's see what else we have. Joanne wants to know, is the product heavy or light?
18:33I think she's probably talking about the butters.
18:36The butters are light. And I think a lot of people are like, oh, shay butter is so heavy.
18:40The problem is we're using too much of it. It's supposed to be a self-pampering moment.
18:44You take a little bit, you rub it with your hands and you slowly take time, you massage.
18:49People in there are like, you know, that's too much. So it's very light when you're just using
18:54a very little amount. Your skin doesn't need that much. And it's shay butter is heavy and
18:58it's nourishing. So this container should last you a minute. I know people are coming back.
19:03I'm like, girl, it's only been a month. What? How are you using this? You know, they're doing
19:06this. I'm like, no, just a little bit. And that's great. Yes. So, so, so amazing. I'm actually
19:13going to bring up Nicole and Kia again, because I see some questions coming in from earlier.
19:19Hey, girls. Hey, we have y'all on mute. We're unmuting you guys.
19:22So someone wanted to know from you guys, how do you continue to stay active? It's a really
19:29great question. You have any advice on your face? That was Kimberly. Any advice on your
19:35favorite workouts?
19:40Yeah. So go ahead, Nicole. Yeah. I was going to say for me, staying active is, it's kind of
19:46just a given because like I'm a mom, I'm working, even though we're quarantined right now, I have
19:52an eight year old and she always wants to, you know, stay busy. So going outside for walks
19:57or runs or doing just different games and fun things with her, that keeps me active in
20:02itself. Just being a mom in general, I would say you kind of always have to be moving. And
20:07I think outside of, you know, scheduled workouts or strategic workouts, I think that's one thing
20:12that keeps me active as having a young child around. Amen.
20:17Yeah, I agree. I'm also a mom when I'm a five year old. So just being with her all day long,
20:23I'm playing teacher, I'm playing school teacher, I'm playing art teacher. So that definitely keeps
20:30me active. But obviously exercising is something that I do every day as much as I can, even
20:35if it's just for 10 minutes.
20:36Amazing. So we're going to close up with some positive statements. But before we do that,
20:44why don't you each tell us, we'll start with Dawn, tell us where people can follow you or reach
20:50you. If they have any further questions about your product, we know we can get them at shop.access.com.
20:54If they want to follow you on social, where should we look for you?
20:59Sure. My Instagram is at Kukalita and at Dawn Fitch Official. And we also have a health and
21:05wellness tribe where you can just go and we're just lifting each other up in there. We talk about
21:09meditation, food, everything. It's called, it's on Facebook. It's called the Best Life Tribe.
21:14And that's where we're just coming together in this time to just, you know, help and lift each
21:18other up. So definitely go to the Best Life Tribe and at Kukalita.
21:21I love that. Nicole, how about you and Pia?
21:28Yeah. So you can go to Glamarena.com. You can also follow us on social media, Facebook,
21:35Instagram, Twitter at Shop Glamarena right there on the screen. We're constantly posting what we're
21:41doing, events, new products. And we also have a new collection coming out this fall. So you guys
21:46make sure to, you know, follow us and stay tuned for that.
21:51I love that. So we love to close with something positive and inspiring for other Black women,
21:59other entrepreneurs. So we're just going to go down the line. And Dawn, I'll start with you.
22:05If someone is watching right now and they got, either they have that idea or maybe they hit a roadblock,
22:10what kind of words of encouragement would you give them?
22:15Besides just keep going. I believe that through times like this, this is when, you know, even though
22:21like times of trials and tribulations, this is when big businesses and big ideas are birthed.
22:27So try to keep going. And I think another important thing for all of us as entrepreneurs right now is
22:33to serve. And I think if you serve others, it will come, it'll come back to you and build your
22:38community. You know, so right now, if you really can't do anything, build your community, start your,
22:42get your Facebook handle, get your Instagram handle, you know, start building an email list.
22:48So there are things you can do. So just think of this as your building stage, you know, just build
22:52and serve. And I believe whoever serves now, when we get through this, people are going to remember
22:57who, you know, who helped them. So it will come back to you.
23:01I love that. Kia and Nicole, how about you guys? Hold on one second.
