Gloss is everything for 22-year-old Sarell, (@s.ethelabel) the founder of lipgloss company Neutra Gloss. A 2019 graduate, she attended Eastern Michigan University with a major in Furniture Design with a minor in Interior Design. So how did she get to making lipgloss and starting her own company?
“I absolutely love creating and working with my hands, which is why my business doesn’t feel like a job -- it’s so fun,” she exclaimed. Her full-time job on the other hand, provides monetary services for businesses large and small. “I plan on going back to school to pursue a Masters Degree in Business.”
Her interior design major actually has a surprising connection to her business, which she began in September 2019. “Being able to play around with different textures and tones is so fun. I started my business because I love lipgloss, but I could never find a product that would keep my lips moisturized for a long period of time/ Most glosses I find are very thin or too thick and clumpy -- I wanted something right in the middle.”
Making lipgloss from scratch is also a lot more chemistry than you might think. Sarell says she literally sits “in the lab (if you will) and play around for hours.” Her recipe is simple: a "vegan gloss formula base and coconut oil. Coconut oil is a great moisturizer and nourishes the skin. The other list of ingredients vary due to the shade of the lipgloss. These ingredients include cosmetic grade mica pigments and/or cosmetic glitter."
She’s done all of her own research to learn how to go about making lipgloss. “I haven’t gotten too in-depth into the scientific parts of the ingredients used in mainstream cosmetics, [but I’ve] learned it’s not the best for your skin.”
The “Neutra” in Neutra Gloss is Sarell’s emphasis on her brand enhancing your natural beauty. “Neutra and natural are synonymous for my brand. My glosses are tinted, but enhance the beauty of the tone of your lips.”
Sarell’s success, as well as her confidence, shines through in everything she does - including her posts. “It all resorts back to my journey of self-love. I had very low self-esteem and despised the girl I saw in the mirror. Having such low confidence and not feeling beautiful really caused me to miss out on a lot of opportunities - it was a feeling of not being good enough, not feeling pretty enough, not being smart enough.
All of these things were buried deep down into my soul and into my being and I hated it. So when I started my business, I made it a mission to not only push myself out of the dark space, but also push myself to look at myself in the mirror every single day and tell myself that I am beautiful, I am worthy, and I deserve to be happy.”
She’s always loved makeup, but found it difficult to apply with her glasses off since she has such a strong prescription. “Neutra Gloss was my way out of my self-esteem depression.” After her first event in March, she decided that she had big goals for her businesses and wasn’t going to miss any more opportunities.
“I had my first in-person even where people came out and got to try out samples of my products and chat with me. The response was absolutely amazing. It was a taste of what success in my business would be - after that moment, I vowed to continue to work hard and push for the success of Neutra Gloss.”
Along with her relaunch in June, she hopes to expand past just gloss too. “I want to be worldwide, shipping orders everywhere. I also plan on writing an e-book on how to start your own business, how to market your business, and how to let your personality shine through your brand.”
Sarell also hopes to launch an ambassador’s program, work with influencers and bloggers and do videos on self-love for her audience. “I want to actually host some events in the future and as my brand grows I want to have seminars where businesswomen, future businesswomen, customers, etc. come together and we have these conversations.”