Awakened Convos: Jessica Huggins of A’JAI BEAUTY Chats Beauty for Melanin Women

By Leslie Ramirez / December 11, 2020 / CULTURE / 0 Comments

As women of color, we have to use certain beauty products for our skin and hair. This is one of the reasons why it is essential that we have products made for us, by us; and Jessica Huggins of A’JAI BEAUTY, has an awesome beauty line out that caters to women of color.

Read my interview with her below or watch the video above.

H.O.R: Hey guys, this is House of Ramirez, you already know. We are out here in Atlanta; A-Town shawty representing. I got my sister here, what’s your name?

Jessica Huggins: I am Jessica Huggins.

H.O.R: Where are you from Jessica?

Jessica Huggins: I’m from Miami, the 305 is in the building.

H.O.R: So, you know guys, I really like to promote my family, my friends…everyone. Jessica here has something amazing for us young ladies. Jessica can you go ahead and tell us what we have here (She is referring to the products that have been placed on the table in front of her).

Jessica Huggins: Yes, I am the owner and founder of A’Jai Beauty. I am creating my own beauty line and I started with lip glosses and lip scrubs which I have right here. They are 100% cruelty free, they are vegan, they are hydrating, they are not sticky at all, and they make your lips feel smooth.

H.O.R: You know, I did hear through the grapevine that you had the Fall collection.

Jessica Huggins: I do, I just dropped the Fall collection recently. All of them smell like pumpkin pie, which is what is in the air right now with it being Fall. I have all different colors from red, purple, gold, brown and glitter.

H.O.R: Yes and you brought me a small sample so that we could go ahead and try this on. I want to say that the scent of it (Which I smelled it a little earlier) makes me want to bite it, what is in here?

Jessica Huggins: That is actually scented with chocolate. That one is if from the Brown Girl Magic collection and it is called, Caramel Drizzle. They all have different Brown Girl Magic shades of nude and they are very hydrating too.

H.O.R: Yeah, I can feel it.

Jessica Huggins: Yes, I can see, you are putting it all over girl (they both laugh)

H.O.R: My lips were so dry, but I was waiting for this opportunity because we women are very touchy feely and we were just talking about how our senses are always on high alert. My senses right now notice that this lip gloss is moisturizing but it is not sticky. That is definitely needed especially, as we are approaching winter. We need something that is going to hydrate our lips because they get dried out in the wintertime.

What is the next product that we have here?

Jessica Huggins: This is our lip scrub. It is a brown sugar and honey lip scrub and it also has coconut oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E…all the hydrating ingredients and it too smells like pumpkin pie. You can actually eat it…it is edible.

H.O.R: Oh okay, so it is not a problem if we give it to our little girls and they accidentally consume it?

Jessica Huggins: No, not at all.

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H.O.R: Okay so, that is a key factor to keep in mind. Because we need to not only think about our women and our sisters, but we also have to consider our daughters and the ability for them to put something on that makes them feel good and where it’s not too much and it is also safe for them, that is very important; being safe and beautiful at the same time.

Jessica Huggins: That was the thought behind the whole concept.

H.O.R: This smells delicious. So, what do we have here (as she points to the next product).

Jessica Huggins: That one is our clear (lip gloss) which has also been scented with chocolate and this is one that little girls can use too because it is clear.

H.O.R: We have to make sure to be in tune with our children’s safety, especially our little girls. We have to protect our women and our little girls. It is important when creating a cosmetic line like Jessica’s that women and girls can be safe and feel beautiful at the same time.

What do we have here (as she picks up the last product)?

Jessica Huggins: This one is obviously our glitter.

H.O.R: I love this one (she laughs)

Jessica Huggins: This one goes on clear, but you will still have sparkles that will show up on your lips as well.

H.O.R: You can definitely see the glitter, but it is not overpowering. So, it is clear with a little sparkle. This is actually something that I would use to go out with my girlfriends or on a dinner date.

Are there any pointers that you would like to give to our young successful entrepreneurs that are out here blazing their own trail while pursuing their interests in those fields that they feel drawn to, because 2020 has been the year of entrepreneurship, so what is your advice?

Jessica Huggins: I would say that whatever you love doing, go ahead and get it started. Stay motivated because there are going to be a lot of businesses out there that are doing the same thing that you are doing but it is okay because they are not you; so you can put your own spin to it. So, motivate yourself, keep pushing, stay focused and know what it is that you are trying to do and get to those coins.

H.O.R: It is all about the “bag” in 2020, it is all about the “bag” focus on your uniqueness, push yourself, believe in yourself and create greatness because there is always someone that will be tuning in, paying attention and supporting you. It is very essential that we support our family and our friends now, more than ever.

So do you have any shout outs that you want to give out?

Jessica Huggins: I would like to shout out everybody that has supported me, followed me, liked any pictures, looked at my website, my family and friends and you for having me here. All the people that have motivated me whether you know that you did or not…everybody, thank you.

H.O.R: So, just a little back story you guys, Jess is my family and ever since I met her, she was always wearing her makeup so beautifully and I always wondered how she did that. This has been something that you have been dreaming about and you have been pushing for a very long time, right?

Jessica Huggins: Oh yeah definitely, I have loved makeup ever since I was a little girl. My mom has a picture of me, I was a year old, she was in the mirror, and I had a blush brush holding it up to my face, that was the moment that I knew that I loved makeup and ever since then I have always loved makeup.

H.O.R: At times we may not be in tune with our dreams and our purpose and once we start paying attention…beginning with our healing process, to learn about who we are, what we like, what we love and then to recognize what our niche is, then our paths will start to align.

So, I just want to give you big kudos because you are paying attention to what your path is, your dreams and your purpose and I’m here for it.

Jessica Huggins: Thank you.

H.O.R: House of Ramirez is all about the shout outs, are there any more shout outs that you would like to give?

Jessica Huggins: I would like to shoutout my mom and dad, my brothers, my 2 daughters, for whom my business is named after, my oldest daughter is Aliya, and my youngest daughter is Jai, so A’Jai Beauty.

H.O.R: I love it, A’Jai. Well Leslie is rocking A’Jai over here, so thank you Jess. I just appreciate that you actually walked your path and found your purpose. We need more successful young ladies that we can be encouraged by who see a dream, have a dream, and conquer that dream.

We need that right now and so I want to encourage you to keep doing what you are doing and I want to thank you for doing this because you do not know how many women are out here actually looking for products to support and to wear so that they can look and feel beautiful. I put on the glitter lip gloss and I am in love, I feel beautiful. I can do colors all day, but I feel sexy, I feel great…thank you!

Well until next time when you come out with your next collection, we are here, and we will catch up with you to see what’s going on. We will follow you and buy products from you because that’s what it’s all about.

Jessica Huggins: You can follow me @ajaibeauty on Instagram and on Facebook and my website is linked in my Instagram bio.

H.O.R: Tune in guys we appreciate you, bye.