I think we need to talk about why there aren't more Black-owned private equity firms acquiring Black businesses that are having trouble scaling and staying in business. I know some exist but I wonder where the disconnect comes in.
Comes down to funding. It's easier for Asians and Whties to get funding as people are more willing to take a chance on them (there are also more of them in those positions)
One reason for the concern of Mented or any other black owned company remaining that way, is that the focus pivots from black women and their unique cosmetic concerns, to including others and their needs. That usually involves changing the potency, color, and/or formulation of those products (think Shea Moisture when it was sold to Unilever), so that it is less or no longer effective from what it originally was. Besides, it should be well known that once a takeover happens and the transition is complete, the focus to acquire new and different customers, moves black women's concerns from being the primary focus to that of an afterthought. Does anyone know of a good dupe for Mented’s No. 5 lipstick?
Thanks for the update. Sad that they're no longer a Black owned business, we have so few and I cherish and support companies that are owned by people of color. At least they didn't have to sell all of their makeup at a discount store.
I’d rather they offer ‘NO EXPLANATION” when it’s formed this way. Or make it basic and say, “the price was right that they offered”. Of course it affects the brand either good for us or not. She’s there to help those who purchased the company. IT IS NO LONGER BLACK OWNED! Ok, let’s look at it on the bright side. Why are larger companies eager to purchase ‘Black Owned’. They see 👀 us and how we loving ON our OWN now.
Idk if this is a hot take but how common is it for anyone to scale a business without eventually selling to venture capital? As much as I love supporting black owned businesses, I don’t think it’s wise to risk your company or financial well-being just to call yourself black owned. If the products and shade range stay the same (or even improve) I’ll still be on board.
Loving your hair. I never tried anything from Mented Cosmetics everything i wanted to try was always sold out. Brands always change when they are bought out or partner with a corporation so it will be interesting to see if their products stay the same and how much they change.
Not all entrepreneurs have the goal of retaining their business. For some/ most it’s the goal to sell. If you like Mented you should continue to support! Especially if the founders are still cutting a check in any capacity ( steak-holder, CEO, Director of Marketing) etc.
It is one of the best out there in the market! I started wearing them specifically because I put them on and do about 5 hours of work and it does not leave me with dry lips.
Your hair is gorgeous 😍 Thanks for the update bc I was definitely wondering. I'm happy they're not completely put of business but sad to hear it's no longer black owned. I am willing to try the products after the drop to see and in some form it's still supporting a black person since KJ is still involved not the same as when she co owned it but still support.
I think people confuse ownership with who is actually running the company. You can be both an owner and an operating officer or just one or the other. Her saying she’s still a part of it likely means she’s still an operating officer and will have lots of control over the direction. I’d rather not see a brand go under just for the sake of saying it’s black owned especially with how many barriers black entrepreneurs still face in the industry. Regardless she’s moved the needle and that’s something to be proud of.
Extremely well covered, thank you! Sad to hear it no longer being a black-owned brand. Further down I responded to someone else more about my feelings on that. But I do like what you said in the last part, we as the community who love these companies and products need to also make up our minds about what we want these companies to do when this does happen... I just wish we as a community had more capital so that it didn't always have to happen...
I hope that the DNA of Mented is not affected. Of course when someone purchases a company that is struggling the conversation is did sticking to the dna get you in this predicament and should the company Continue to do more of what didn’t work money wise
I'm happy that they are continuing in production. Can we make it seamless after the abrupt challenge of finding products? We love the brand for what it brought to the marketplace!
This is why we have to support instead of bash our black owned brands on social media. Give the same energy that you give to Huas labs to black owned businesses. If not, we won’t have anything for ourselves.
Can you do one on Coloured Raine! I just find it funny that it seems like they. Are trying to get rid of everything on their website! I just bought a whole bunch of stuff damn near 50 to 60 percent off 2 weeks ago!
@@jostinaluver these lip products have been on pre order for well over a year! I am a faithful coloured rain customer! I have been waiting on colors since last year around this time! But who knows! In all honesty is giving going out of business vibes!
@@Heatherjordan2010 Have you tried reaching out to them? Shanygne can only give us the info on these brands she finds from Google and what they're saying on their social media.
