Meet Tonya Gooden of Sultry Beauty & Cosmetics in Austell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tonya Gooden.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tonya. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was a little girl, I was always obsessed with beauty, makeup, and hair. I would always ask family members to let me comb or braid their hair. When I turned 15, I asked my mom could I start braiding hair in our home for a small fee. My mother supported any and everything that I wanted to do as long as it was not harmful and made me happy. At the young age of 15, I started braiding friend’s hair and would charge a very small fee. Shortly after, people started to hear about me, and my clientele began to pick up drastically. And because I lived in Ft. Lauderdale, I was in the middle of Miami and West Palm Beach. Would you believe I became so popular I had clients coming from as far as Miami and West Palm Beach? Still going to school, playing volleyball, and maintaining my grades by staying on the honor roll, I continued to do hair in the evenings and the weekends.

By the time I turned 18 and close to graduating from High School, I had moved from just doing braids, to doing wash and sets, waves, and cutting hair into whatever hairstyle my clients would show me from a hair magazine (I had no idea how I could cut hair exactly like the picture). I knew then, being this young and making the kind of money I was making (six figures), that right after high school, I was no longer going to college but straight to cosmetology school to get my license. I had become so popular in our city that salon owners were actually offering me booth rental deals pretty much for free just to come work in their salons. During this time, I also found a passion for playing in makeup and modeling. My mom told me if I was going to wear makeup that I needed to learn how to apply it properly. I went to Barbizon school of modeling, where I learned a lot more than just modeling. Makeup was one of the highlights of school for me.

After graduating from High School and enrolling in cosmetology school, my clientele was still growing. I would go to school during the morning hours and come home to do my client’s hair. I was so advanced, my instructor at the school would have me help her teach the students. Once I graduated from cosmetology school and took the exam and passed on my first try (I heard this test was extremely hard and most people did not pass on their first try), I took the offer to work in my first salon. The salon I chose to work in took my career to the next level and my clientele continued to grow extremely fast. Almost two years later at the age of 20, I decided to branch out and purchase my own salon. My salon was called Goldie’s Unique Touch. I went from not just owning a salon but to teaching classes to license stylist and traveling the world showing some of my top techniques. I won my first hair show competition and began to get booked to do bridal parties hair and makeup.

After several years of sleepless nights in the salon and being extremely tired, I began to not enjoy doing hair as much as I did in my younger years. I was also ready for a change. I sold my salon and moved to Atlanta to get a change of pace. Once relocating to Atlanta, I decided to try hair out one more time. This time I got the opportunity to manage Shaquel O Neal and his cousin’s salon. That lasted a year before I knew this was just not it anymore. I decided then to go back to school to earn my bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Once I graduated with my bachelor’s, I went on to earn my Master’s Degree in Leadership, while crossing over into the corporate world. I continued to be a freelance makeup artist because I found that this was easier on my body and I was able to take bookings at my leisure.

I have always wanted to own my own cosmetic line and would always say to my family and friends, “people always ask me who do my makeup, and I would say, “I am my own walking billboard and one day I will have my own cosmetic line.” I wrote this on my vision board two years ago. Today I am proud to say I am the sole owner of Sultry Beauty & Cosmetics.

Has it been a smooth road?
Becoming an entrepreneur has been very challenging and if I wasn’t determined and a go-getter, I would have given up and just say forget. But I also realize my gifts, my talent, and my faith would not allow me to give up. Some of my obstacles were me being hard on myself and not knowing where to start. How much money would I need to start? Would people support my business, etc.? I felt it was more excuses than anything. However, anything I set my mind to, I accomplish. I started with just my Sultry Mink Lashes in five styles to test the market. After my lash line was a great success, I slowly wrote down all the collections of makeup I wanted under my business. I became so obsessed with building my brand, that there were many sleepless nights writing down my plan.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sultry Beauty & Cosmetics story. Tell us more about the business.
Sultry Beauty & Cosmetics is a full cosmetic line that works well for beginners to advanced makeup lovers. My next phase under my business is a skincare line. I have already tested my samples and looking forward to launching in early January 2021. By being a freelance makeup artist, I am able to use my products to show my clients how well the products work and how to apply them once they place an order. What I am most proud of is, I did this by not giving up and watching my dream and vision come to life. I worked hard in branding, promoting, and being competitive yet affordable. What sets me apart from other cosmetic lines is I am truly my own walking billboard. I not only promote my brand, but I wear it and wear it well. Most of my customers have purchased my cosmetics because they trust that it’s great quality and I’m wearing it to show the proof of the pigmentation and quality. I also offer classes to teach beginners how to properly wear my  products.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next 5-10 years, I would love to see my products on the shelves of beauty supply stores. I will keep raising the bar for my business. I know there’s a lot of competition with big names of cosmetic lines that have been around for years. But I also believe there’s a market out there just for me.

Pricing:

• High pigmented eyeshadow palettes are affordable starting at $20 and go up to $40
• Matte and semi – matte lipsticks for $12
• Sultry Mink Lashes that can be worn up to 30 times are $15

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sultrybeautycosmetics.com
• Phone: 404.202.7947
• Email: sultrybeauty_lashes@yahoo.com
• Instagram: SultryBeauty_Cosmetics

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