Refreshingly Real!
Hey everybody!
My small business started in 2004, but had been a dream of mine since I was a teenager growing up in Kentucky. I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup and always felt like an ugly duckling in high school. I was athletic and played sports, but deep down, heck-- I just wanted to be pretty!
I can remember shopping with my mother one time and buying a makeup kit without her knowing. Mom and Dad somehow found it and my punishment was that I couldn’t play in the next basketball game. And to make matters worse, Dad told Coach what happened! After that, Coach started calling me “Cover Girl”!
Then off to college I went! I’d stop at a friend’s house on weekends home to take my makeup off first because I knew my parents would be so upset. But during the week, I wore it and LOVED it.
Every dime I earned in college was spent on cosmetics and a little Boone's Farm wine! Makeup was fun and I felt like I fit in and free for the first time in my life.
Then came those awful breakouts. I knew it had to be the makeup since I was lucky enough to not have acne in high school. While whining to the girls about how to clear it up, I stumbled across some information about making your own makeup and skincare.
Honey, that little nugget of info sparked a fire in my heart!
But, as usual, life happened...
Years later, in comes eBay. Completely fascinated, I began selling shoes and clothes, and built a nice little customer base. That fiery info nugget soon reignited and I said..."Self, why don't you make your dream come true?"
So I started researching online (much easier than a library, mind you)! I started with $100 bucks to my name to order some ingredients and to get a coffee grinder at Wal-mart. After many messes later, I was confident enough to put some of my formulations on ebay to auction. With determination and tenacity, my dream was born.
Many people have asked why the name Southern Magnolia Minerals. Well, being from the South was a start! Two memories stand out for me: First, is seeing large trees with huge creamy gorgeous white flowers nestled amongst large deep green leaves… what a beautiful contrast! And second, a fair come to town every summer called the "Magnolia Fair." And that, in a nutshell, is how the name came to be called Southern Magnolia Minerals!
I'm proud of what I have created to share with you. It is personal, a testimony that I can overcome obstacles, overcome my past, and with persistence, positivity, and the gift of laughter, I can do what my lil' ole heart desires.
I want to inspire every woman to embrace their imperfections and be comfortable in their own real beauty. And of course, a little love and laughter goes a long way too! My business is successful because I get so much joy from a smile, it's an instant mood booster for me and the person looking in the mirror!
I don't do this for money, I do it because it is truly my passion. I remember where I came from, and that keeps me grounded, it keeps me real. Makeup is simply a tool I can use to help others feel good, the way it made me feel good...no one should ever feel like an ugly duckling!
I repeat this mantra daily...I believe in God, I believe in myself, I believe in the future!
This is why my handcrafted makeup and skincare is phenomenal and why the commitment to my customers is #1… and this is why I am Southern Magnolia Minerals.
