Awakened Convos: Youth Entrepreneur, Maria Raquel Thomas, Chats Cosmetics Line

By Leslie Ramirez / December 12, 2020 / CULTURE / 0 Comments

Our youth are the future! When we can keep them inspired and doing great things, it will trickle down to their peers which in turn will help to build and sustain wealth within our communities.

I recently interviewed a phenomenal young lady, Maria Raquel Thomas. Most may remember when we interviewed her mother Raquel just a few months ago. It is amazing to see how entrepreneurship is thriving through their bloodline.

Watch the conversation above or read the transcript below.

H.O.R: Miss Maria I just want to thank you so much for being here with House of Ramirez. I love to make time to sit down and speak with young successful entrepreneurs that are actually causing change in our communities. To see such a successful young lady, taking on such a great role in that change is truly motivational and encouraging.

So, I would like to thank you for being here with House of Ramirez and for doing such great work.

Maria Raquel Thomas: Thank you, I am glad to be here.

H.O.R: I went ahead and looked into a little bit about what it is that you are doing, and I see that you have a cosmetic line. Can you tell us a little bit about what moved you to start your own line?

Maria Raquel Thomas: Yes, I have my own cosmetic line and it is called, ‘Maria Raquel Thomas Cosmetics’ and the reason why I started my business was because…first, I had my own slime business but during that time I had my own personal issues with my lips, and I did not feel as confident when I went out in public. So, one day I just decided to fix that, and I went into my “lab” and I came up with a formula that helped my lips feel really smooth. I felt confident and I felt good about myself. In my head I was thinking that there are probably other girls out there that have the same problem that I do, so I wanted to help girls around the world that may have brittle lips and that is what inspired my business and my business grew from there and we added more products.

H.O.R: That is beautiful. That is very encouraging to hear because initially, you created a product that would help you but then moving forward, you included others, so that we too could have a product that made us feel beautiful as well and that is very uplifting.

So, I noticed that you have lip gloss, lip scrubs, lip masks and eye shadow. I see a lot of radiant colors, but I also see some subtle colors as well, it suits all ages and skin tones, and I would like to go ahead and thank you for that. It is very important that we have something that is compatible with everyone. You did not leave anyone out and that is very commendable.

I also noticed that you have a Girl Power Collection right now and I am super excited to hear about that, can you tell me more about it?

Maria Raquel Thomas: My Girl Power Collection is basically a collection that was created to inspire and empower girls to make them feel good about themselves and the one thing that is unique about the Girl Power Collection is, that we have positive adjectives that make you feel good and the products are amazing too so that you not only look good, but you feel good at the same time.

So here is one of my products (she holds up the eye shadow) when you open it you will see that the colors are really bright, I wanted to get all of the colors in the rainbow because I wanted to provide options because I know that we all have different colors. Here is one of my lip glosses (she holds it up so that you can see the packaging), this is The Adventurous Lip Gloss, this is my favorite, and it is one of my best sellers, it looks good on all skin tones, my fans love it, it smells so good, feels good on your lips and it blends in very well.

H.O.R: I love that, I love that!

Maria Raquel Thomas: Then we have my lip oil (which she holds up) and then we have my lip scrub which is one of my favorites because it smells good and if you accidentally lick it, it tastes good at the same time and it really helps in preventing my lips from becoming brittle and if they become brittle then it will definitely help to remove the brittleness. This is my lip mask (she displays it so that it can be seen) and you put it on before you go to bed or in the morning after you put on your lip scrub and it helps to keep your lips hydrated for a longer time. All of these products come in this really nice box (She shows us the packaging for her collection, a very nice box and it has her name on it).

H.O.R: I love the color of it. It is very subtle for all the beautiful colors that you have on the palette. That is awesome and it is a great combo, I love it. When I saw it, I knew that Beautiful was my favorite because I could see how well it would go with my undertones and just the fact there is a color for everyone, nobody is left out and that is key right now. With everything that we are doing in 2020, it is important to make sure that it is inclusive, and you did just that, so thank you for that.

Maria Raquel Thomas: I am glad to be doing it because I do not want anyone to be left out.

H.O.R: So my favorite is Beautiful, what is your favorite lip gloss?

Maria Raquel Thomas: My favorite lip gloss is Adventurous; I love that one for school because it is not over the top, but it still looks nice and it is tasteful so that you do not look like you are doing too much. I also love my Determined lip gloss; it is the clear one and I put it over my other lip glosses, and it looks amazing. I love the way that it feels because it is very smooth, and it is not sticky. It does not feel uncomfortable on your lips, it is very smooth and sometimes I forget that I have it on my lips.