23:09Yeah, I would say for me, for an entrepreneur, upcoming entrepreneur out here, or someone who's
23:15just looking to progress or grow their business, this can be a very hard and trying time. And your
23:20mentality right now could be up and down. One day you may feel inspired. One day you may just feel
23:25completely like you want to just give up. So I think what helps me is every day, just practicing
23:30gratitude every time I wake up and just being grateful for everything that you have, everything that
23:35you've accomplished with your business goals on your personal life, and just having that to be your
23:39foundation for the day. Of course, planning and, you know, just trying to map out all of your goals for
23:45the rest of the year or moving forward. Do that. So you have a clear path of where you plan to go. But just
23:51practice gratitude every day, because I'm sure there are some great milestones you've
23:55accomplished, even though you may not be where exactly you want to be in the future.
23:59So great.
24:01Yes. And for me, honestly, when you asked that question, the first word that popped in my head
24:09was believe, only believe. And I say that because you really have to not only believe in yourself,
24:16but you definitely have to believe in your products, your service, your brand, whatever it is that you
24:23want to put out there in the universe. You know, we you're going to come across naysayers,
24:28you're going to come across a lot of negative people that might try to even talk you out of
24:32pursuing your dreams. So that's why I just think it's so important for before you start doing
24:38anything that you have to have an honest belief in yourself and what you're about to do, because
24:42that belief is going to keep you strong and held together in the times when people are telling you,
24:47oh, that's not going to work, or that doesn't make sense, because Nicole and I have experienced
24:51this. And so like I said, it's just a matter of believing in yourself and believing in what you're
24:58about to put out there. So, so powerful. And nobody can tell you nothing if you already know,
25:04right? Nope. You cannot waver in your purpose if you already know. So you guys, so inspirational.
25:12Products are so amazing. We have to remind everybody too, you can go to shop.essence.com with a 10%
25:19discount. If you text live to 29071, that's going to give you notifications on future episodes and a
25:2610% discount. Products are off the chain. Amazing. I love them. I can't wait to get my glamorina. I will
25:33be representing and running. You're going to motivate me to get out and be happy because I'll be fly.
25:39Thank you ladies so, so much. Stand by, stick around, don't go anywhere. So guys, I have to let you guys
25:48know, two weeks ago, we actually had a giveaway of a year's worth of lashes by Kwan's Eyes. And now
25:58we're going to let you know people were able to nominate frontliners for this. So right now,
26:07let's see who the winners are. Kwan's Eyelash giveaway winners are Dr. Francine Edwards,
26:12who was nominated by Kimberly and Nicole Griffin. You guys, congratulations. They're each winning a
26:19year's worth supply of lashes so you could be fly. And it's worth $400, which is absolutely amazing.
26:27Some other things I have to tell you guys about tomorrow. Essence is doing a wellness virtual
26:34summit. This is going to be an amazing program for you guys. They're going to be talks. It starts
26:41at 7 a.m. That's going to start with a morning meditation. You all know that we need that right
26:47now. We have to get ourselves centered and focused. And then also there's going to be speakers there.
26:54Taraji P. Henson, who has been fighting the cause for mental health in Black communities,
27:02will be a part of that. So you definitely, definitely should tune in and sign up essence.com
27:08wellness house. And that's going to be at essencestudios.com tomorrow. All right. So then
27:15also today, this is very, very special. You guys at midnight, 1159 Eastern standard time is the last
27:25opportunity to vote for yes girl podcast. I'm actually going to end on a promo for that. So yes,
27:31girl, if you don't listen to it, it's hosted by Corey Murray and Charlie Penn, our editors here at
27:36essence. And they have some of the most amazing off the cuff conversations with your favorite
27:42celebrities that you will not hear anywhere else. So please do vote at the Webby awards. I'll flash up
27:49the promo. So you see where you vote for that. They are in second place. It's the only black podcast
27:54in their category. It is produced by an amazing executive producer, Tiffany Ashtay, and it's all
28:00black women behind the scenes and in front of the scenes. That's what we do here at essence. So thank
28:06you guys once again for tuning in, take a look at this promo and vote, and I'll see you next Thursday
28:12with some more small business owners. Thank you so much, as always, for supporting.
28:20Issue of essence, the box of hot chocolate. Oh, girl, I didn't want to talk about it on the podcast.
28:26I just hijacked the whole interview. This is my interview now. You know, black radio and podcasts is a modern
28:30day manifestation of it. You are in that tradition. And I think it's actually your voice has helped to sustain
28:35people and motivate people. Thank you so much. And thank you for these girl chats. Y'all are so
28:40empowering and inspiring. You are amazing. You do the love.
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