FREE Shipping with any $40 Purchase + FREE Gift Offer!
Written by PresidentELLA
Genevia inspires me. Every day, I decide what face to put on to face the world and she helps me decide. My former co-worker & fellow Aries has developed a phenomenal line of liquid lipsticks that remind me to be brilliant, resilient and beautiful. In June 2017, Genevia launched 3:27 Cosmetics, a beauty line for women who are comfortable with who they are; especially you, Brown Girl.
to start it off real basic, I just want everyone to know: Who you are and what is 3:27 Cosmetics?
G: Me? I’m really just a regular ass girl.*laughs* Like, I’m that girl from Hewitt Avenue, which is a place in Maryland…I’m a ’round the way girl. Like basic. Not basic *laughs* but basic. Just a girls girl, very chill. Don’t do too much. I’m very low key. I’ve always been a behind the scenes kind of person. Never really liked the spotlight. I’m trying to get out of my shell and be a little open because in 2017 you kind of have to be a bit transparent sometimes because people really want to know people behind brands, but I’m very private.
3:27 really is an autobiographical brand. It’s really… me. It comes down to who I am am. 3/27 is my birthday. So it’s a reflection of who I am, make up, or how I view make up for me and other women; my friends. It’s kind of my style and my take on make up. It’s very autobiographical. I’m very reflective so I’m constantly trying to improve myself and be better at different things. So it’s all wrapped into this cosmetics line in a way that probably doesn’t make sense to anyone else but it does to me. *laughs* So hopefully it continues to grow as I grow. Which is awesome.
In February 2017, I arrived at work, only to witness empty desks or panicked faces. Layoffs. The corporate world can throw you the saltiest bones, and Genevia is devouring hers.
G: In February 2017, I got laid off.. and it wasn’t my first time getting laid off by this particular company, it was my second time. Funny thing is, the second time around, I was so chill about everything.
I was alike, ‘alright. This is time. This is what God is giving me; this is a gift from God. I need to take this and not trip. I need to look at this like an obstacle that i can turn into an opportunity. I need to just use this situation to my advantage.
That day, she packed up her belongings, left her “job” and got to work. She started the 3:27 Cosmetics in 2015 and this was the final push she needed to officially launch. But what does it take to bounce back? To power through? To move forward? Much more than celebrity success, I find it motivational to know how a leader thinks as opposed to simply what they do. It seems an overwhelming idea to start your own company; entrepreneurs must feel so alone in their ventures. Yet, there are so many entrepreneurs, I think there must be something in that experience that strings them together as they follow their dreams. I want to show you the content of Genevia‘s character — that’s what I think makes true a leader.
G: There is a reason for why this is happening to me. I need to take This moment and refocus. I need to use this moment as an opportunity to build what I’ve been trying to do for the past 2 years which is to become my own boss.
So, I left that building and never looked back. I got home and I just started working on 3:27 and I have never stopped.
Honestly, I’m happy that it happened the way it did. I have no regrets. Really, I just didn’t feel good working there. I hated working there. Anybody who knows me know I would come in and just have my head down and go to work. I wasn’t ever in “social” mode. I didn’t want to be there. You could tell.
When you don’t like your environment. It shows. It wears on you. I had become so … exhausted working there. It just wasn’t creative. I wasn’t doing anything innovative. I wasn’t learning anything and i was being challenged.
[I told myself] it’s time. You’ve been asking for this. And this is it. So i left with my head held very high.
Explain to us what that road has been like.
G: It’s been really tough. I live by the phrase; “I walk by faith and not by sight.” I know how I got here but I don’t know how I got here. *laughs* 2 years is a lot of time. During that timespan I just had so much doubt. I didn’t believe. I felt like I needed to have all the money in the world.
Aside from lack of resources and intermittent doubt, Genevia found a way to push through: Sometimes with a simple phrase, “Fuck it”. Sometimes, by reminding herself to be patient with herself and her process. Sometimes telling herself to chill and “have a seat”. In May 2017, she invited me to participate in her #THISIS327 video campaign where she highlights women of color as they share their beauty routines or favorite products. I found it admirable that my (and the general public’s) introduction to 3:27 Cosmetics was not even focused on 3:27 Cosmetics rather on the consumer (Oh, selfish, Aries!). Even better was that we were learning from each other as the campaign builds a community proclaiming #THISIS327! In the true spirt of Queens, we made a toast and arranged each other’s crowns: I’ll be acting as a brand ambassador for 3:27 Cosmetics, sporting & reviewing all 8 shades of the liquid lipsticks! I agreed to be a brand ambassador because this is my homegirl, but when I actually put on the lipsticks, I was blown away.
What about your brand differentiates you from whatever else is on the market? Why should we gravitate towards you?
G: For starters, 3:27 is a brand that’s definitely for women of color. I feel like there aren’t many brands that represent women of color and that was one of main reasons why I decided to start 3:27. So, definitely, first and foremost, it’s a brand that is for us.
The formula, in itself, the actual lipstick, is super different, I think, compared to many other brands and I’ve tried countless lipstick brands. My formula is amazing. It’s very comfortable to wear, it’s long-lasting, it’s hydrating. It’s weightless, you don’t even really know that you have it on. It goes on sheer but it’s still very highly pigmented. It’s like a checklist! You could just check!, check!, check! off all these things that you really want in a lipstick. So, I tried to put together something that women want. We want lipstick that actually works. And that’s what I’m doing. I’m trying to create a brand that offers practical products.
3:27 is not a trendy brand. That’s not who I am, so I’m not going to sell that to anybody.
Low-key lit is what I like to call it. Soft Glam.
I’ll follow up with reviews of all 8 shades of the liquid lipstick just to prove Genevia points 😉 The 8 shades are as follow: Pretty Please, Queen Me, Love Crimes, Cheeky, Play Nice, Pecan Pie, Apple Pie and Choosy Lover. In the meantime, visit 3:27 Cosmetics and sign up for the newsletter or try it for yourself! Also, pretty please follow my homegirl on all her social media channels, you are sure to be inspired!
Instagram: @GNVAS and
YOUTUBE: 3:27 Cosmetics
FACEBOOK PAGE: 3:27 Cosmetics
EllaThought 