H.O.R: Well, that is always a great thing, you know with us girls it is always important to have the right lip gloss that is not too sticky or runny and it does not give you that white line in the back of your lip. These are the different things that we pay attention to and the fact that you have a cosmetic line that fit perfectly with all of us in our day to day lives, whether you are trying to be chic when you go out or whether you are going to school, work or just simply going out to hang out with your friends. There is a lip gloss out there in your cosmetic line for everybody, for any occasion and that is big. Maria, besides your cosmetic line, I see that you are also into fashion. Girl that is what prompted me to wear this head band, I had to dress up because I thought oh, she has a little more style than I do, so I have to dress up for this interview (Maria laughs).

So, give me the details, what has been one of your most favorite outfits to rock thus far?

Maria Raquel Thomas: My favorite one, I think that it was on my personal Instagram page and it was the outfit where I have my shorts on, with a mixture of my slides and sandals and I had on a white puffy top and I was outside in nature, that is one of my favorite outfits, I love that top. It was just a really comfortable outfit that made me feel so confident, so I love that outfit.

H.O.R: Yes, I did notice that, and you did look beautiful. Well you are beautiful, and I just want to say that it is important like you mentioned, to be beautiful and comfortable. A lot of times we are kind of uncomfortable just to look beautiful but in all honesty, beauty is within. As long as you are rocking something that you are very comfortable in, that beauty naturally radiates.

So Maria, I noticed that you were featured on the cover of Teen Cruze with your sister, how does it feel to be a successful young entrepreneur?

Maria Raquel Thomas: It feels so amazing and I was so happy that I was on the cover with my sister by my side and I love it when we work together. It feels amazing and it makes me want to keep going and to do so much more when I get older because I feel that by doing this now, it prepares me for life when I get older and I have an idea of what to do, I really love it.

H.O.R: That is awesome Maria. It is very important that we are in tune with successful entrepreneurs like yourself and your sister and we realize that anything that you dream about, if you want it, you can conquer it. Thank you for all the motivation and encouragement that you give, not just to our youth but to everyone because grown folk need encouragement too. You and your sister are trailblazers, so I am very excited to hear that you are doing big things, great things and I am honored to have this opportunity to speak with you. Are there any tips that you would like to give to young entrepreneurs that are in pursuit of their dreams?

Maria Raquel Thomas: I would say that if you really want to do it and you know that you can do it, go for it…just do it. I am pretty sure that if you really want to do it that you will not let anyone get in your way and if you love it so much and you have the passion for it then just do it. There is going to be a lot of ups and downs but there is going to be a time when the ups outweigh the downs. It is going to be amazing and you are going to appreciate the things that you worked hard for and earned. So, go for it, that is the advice that I would give.

H.O.R: I agree and that is a great piece of advice for anyone. I see that there is a pattern here, you are always including everyone, and I love it…I love it. It is very important that now in 2020, we all stick together.

I also realized that there is a sale going on right now, can you tell me what it’s all about because tis the season…so spill the dets I want to know.

Maria Raquel Thomas: So, I’m having 20% off of all my products on my website which is, www.mariaraquelthomas.com so basically the sale is on everything and you will be able to get a nice Maria Raquel Thomas Cosmetic box too if you order one. You will get The Girl Power Eye Shadow, and you will get The Girl Power Lip Glosses too. It is amazing, you will love it…the package is amazing and it’s just a win/win. You have high quality products that look good, they are cruelty free, non-sticky, colorful, they make you look good and it is compatible with all skin tones. There is so much more that I can say but it is amazing, and you will love it.

H.O.R: Girls you already heard, it is 20% off, you all have got to go ahead and get your hands on this. It is the holiday season! Like you said it is a win/win and it is for all ages, for all skin tones. If you do not know what to get your sister, your aunt, your mother, your friend, go ahead and buy a Girl Power Collection Pack, it’s a no brainer. So Maria, at the end of our show we always do shout outs, is there anybody that you would like to shout out?

Maria Raquel Thomas: I would like to shout out my mom and dad, my sister of course, my friends and family that have been supporting me in my business, helping it to grow by spreading the word and I would also like to thank God too for helping me…thank you God.

H.O.R: You are very blessed, and you have your head on straight. You are very humble with the amazing work that you are doing, and I think that being humble is something that is very important to be nowadays. The fact that you have a great line to back up that amazing attitude, your success is endless, and I am very proud of you. Thank you so much, I am very honored to have you on my show and whenever you come out with a new collection, go ahead, and hit me up and I will be more than happy to bring you back so that we can let everyone else know. You are doing a phenomenal job Maria and I want to thank you.

Maria Raquel Thomas: Thank you, I love doing it. Thank you for having me.

H.O.R: Well alright, until next time.