Everyone knows that lipgloss is a girl’s best friend!
Okay, maybe not actually, but Mikay LLC, a vegan lipgloss brand founded by Madison Williamson, may change your mind.
Williamson was born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee and is the oldest of 4 children. Even though she is still technically a senior sociology major at Washington University in St. Louis, she is also pursuing her Masters in International Social and Economic Development with a Specialization in Equal Health and Education through WashU’s 3-2 program. This program allows students to fast-track their undergraduate degree, finishing it in three years, and get their masters in two years.
Her passion for creating lipgloss began a few years ago when she developed a tree nut allergy which caused her lips to swell and skin to break out. That was when she learned that many cosmetic products include sweet almond oil. Since she loved wearing lipgloss, she decided to look up different recipes in order to begin making lipglosses for herself. After a while, she began playing with different pigments and shades until she found the perfect gloss consistency and created a number of shades that she loved. It was at that point she decided that she wanted to create lipgloss on a larger scale, and Mikay LLC was born.
When Mikay officially opened up for business in 2019, she had three key focuses: accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. “When I was thinking about pricing, I didn't want to charge $15-$20 dollars for a tube of lipgloss,” Williamson said. So, she makes her glosses as cost-friendly as possible. Furthermore, as a darker-skinned woman, she expressed concern with how difficult it can be to find pigments that suit darker skinned people as people with these skin types are often left out bigger makeup companies. She pointed to the uproar caused by Fenty Beauty’s drop in 2016, noting the idea that Fenty's 40 shades of foundation—or the Fenty 40— was seen as “revolutionary” when in reality, 40 shades isn't that many shades when considering the wide array of skin tones, especially in women of color.
This lack of diversity and inclusion in makeup products has, in turn, bled into the diversity seen in makeup models. The presence of very Eurocentric, heteronormative models inspired Williamson to break these standards, promote more inclusion for all in makeup, and make Mikay a safe, unique, and inclusive company. “I try to center the customers first,” she said, and she does this by often including product photos and videos from her customers— many of which are people of color and/or part of the LGTBQ+ community— on her website and social media channels to diversify Mikay’s look.
As a successful business woman thus far, Williamson gives general entrepreneurs one piece of advice: know your limits. “It's ok to know your limits and admit when you don't know the answer to everything. The fastest way to kill your business fast is to be too prideful,” she said. For those going into the makeup industry specifically, she advises entrepreneurs to be wary. “You’re going to fail a lot, but you have to keep going. You have to put the work in to create your own original formulations and be authentic,” she said.
In addition to running Mikay, Madison is also a licensed astrologer, saying “I find astrology to be a fun way to understand myself and others. Eventually,” she continued, “I started applying it to actual things and events. It's always been interesting to me how massive heavenly bodies influence us in our daily lives. I think it's astounding.” She attributes her love for sociology to her interest in astrology from a young age. She decided to open her services during the COVID-19 pandemic as she saw that many people were going on self discovery journeys and needed help with this. She even practices the astrology of business, where she “helps entrepreneurs learn how to tap into how to make their business the most successful.” “I’ve used it for Mikay, and it has helped a lot,” she affirmed.
So what’s next for Mikay? Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, her progress towards creating foundations and concealers for her customers was halted. However, she assures her customers that these and bigger product drops, can be expected by 2022-2023 once she graduates with her masters as her current focus is working on sex work reform and therapy. “All I’ll say is be ready,” she said, and you can bet we all are!
Want to support Mikay LLC and cop some amazing lipgloss? Go to madimikay.com to place your order now!
Also, go follow Madison and Mikay on social media!
Madison’s Instagram: @madi.mikay
Mikay LLC’s Instagram: @themikaybrand
Tik Tok: @madimikay