@@Heatherjordan2010they lost their momentum years ago. I still have their Xmas palette and some single shades but these brands dont know how to market themselves
Glad that KJ resurfaced to let us know what's going on. Even as Mented expands I hope they still have great quality, especially for darker skin tones. They've got a few of my faves (Dark Night, Foxy Brown & Brown Bare) 🤞🏾💄
I hope all goes well because that Mented #5 lipstick feels custom made, and the Every Night Eyeshadow palette was something special. ❤❤ I want to be optimistic and believe that everything is going to work out in the end.
And here we are…..summer is almost over and they have not re-launched. I can’t find an any new stock at my local Target or Ulta and products are STILL out of stock on their website. So sad, but I have a feeling that this company is slowly going out of business. Very disappointing.
From a business standpoint it's not sustainable for black owned brands to only or primarily market to black people, that's too niche in an extremely competitive market especially if the brand doesn't have a competitive edge. These brands have to be inclusive to stay in the game which is not a bad thing if that's what Mented is doing. Ami colé is doing great so far in the US but how long will that last if they don't get enough funds to expand internationally.
What about Lusters? There are lots of BOBs making money that market to black people. I think some of these BOBs that target black consumers are mismanaged.
If the goal is to make more money BOBs will either have to create more products, raise prices/cut costs, or expand to another market. There is only so much you can do with the first two before you hit a wall, so it’s not a surprise that many choose to go with the 3rd option. Also considering the fact that for a lot of business owners black or white getting acquired and tons of money is a dream and wayyyy easier than running the business.
I disagree. Especially when again we lead a lot of trends and people assume if it works for us it definitely will work for them. It's not even about being black just being inclusive to those with deeper shades which is a lot of people. Brands cater solely to white people and are doing fine, and if it wasn't profitable to have a niche market then why purchase the brand.
@@abookishmess It's a numbers game. Among all consumers, black people who wear makeup is really small compared to non black people which is why it's hard to constantly generate revenue. Also, since Fenty disrupted the market, most non Black owned brands are chasing the black coin by including products for deeper skin tones and many are successfully doing so which has made the market extremely competitive. IMO the brand will no longer be niche and they'll probably open up to a larger target.
It's sad that we are losing another Black-owned brand. JD Glow is completely closing it's doors as well. We just have to continue to throw our support behind the ones that remain, like Coloured Raine.
Unpopular opinion: Running a business from the ground up and keeping it successful is exhausting and stressful. I can’t imagine how many sleepless nights and working holidays they have to endure. I don’t blame anyone for “selling out” if a good offer is on the table. Why are other brands allowed to sell but *we* have to stay on the grind?
International shipping is expensive both ways. I wanted to buy from Europe by the shipping was $13 which was only a few dollars less than the product I was buying
@@hayaglamazonluxe i agree with you 100%. Its not about the cost of shipping. Because I have bought plenty of stuff on etsy from small brands. But for some reasons black brands dont in general.
@@pdobani I agree fully. I am ready to purchase and support but they won't ship to my country so I cannot. The US global black population is 5 per cent of black people worldwide. I agree shipping isn't the issue either.
@@hayaglamazonluxe so am I. I think it could be ignorans. Its like they dont know that black people outside us struggle even more to find products that works for them. That happly pay to get their makeup.
Name a black brand that was not run into the ground by a wyt corporation... Fenty is the only one that is partially black owned that has not turned to rubble. Probably b/c she is a celebrity and it started as a corporate collab
Mented is a case study in how not to run a business especially in terms of customer service. We keep hearing support black businesses but ignoring comments on Facebook, IG, TikTok is not how a business with VC capital should operate. Period end of story. If we want BOBs to succeed, we need to act professionally. Both founders clearly didn't care so why should we 🤷🏾♀️?
Have you tried Juvia’s Place lipsticks? She has a great selection of browns (Sheba, Cocoa, Morocco) reds and pink shades of lipstick. And she always has some type of sale.
I think we need to talk about why there aren't more Black-owned private equity firms acquiring Black businesses that are having trouble scaling and staying in business. I know some exist but I wonder where the disconnect comes in.
the disconnect is probably the racial wealth gap in general.
Comes down to funding. It's easier for Asians and Whties to get funding as people are more willing to take a chance on them (there are also more of them in those positions)
One reason for the concern of Mented or any other black owned company remaining that way, is that the focus pivots from black women and their unique cosmetic concerns, to including others and their needs. That usually involves changing the potency, color, and/or formulation of those products (think Shea Moisture when it was sold to Unilever), so that it is less or no longer effective from what it originally was.
