If you’ve been paying attention to Raynell “Supa Cent” Steward’s recent health scare, then it wouldn’t come as a surprise that there was some skepticism about whether the beauty mogul would make it to Essence Festival.
But The Crayon Case founder delighted fans when she stepped onto the Beauty Carnival stage and thanked them for all the love that they’d poured into her in the past few months.
“I’m fabulous now. Whoever prayed for me thank you, all the prayers worked. That’s why I’m able to be here today” she said. “I’m extremely blessed.”
In early June, the beauty businesswoman started posting stories and photos to her Instagram, letting fans know that she had been in and out of the hospital. She had apparently suffered severe memory loss directly following the birth of her daughter in March, and she briefly told the crowd she was happy that she was no longer suffering from seizures.
The diagnosis following her recent health scare is still unclear.
But in her hometown of New Orleans on Sunday, she was ever so present and her fans were as excited to see her. Nearly 500 people registered (and showed up) to see the CEO in action!
“I’m really inspired by the things that she’s doing. Her heart is so pure, her heart is full of love,” said Sony Bombay, who travels from Jacksonville, Florida to attend Essence Festival every year. “I love her authenticity. She’s just so real. I knew there was something special about her.”
Supa Cent gained instant fame last year when The Crayon Case pulled in $1 million in just 90 minutes on Black Friday. She followed that up with another sold-out collection months later that made her another $1 million—this time in just one hour.
But Supa Cent is very clear that she was already accomplished before that Black Friday sale caught the industry’s eye.
“People were saying I became a millionaire that day, but I’ve been a millionaire since March. I just made it faster that’s all,” she said. “All I did was put it directly back into the brand. I didn’t go out and buy no cars, no designer stuff. I put it back into my brand and made another million dollars in sixty minutes.”
And she doesn’t say it to brag. Supa Cent is transparent with her fans, sometimes even to a fault. She chooses to share her life and her journey so that others can understand the real work that goes into her success. It’s part of the reason why many love her!
“It’s not even just about her makeup, but also where she started from. From the restaurant and her struggle in New Orleans with Katrina, bouncing back, and starting from the bottom… and look at her now,” said superfan said Zanyah Evans, who spent her last few dollars to get to New Orleans to see the beauty mogul. “When I say I adore her—before I close my eyes, I just want a picture. Wherever she is, I’m booking.”
With a chartreuse stripe in her hair, a silver sequin blazer, and a face beat that only a skilled hand could get just right, she made sure to drop a bombshell on the beauty lovers before she left: The Crayon Case will be launching a new foundation line called “Face Paint,” which will offer an “assortment of colors for every shade.”
We expect her to make another million—this time in just 30 minutes!