By Dendy Media
Today we’d like to introduce you to Roxana Turnbo.
It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started almost 3 years ago when I got diagnosed with fibromyalgia after a long shift at pier one imports. After my diagnosis I came home mildly and wildly depressed I ask myself is my life over now what I’m already a house mom only chasing after laundry and cooked meals what am I meant to do now? A few days later I found myself watching project runway and a young woman caught my attention with the statement: “ I’ve only been sewing for four months“, turns out she ended up winning the season, then I said to myself “if she can do it then so can I!”
Fast Forward March 2020 avid Covid-19, answering the call to bridge the Facemask shortages by sewing 3 layer cloth Facemasks. I designed my own patent-pending design endorsed and tested by Senior Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Larry Schlesinger and his OR team in Honolulu, Hawaii. I launched my own self made fashion Brand, Gingrr Salt with my 1st collection being: The Hula Facemasks.
Meanwhile I was personally hand-sewing masks, I said to myself, women can’t wear lipstick anymore because it’ll smudge their face and Facemask. This angered me so I took swift action into research and sourcing plant based/ vegan lipstick that wouldn’t smear or smudge against a Facemask. Few days later, Gingrr Salt gave birth to GRR GRRL CosMetics. Carrying on the grr that represents; unity of the people as ONE and a fierce attitude to slay !
I’m sure your success has not come easily. What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?
First, Let’s name the big elephant in the article: Covid-19 on a remote island on the Pacific Island, Hawaii. When the virus first came out, we were all under quarantine & restrictions which meant sourcing fabric, machines, & hand power was the biggest challenge. Not to add the daily fatigue , mental fog, pains, being a mom of 3, trips to the OR for mask beta testing, and the orders I personally sewed and fulfilled with barely any sleep before I found a strong team to lead and train.
At around July, business slowed down tremendously but instead of moping around, I took action. I started my research for the waterproof cosmetics and then yet another challenge had begun: to source safe, plant-based cosmetic factories for my own cosmetic line without meeting in person!
This may surprise you but my biggest challenge was Me. The self doubt was my poison and I had to often yell at My Self & mind out loud, “ you can do this, you will NOT GIVE UP!, You give up and your giving up yet another freedom to the monster named Covid19; woman’s confidence.
I like what Hailee Steinfeld sings in “Most Girls,” ‘Cause you look so greatest when you feel like a Queen’.
It’s so true and as a long time Makeup Artist and previous Mary Kay Consultant, I feel like lipstick helps us feel and look better. Just ask the girl next door. Facts.
Let’s talk about the work you do. What do you specialize in and why should someone work with you over the competition?
Did I name any of my companies after me? Absolutely not and no judgment on any brand named after a person but to me and every other woman, cosmetics are PERSONAL.
Why should I convince you to be like me, or lead your confidence with a brand name that doesn’t represent you or every woman but only 1? It hit me hard to see that there are barely any brands except in direct sales that leave the power with a woman that buys their products.
I’m an encourager, Self-Love & alignment Life Coach so I want to build every woman up with a brand name they see , touch and wear that’ll represent their INDIVIDUALITY, confidence, self love & ENHANCED natural beauty. GRR GRRL’s slogan is a simple math equation:
Fierce Confidence = Self-Worth + Smudgeproof Lipstick .
I respect Celebrities and Authorities that have branded their products with their own name but I truly wish they’d use their influence to bounce Back the praise and love given to them by their fans. So many people want to be like someone else they idolize meanwhile destroying their own sense of self & individual beauty just to look like their Idol. GRR GRRL CosMEtics is bringing back the ME(YOU) in the allocated women meant to make a difference and bring awareness of the biggest & highest form of love; #selflove. You are Worthy to express yourself with makeup that won’t run off like your ex.
What’s your best piece of advice for readers who desire to find success in their life?
My first statement would be a question: Do you know who you are?
By that I don’t mean do you know your name, where you are from, your favorite color or food but do you know who is your soul, the experiencer or the seer through your avatar? I feel like I need to write a book on this but what comes close is a book called: The Untethered Soul, the Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer.
You’ll save a lot of money to therapy but better yet, you’ll be able to answer my question if you pick it up and fully taste it’s words, dig deep and do the inner work.
Knowing who you are comes with self love acting out of love which is truly the way of just; Being.
With self love follows alignment and passion to do what you meant yourself to contribute to the human experience. To create is to live. To live is to feel. To feel is to witness the blissful effects of just being YOU which means we because we are all connected. #weareone
By knowing or being AWARE of your being, you will “succeed” .
Speaking of success, what does the word mean to you?
Success is a label we have created out of low self worth & pressures of the judgment from others, via social status. From what my primitive mind can comprehend and dissect, we can make ourselves experience only the better. Success to most means climbing the ladder of corporate titles and monetary things but to me success is tofail a lot, to fall many times AND to feel the pain of GROWTH! Growth is what the human experience is about.
What would your Wiser & Older Self from twenty-years from now tell you NOW?
That answer is your “success”.
I believe that Less of your false sense of being which is EGO created by FEAR and social-scape projections will allow you to leave the realm of competition to the realm of the Living & present .
Your Fear is afraid of sucking, failing, falling, hurting but those emotions exists so that with emotional maturity, we are able to manipulate fear into actions & results of love.
Mr. ME in the movie, We Bought a Zoo, talks about how his brother taught him the 20 seconds of courage , thumb rule which is something like this; start by counting twenty seconds and do the thing you are afraid of doing while you count and do it afraid anyways! The fear is flushed out by taking action. When you are able to take and manipulate your FEAR: you’ll succeed.
What’s next for you?
BIG actions that are scary to my vulnerabilities but what’s next is writing my books, yes more than one for example my story, and a book specifically to women who are looking for the fairy tale because they think it’ll make them whole or complete. Which leads me to BIG next: launching an online self-love online course with an accessible directory of hand picked Life Coaches for women to book with discretion and have the mentorship/accountability needed for any queen to do the inner/ outer work without the judgments of others. To create a community for women who want to find self love, confidence and life-long friends that can relate on the same levels of needs & growth.
Another NEXT is expanding and making the GRR GRRL CosMEtic line more accessible to more women with more quality makeup with department store prices. Currently I’m testing some recipes that will give us elevated results with lower Retail prices. Cheaper doesn’t have to mean CHEAP results. One of my all-time favorite quotes that I keep my business accountable to is this one: “Life can be much broader, once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.”-Steve Jobs
Basically, I like to change things up.
Finally, how can people connect with you if they want to learn more.
Instagram: grrgrrlcosmetics
TikTok: Grrgrrlcosmetics
FaceBook: Grr Grrl Cosmetics
YouTube: GRR GRRL COSMETICS
Inquiries: info@grrgrrlcosmetics.com
Beauty website: www.grrgrrl.com
Fashion website: www.gingrrsalt.com
GRR GRRL Bundle special: www.grrgrrlcosmetics.com