Candice Cruz is the woman who’s singlehandedly taking the beauty industry by storm. Once a single parent and homeless for a short spell as a result of domestic violence, Cruz now inspires women around the globe to embrace their true beauty. As the owner of BUtiful by Candice Cosmetics. We sat down in an exclusive interview with Cruz to discuss her journey toward creating a beauty empire that explores much more than ones’ outward appearance.
Los Angeles Sentinel: You’re the owner of an international e-commerce beauty brand for women. How did you come up with the concept for BUtiful by Candice Cosmetics?
Candice Cruz: The concept was a 14-year vision. After going through my own struggles as a teenager, I never thought that I was beautiful, that I mattered to anyone or anything. So, when I saw the vision, and God said here, this is what I want you to do. I didn’t know how it would happen, but I knew it was for a purpose that was bigger than me.
Candice Cruz: Having spent years working with teenage girls and young women that have gone through abuse and literally hate themselves, it’s motivated me more to create BUtiful by Candice Cosmetics, so that women across the world who are broken, hurt, or defeated, know that they’re beautiful and that real beauty comes from the inside out. I really want that message to resonate, that it’s not just about putting on makeup.
LAS: BUtiful beholds a keen distinction in its name. What exactly does BUtiful mean to you?
CC: BUtiful is about being bold, being unique, being you. Be the authentic person that you are. We feel that makeup is not necessarily made to change but made to enhance, and once we identify and can be satisfied with just being ourselves, B-U is easy. It cuts across all borders and all territories and it speaks to women that don’t see themselves as beautiful trying to live up to the social norms.
LAS: What did it take to grow your business?
CC: It takes a lot of sacrifice and determination to build it and it takes the same to maintain it. My brand started online and social media marketing has been a big part of that as well as home-based parties, word of mouth. I am literally building bit-by-bit. My friend Miracle King-Pettinger is strong in areas that I’m not and my friend Valerie Crabbe has also been instrumental in supporting me.
LAS: How did you build capital for your business?
CC: I actually didn’t have the capital I needed at all; that’s why it took me 14 years to launch. I am a fulltime mom first, and having housed homeless women and children over the years, my dream seemed harder but I knew I could have it because I saw it. I’m completely self-funded and I created an extra stream of income while working a fulltime job, that’s how I did it.
LAS: Tell us about the product itself. What does BUtiful by Candice Cosmetics offer?
CC: We offer lipsticks, lip-glosses, mascara, eyeliners, glow kits, face foundations, all ranges of actual makeup we offer. We’re also exploring our vegan nail polish line, which we will be expanding very soon, as well as our BUtiful subscription boxes, which is unique in itself. There’s something special about those boxes that we’re not letting out the bag yet, but it’s very different.
LAS: Why is the BUtiful brand different from any other brand on the market?
CC: Well, the products that I offer are all natural products. They’re gluten free, they’re paraben free, all the products are health conscious. This brand goes beyond conventional beauty industry standards; there is a world of women lost in all social media beauty, trying to live up to standards which many are smoking mirrors. I want to teach women and young women across the board that healthier is better. We care so much about what we eat; we’re vegans, we’re vegetarians and we want to be more health conscious, but we’re not caring about what we put on our skin. What differentiates BUtiful is, it’s beautiful, it’s anointed, it’s God’s gift to women and prayer is on every product!
LAS: As the owner of the line, you support many causes and have your own non-profit organization. Why do you feel it’s so important to reach back?
CC: It’s so crucial and it’s the base of who BUtiful is. In my own life and in my experiences as a teenager, I know what that ugly feels like. Later in life, working with young girls who are survivors of human trafficking, that have gone through all forms of mental, physical abuse, then rehabilitating and dealing with these women, their biggest thing is that if they think they look ugly, then they’re going to feel ugly.
We’re trying to rebuild self-esteem; we’re trying to fix those broken places, and with BUtiful, it allows us to do that in such a special way. The brand came from a woman who was beaten down. The brand comes from a woman that was homeless, so identify with them and they identify with me. When they look at BUtiful, I want them to see themselves, I want them to see what they’re future’s going to look like and where they’re going, because it doesn’t matter what your past is. That’s the heart of BUtiful. My end goal is to build a safe house called the Colletta House for Women and Children.
LAS: Research shows that many major brands use hard fuel chemicals in their makeup. What did you do to ensure your products included the best materials?
CC: Research, research and more research. I want to give people an experience, not just a product; so, we fully research the companies we choose to work with. Anyone can slap a label on a product and people will buy it. We care about our customers’ overall wellbeing and that pushes us to make healthier choices when we can.
LAS: What’s on the horizon for BUtiful by Candice Cosmetics, and where do you see the line going in the near future?
CC: I am taking BUtiful into a global brand of all-around beauty. That’s everything that you can think of. That’s skin, that’s hair, that’s motivation. It expands so much further than cosmetics and this is just the beginning. The opportunity to even stand before Shark Tank, pitch our business model, and possibly get the extra help that we need to get to the next level is just a huge blessing and would be a dream come through. And it wouldn’t hurt to be included on Oprah Winfrey’s favorite things list.
And ladies, if you’re excited about trying the product, BUtiful by Candice Cosmetics will be hitting retail markets very soon! Until then, BUtiful women around the globe can purchase their products by visiting www.mybutiful.com. For exclusive interviews and other footage, please follow BUtiful by Candice online @ButifulbyCandice or @theBUtifulCompany. For retail opportunities, bookings and interviews, contact [email protected].