Founded on July 28, 2020, Bold and Luscious Cosmetics is a family-owned and operated business. Roberta Lampley, the founder of Bold and Luscious Cosmetics had a vision to create a brand with more diversity in color selection for women of color as well as more product choices for women in general.
Roberta Lampley has a diverse background with 13 years of customer service experience, 12 years in retail operations management, and college education in Business Marketing and Management. Her husband, Gregg Smith has years of experience in the Navy and with logistical know-how and a Degree in business Management and Marketing.
We had the amazing opportunity of sitting down with CEO Roberta Lampley to discuss BAL Cosmetics and her vision for the company next.
Who is Roberta Lampley outside of business and entrepreneurship?
Roberta Lampley is a female rapper named Venomiss. A mother, a leader, a mentor, a thinker, a doer, and an all-around take-charge person. Roberta is a woman who pushed her professional career and her music career at the same time. She climbed the corporate World at the same time as the stage and raised a small child as a single mother. She tries to lead others to grow and shares her stories from her own life in hopes to help others in similar situations to find positive outcomes. She was raised in a single-parent household and even though her father was in her life from an emotional standpoint, it was this upbringing in a one-parent home below the poverty line that pushed her to strive for the best in life in all ways and to encourage others with positivity and empowerment where possible.
You have navigated entrepreneurship, career, and personal life over the years, how do you make room for personal care?
Personal care is the cornerstone of running a business and especially when you have multiple businesses. There are times when you have to take care of yourself and it’s not optional. The phone has to go on Do not disturb sometimes. I was not always good at prioritizing self-care and it catches up to you! But I’ve wizened up and learned just how much of a nonnegotiable item it is in life. I’m not always the best at it, but I’m learning that those days when you do nothing but watch movies and eat junk food are needed too.
With over 13 years in the customer service industry, how did your work experience prepare you for your role as a business owner?
I worked in some stores as a manager that were considered “unmanageable” both with staffing issues and being in what the company deemed bad neighborhoods. I had taken some of those stores from the worst in the company to the top 10 in the district. Over the years I gained a reputation for the way I handle customers and I became sort of like a secret weapon for my District Manager and he would always send me in when there was a problem to fix it. It was never something I had to learn to do, it was just something that’s natural for me because of the things my grandparents instilled in me… I always say I am an accidental leader. It’s nothing I set out to do, it’s just something deep inside that clicks for me. Working in tough environments just fine-tuned me to be a better listener and hear what is not being said, pay attention to social and emotional cues, and get to the root of the issue.
Tell us about your brand Bold and Luscious Cosmetics.
Bold and Luscious Cosmetics started as an idea I had touring as a music artist. Here I was, the only female on a 7 city tour, having to do my own makeup and wardrobe every night to perform in front of thousands and my lipstick would wound up on my nose from the microphone touching my mouth. Or the colors were wrong and my photos looked horrible when I got the photos back if I could find my color at all. So in 2015, I set out to research products that not only were easy to use for people who needed something they could apply and forget, but that were quality and stayed where you put it! Finally, in 2020, we launched 8 lipstick colors and we’ve grown to over 320 products on the site ranging from lashes and lip products to body care and body butters. Everything is great quality and long-lasting and makes our users feel confident. Lipstick is like a cape, you put it on and feel like you’re THAT diva and you can handle anything the World throws at you.
What products do you currently offer?
We offer lip gloss, lashes, lipsticks, eye makeup, and face products as well as hand-crafted body butter, body oils, and scrubs.
What are your summer must-haves from BAL Cosmetics?
Our Silky Shea and Aloe Body Creams always sell out in the Summer as well as the Body Oils. This year, we have 5 new scents including Money Maker which is a unisex scent, Peach and Coconut Water & Pineapple. On the makeup side, the water-activated eyeliners, blush sticks, and Neon Dreams eye palette are all trending!
What is next for Bold and Luscious Cosmetics?
We’ve been expanding our Brand Ambassador program to include more models and makeup enthusiasts and it’s been a great success for us. We are currently in several salons and beauty stores in the greater Raleigh area and are considering more partnerships throughout the United States and more opportunities to bring our brand to even more cities in stores. Each year we partner with a nonprofit agency whose core values align with our beliefs of empowerment, self-growth, and healing and this year we are partnering with an organization out of Raleigh, North Carolina. This Organization helps gifted High School students work with real-world businesses to solve business problems in an Early College program. We’re very excited to work with our first class to help them achieve their goals of learning about business and entrepreneurship.
We will be at the Women’s EmpowerHer Expo in Charlotte NC, and the Atlanta Women’s Convention in the Fall so definitely tune in to our social media for updates and big chances to come experience us for yourself in person!
What is your definition of a Pretty Woman Who Hustles?
A pretty woman who hustles is someone who in the face of adversity still smiles and gets back up because she knows on the other side of that challenge she faced is that thing she wanted the most. She’s going to complain and cuss a little, but she’s still going to get it done! (lol)
Connect with BAL Cosmetics
WWW.BALCOSMETICS.COM
INSTAGRAM: @BALCOSMETICSCO
FACEBOOK.COM/BOLDANDLUSCIOUS
