The 2021 ESSENCE Festival of Culture was a phenomenal virtual masterpiece that featured amazing guest speakers, including the founder of Crayon Case, Reynell Steward, better known as Supa Cent. The entrepreneur sat down with Beauty and Style Editor, Blake Newby, to discuss how she learned to do makeup and how her growing success still keeps her humble.
The New Orleans daughter shared with the audience that her entry into the beauty world came about when she started doing her makeup online. “I’ve always been a social media person, so I would go on Periscope live to do my makeup and I would mess it up,” Supa Cent stated. “I eventually started learning to do my makeup well and then people started asking me what I was using. That’s when I said, ‘If y’all gonna keep asking what I’m using, I’m going to come out with my own makeup.’”
Launched in 2017, The Crayon Case—which has well over 100 products—was conceptualized from her learning experience. “I literally taught myself how to do makeup,” Supa Cent told listeners. “When you go to school, they teach you a lot of stuff. So I wanted it to be for amateurs, but it’s for professional use.”
Each piece in the Crayon Case collection, which garnered her more than $1 million in sales in just 90 minutes, is packaged to resemble school supplies to give a fun “class in session” vibe. There are products for everything from the eyes to the lips, and all of the colors are bright, fun, and most important affordable.
During the conversation, the mother of two also dropped a few gems about how she keeps her business running. “I hire people that can help, and to do things that I don’t know how to do," she said. By delegating tasks, she is not only able to spend time with her family and friends, but also tto ravel.
In addition, she mentioned that it is very important to stay true to yourself when it comes to building your brand. “A lot of my followers were there since the very beginning when I was a housekeeper; when I was a server," she reflected. "I was on social media since [Hurricane] Katrina. So I connected with my following because I am so personable. I want them to understand that no matter how big I got or how much money I made, I am the same person.”
The biggest piece of advice she has for women entrepreneurs is that success is not overnight. “There is no elevator to success. You have to hit the stairs. It’s okay to learn, research, etc. As long as you are working, it will happen for you.”
Check out the full discussion above. For more of everything you missed at the Beauty Carnival experience during the 2021 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, click HERE.