We are such a colorful people. Not only physically with our beautiful range of melanin kissed skin, but also culturally. We create the best memes, the best colloquial phrases, and interact with each other in a comfortable and familial way quickly. And I’m talking about all of us. I “yasss gurl” with women of color everywhere and we all get it. We are no monolith, but somehow, we were all blessed with the gifts of gab and harmless shade.

All of us are trying to find ourselves in the world of beauty the best we know how. It’s been incredible to watch as we create a community around Mented. The brand began as the brainchild of my co-founder and me. We wanted two things; great products meant for us and an engaged community built around our type of beauty. Mented has been such a beautiful and amazing experience because of “us”. I’m talking about the southern Black girl who loves doing the most, the west coast Latina that likes to keep it simple, the midwestern South Asian girl that’s trying to glam it up, and the east coast Middle Eastern girl that needs a sophisticated look. You all have helped to make our dream a reality. 

I love the comments on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and especially Instagram about Mented. I’m not going to lie and say they are all positive (there’s always some shade) but overwhelmingly the comments are about gratitude and joy. You all love that there is a brand finally prioritizing your beauty needs and you can’t wait to share it. We LOVE when you post your pics in your favorite Mented lippie, tag a friend, tell influencers about us, and more. We are all the Mented girl, becoming stewards and ambassadors of the brand we love. We are proud that this is truly for us by us.

From the very beginning we have vigorously and rigorously set out to make a company that celebrates the beauty in all of us. We love reposting your images, videos, and great comments across all of our social channels. We created the page Your Story that highlights your images from Instagram, so be sure to keep tagging us. We also send out a monthly email titled ‘We See You’ that showcases some of your images.  This brand is not just about the founders, but it’s about all of us. We will continue to make sure we all feel valued and included in the journey of Mented.

All of that to say that I LOVE us. You all make this roller-coaster of a journey worthwhile. When I’m having a bad day or things just can’t seem to get right, I’ll read a comment that will change my outlook. So thank you for building Mented with us and being your whole colorful selves.

xoxo

Amanda

Mented Co-Founder and Co-CEO