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Meet Mar’Lia Gordon of FEMMÉ Beauty in Galleria area

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mar’Lia Gordon.

Mar’Lia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
FEMMÉ Beauty started in November of 2017, then locally in Cleveland, Oh. I opened a beauty bar to service clients with makeup while selling my makeup products. which was only lipsticks and highlighters at the time. While working my full-time job as a traveling ultrasound technician, I juggled both the business and my career. I knew I always wanted to live in Houston and grow my business down there. In May of 2018, I decided to make that move, I moved the business and myself to Houston with nothing but faith and a carry-on. 🙂 The goal was to be a full-time Beauty Boss growing my empire but after a month in I realized I needed to work to network and make some money. I worked at a Dermatologist office from July to September. I learned a lot about the skin and was very much intrigued. I was still only selling my makeup part-time online and through word of mouth (I would bring my makeup to work and make all the girls wear my lipstick for advertisement). October is when I became a full-time entrepreneur. The 2nd scariest move I made but my purpose and business was calling me to finally step into this role full time. The 1st two months was difficult but I was determined to make it work, I had to. In December, I received a small investment from a close friend of mine that allowed me to put some capital into the business. With that, I did a trade show in NYC and found a lab in Texas to create a skincare line. With experience and expertise, I knew what kind of line I wanted. Organic, vegan, non-toxic, gluten-free, and to smell good. Not quite sure if it would be possible but I didn’t want to settle on my quality and beliefs. The skincare launched 1.1.19 and it was everything. From January to March, I have networked… grown from just makeup to skincare as well. With over 60 products, skincare making up 14. We’ve also added a Men’s skincare collection ‘HOMMÉ lisse’ which means ‘Smooth Man’. We just hit a very large purchase order for a subscription box with over 4,500 subscribers and landed into a small organic skin store in Philly. We plan to continue to run this race full speed.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not (I say that with a big smile on my face and a laugh).

Transitioning into a full-time entrepreneur in a city that I just moved to alone with no family or friends was the first hard part. Secondly, I gave up everything for my business, my car, my house, all the money in my savings… I was literally in the nose vulnerable space I’ve ever been in yet it felt ok because I was living my dreams and I believed and still believe it’s all worth it.

Please tell us about FEMMÉ Beauty.
FEMMÉ Beauty which means beautiful woman. We provide organic & vegan skincare products and cruelty-free makeup. We are known for our intense highlighters and bold color and pigmentation of our liquid lipsticks. I am most proud of our skincare line because it’s truly made up of some amazing products that are healthy for your skin and the environment. Coupled with that the skincare has grown and became our bestsellers in only three months of launching. What set us apart from others is that we are encouraging our customers to have both, beautiful skin under our beautiful makeup. A lot of times, people feel forced to choose but we offer makeup that’s safe for your skin and skincare that’s safe for your skin.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Hmmmm… that’s a good one. If I could start over, I definitely would have saved more money into the business before officially becoming a full-time entrepreneur. I wouldn’t have opened a retail location, I would’ve waited on that. Been more patient and taking my time with things.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

2 Comments

  1. Ashley

    April 26, 2019 at 1:49 pm

    Amazing story!

  2. Nikki B.

    August 6, 2019 at 4:26 am

    I personally met her at a networking event, she’s amazing. her story is very inspiring.

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