ESS started more than a decade ago during a season of my life when I was simply trying to create something of my own while raising my son. What began with me selling clothing and accessories eventually grew, evolved, and became something much bigger: a beauty brand built around confidence, community, and the feeling you get when you find products that just get you.

My son has grown up right alongside this journey. He’s watched me juggle motherhood, school, work, photoshoots, late nights, new ideas, setbacks, and starting again. ESS has grown with both of us.

When I relaunched the brand as ESS Cosmetics, I wanted to create the kind of beauty products I was always searching for, especially lip products with rich pigment, flattering undertones, and shades that actually show up beautifully on deeper complexions. But ESS was never meant to be about makeup alone.

It’s about the woman wearing it.

I wanted ESS to feel like your favorite girls’ girl. A brand that makes getting ready fun, celebrates individuality, and reminds you that sometimes the smallest things, like the perfect brown liner or a gloss you can’t stop reaching for, can make you feel completely put together.

As a Black woman, disabled veteran, mother, doctoral student, and entrepreneur, I know what it means to wear a lot of hats while still trying to make room for yourself. ESS Cosmetics is one of the ways I’ve created that space, not just for me, but for every Ess Doll who becomes part of this community.

More than a decade later, I’m still building, still creating, and still obsessed with finding your next favorite lip combo.

Thank you for being part of the story.

– Essence