Meet Justice Cierra | Business Mentor & Beauty Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justice Cierra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justice, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Well, I’ve always been for women my entire life. Female empowerment and women supporting women is not new to me. I’ve always loved uplifting and empowering women which in turn is the reason behind both my brands. In regards to starting my own makeup and cosmetic line (NuBeauty Cosmetics). I’ve always been into makeup since a little girl. Around the age of 9 or 10, I would play in my mom’s and my sisters makeup all the time. I enjoyed how I felt when I did my makeup even at a young age. It made me feel powerful and fearless. In college is when I really got into makeup and began to try different makeup looks and really experiment. I remember me and my bestfriend would go into mac and sephora all the time and realize all of the makeup looked the same. In terms of shades and creativity, there wasn’t much difference. Everything was pretty much “the norm” when it came to makeup back then. I created NuBeauty Cosmetics in 2019 and my process behind creating the brand was to create a brand for the bold and beautiful. I wanted to create a makeup brand whose products go against the regular makeup norm in society. The goal behind this is to make every women who wears makeup no matter if she likes bright bold colors or neutral tones, but to make sure she feels good doing so. In terms of my women empowerment organization (HeyGirlHeyco), I started this brand to help women level up in their life and in their businesses. Being a full time entrepreneur has had it’s trails and tribulations and I wanted to make sure that no other women has to go through the same problems I have as a business owner. However, HeyGirlHey doesn’t just help women with starting their own brand, but it helps them navigate through college, find careers and network with other like minded women. I didn’t have this kind of program growing up, so I knew the next generation after me had to.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Me being my true authentic self sets me apart from others. There were times where I would become overwhelm with what everyone else was doing until I realized that nobody is me and that is my power. I am most proud of how far myself and my business have come. You know in a social media world where everyone is so critical on what you’re doing and what you’re wearing it can place fear in you that will make it hard to keep pushing. However, that never stopped me. There were obstacles and challenges in the beginning where no one would listen to me, no one would purchase from me but I kept going and I did not let that stop me. I’ve come to realize people are always watching, whether they will support you now or later they are watching. So I’ve always just kept pushing my brand and business out there because I knew it would speak to someone. I knew eventually they would have to support and that’s exactly what they are doing and I very very grateful. I want anyone reading this to know that success is whatever it looks like to you. Do not let the world define that for you. If success to you is landing your dream career out of college, do that. If it’s starting a business then do that. Always remember you define success.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being from Washington, D.C., a city where there is ton of fun things to do I would not know where to start. D.C. has certainly changed over the years but there are still many cultural spots and events that happen here that I love. Beyond the beautiful attractions in D.C. such as the monument, capitol, and museums – you’ll find amazing food, arts, and a beautiful nightlife scenes. D.C has amazing food. What I love about it is the local restaurants those are the best. There is a restaurant called “jerk at nite” located on H st NE that sells organic jamaican recipes. Another one of my favorites is “little miner taco”, they have the best birria tacos you’ll ever try. D.C. nightlife is also amazing. There are many local bars and nightclubs here for everyone. A fun spot I like to go to is U St. U street has a mix of clubs and lounges and good eateries as well. I also use to love hanging out at georgetown when I was younger. Georgetown is a very popular tourist location in D.C where there are tons of activities to do from riding bikes along side the potomac river, catching a movie, and shopping at all of the best stores your heart desires.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This is easy. Someone who has been such a huge help with my success and deserves all the recognition in my story is my older sister. Since I was a little girl, she always was my biggest fan and always rooted for me. As a child, I never really focused in on it because I thought that was what she was supposed to do. However, as I got older and started my own business she has been right by my side through the good and the bad. When I got laid off my job due to the pandemic and decided to pursue entrepreneurship full-time, she was the first one to call me and tell me that my journey is just beginning and that anything I want, I can obtain. She’s always the first one to purchase whatever I product or service I put out. She always tells me that as her little sister, I inspire her but I think we both do a great job at that for each other.

Website: www.heygirlheyco.org

Instagram: @_justicecierra

Twitter: @__itsjustice

Youtube: Justice Cierra

Image Credits
Jacob Webster Michael J