In the midst of quarantine, after finding herself with nothing to do, Khara Hawkins, ‘27, decided to start building her cosmetic empire.

Hawkins’s company is named Noir Pride Cosmetics and is centered around creating products that will leave customers more than satisfied.

“I sell lip gloss that is vegan and cruelty-free,” Hawkins said. “It’s meant to moisturize and add a pop of shine to the lips.” 

As the only owner of the company, Hawkins sells her products through her website and her Instagram account, @noir_pride_cosmetics, where she gets her customers excited about new drops by creating giveaways.

“I came up with it because I was very bored, and I was trying to figure out something to do,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins works hard to make her brand something that everyone will want to shop at for all their lip gloss needs. However, this would not be possible without all the encouragement she received from her friends and family.

“I’ve had a lot of support from returning customers, and people coming back that have already bought from me,” Hawkins said.

Though she receives a lot of support from her peers, Hawkins struggles with being intimidated by the success of other brands.

“Issues like comparing myself to other businesses have really brought me down,” Hawkins said. “I really had to start comparing myself to myself and how I have made progress.”

This, however, has not stopped the young entrepreneur from reaching her goals and continuing to create products.

“I see this company being a nationally known company [that] a lot of people will know and want to shop at,” Hawkins said.

As a business owner, Hawkins has developed a surplus of valuable life skills that she believes will help her in all her future endeavors. 

“Starting this company has taught me that patience is key to everything and to running a business,” Hawkins said. “The advice I have [for] starting your own business is to make sure that you have saved your money, and to just be you in whatever you’re going to sell.”