Today we’d like to introduce you to Ari De La Mar.
Ari, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Believe it or not, I used to be a huge tomboy. Basketball shorts to school, band tees, flannel, timbs, etc. Growing up all the women around me would express it’s important to be clean and pretty. I was always clean but the “pretty” aspect didn’t awaken until after high school. All the women around me were always dolled up, never had a down day then there was me… dolled up in RARE form. I’ve always been interested in makeup in regards to how it was made. One summer in Cuba changed that. I lived with my primas and seeing them get dressed was truly mindblowing. See women in Cuba, technically aren’t pressured into beauty standards. There aren’t consuming commercial ads for them to view. Beauty is what they create. My primas would sport glosses made from petroleum jelly, and smell good items from natural oils. I was humbled nonetheless. I wanted to help them. I wanted them to have something they can relate to. So, I decided to make it.
A few years ago, I was getting ready to go out, and I remembered I wanted to be so beautiful. I went to the Mac counter because they have a deal that if you spend $50 or more on a product, you’ll get your makeup done for free. That day, I purchased a highlighter and that was my last time ever purchasing one. My company isn’t Mac but I knew I could provide a better product of quality and much more cheaper. I wanted to see more Afro Latina’s in the beauty world and I was willing to break my back for a glimpse of it. I began to work, do research, invited an afro-Latina esthetician on my team so we could focus on our wants. So, we could give the girls in the barrio what they want the most, and that’s the representation of Afro-Latina beauty.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a brand is never easy. I think people just see the end results and are like, “dale! I can do this.” But it’s so many sleepless, lonely nights. Perfecting the recipe and actually learning what works was such a process. I found myself getting angry over and over because I didn’t feel as if things were A1. I had business relationships, I lost business relationships. I would call my best friend Nina daily and cry to her. “Nina it’s taking too long, Nina no puedo.” And she would tell me to shut up and get it done. In the end, you have to understand when you want it, it’ll be hard.
Bewitchd Babe Cosmetics – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I want to create beauty content for Afro-Latina women. I want this entire brand to be nostalgic for our childhoods. The scents, the names, the flavors. I want my girls to be represented and I want them to generate art. I don’t know of ANY Afro Latinx beauty brands who focus on Afro Latinx/ Caribbean women. We offer beauty, but we are leaning more to all natural skin care. From secrets passed down from OG brujas on staying beautiful and at peace.
I am extremely proud of our celestial beam highlighters. They’re extremely pigmented and the love we receive from MUA’s about the beams are through the roof.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment was when this younger girl wrote me a message saying she’s can’t believe that I generated something so cultured she could relate to. She told me, I reminded her of women from her Isla. How protecting I was of women, and how ambitious I am for women. Hearing that women believe in me makes me so proud! I know I have much more work to do, but the youth gazing upon me sends chills to my box braids.
Pricing:
- 7.77
- 6.50
- 17.00
Contact Info:
- Website: bewitchdbabeco.com
- Phone: 7704804393
- Email: info@bewitchdbabe.co
- Instagram: Bewitchdbabecosmetics
- Twitter: Bewitchdbabe
Image Credit:
Eric Barbosa, Ari De La Mar
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