Besides, it should be well known that once a takeover happens and the transition is complete, the focus to acquire new and different customers, moves black women's concerns from being the primary focus to that of an afterthought. Does anyone know of a good dupe for Mented’s No. 5 lipstick?
Thanks for the update. Sad that they're no longer a Black owned business, we have so few and I cherish and support companies that are owned by people of color. At least they didn't have to sell all of their makeup at a discount store.
We bout to get 40 shades of foundation with 5 dark shades
Exactly.
Facts 🙄💯
Awesome
Tryna find the bright side but I only was buying from Mented because they were Black owned. I have other Black Owned brands that have similar go-tos
Same for me
sigh.... not another one... I'll see what's up when they drop the foundations
I’d rather they offer ‘NO EXPLANATION” when it’s formed this way. Or make it basic and say, “the price was right that they offered”. Of course it affects the brand either good for us or not.
She’s there to help those who purchased the company. IT IS NO LONGER BLACK OWNED!
Ok, let’s look at it on the bright side. Why are larger companies eager to purchase ‘Black Owned’. They see 👀 us and how we loving ON our OWN now.
Idk if this is a hot take but how common is it for anyone to scale a business without eventually selling to venture capital? As much as I love supporting black owned businesses, I don’t think it’s wise to risk your company or financial well-being just to call yourself black owned. If the products and shade range stay the same (or even improve) I’ll still be on board.
Just seems like all the black owned brands are quietly being strong armed or being starved out of business
Clock it! It's bc they are! All the business that popped up during the pandemic they're trying to squash. This is low key tragic.
They are
Loving your hair. I never tried anything from Mented Cosmetics everything i wanted to try was always sold out. Brands always change when they are bought out or partner with a corporation so it will be interesting to see if their products stay the same and how much they change.
Agreed.
Not all entrepreneurs have the goal of retaining their business. For some/ most it’s the goal to sell. If you like Mented you should continue to support! Especially if the founders are still cutting a check in any capacity ( steak-holder, CEO, Director of Marketing) etc.
Thanks for the update, your hair is popping, love it!
Yeah, I was like the hair!🤌🏾
I loved Mented when they came out! I saw them in Ulta but hadn’t seen any new stuff. Thanks for the update .
I hope the lipstick formula doesn’t change. The Mented lipstick formula is amazing.
It is one of the best out there in the market! I started wearing them specifically because I put them on and do about 5 hours of work and it does not leave me with dry lips.
Your hair is gorgeous 😍 Thanks for the update bc I was definitely wondering. I'm happy they're not completely put of business but sad to hear it's no longer black owned. I am willing to try the products after the drop to see and in some form it's still supporting a black person since KJ is still involved not the same as when she co owned it but still support.
I think people confuse ownership with who is actually running the company. You can be both an owner and an operating officer or just one or the other. Her saying she’s still a part of it likely means she’s still an operating officer and will have lots of control over the direction. I’d rather not see a brand go under just for the sake of saying it’s black owned especially with how many barriers black entrepreneurs still face in the industry. Regardless she’s moved the needle and that’s something to be proud of.
Extremely well covered, thank you!
Sad to hear it no longer being a black-owned brand. Further down I responded to someone else more about my feelings on that. But I do like what you said in the last part, we as the community who love these companies and products need to also make up our minds about what we want these companies to do when this does happen... I just wish we as a community had more capital so that it didn't always have to happen...
I love their bronzer. Hopefully the formula will be the same
Indeed! Yacht Life is that girl!
@@KayJay79 yes it is
That's the only thing I wanted to try from them😅 I'll pass now
glad you said this cus i had to hunt for that in the shade out of office literally looks like the perfect deep bronzer
As soon as I read that notification, I had to swoop on in. Thanks for the updates!
Love the hair. Thanks for the update ❤
I hope that the DNA of Mented is not affected. Of course when someone purchases a company that is struggling the conversation is did sticking to the dna get you in this predicament and should the company
Continue to do more of what didn’t work money wise
I am hoping this works out for them and they have a Haus Labs type of rebrand success ✌🏼
I'm happy that they are continuing in production. Can we make it seamless after the abrupt challenge of finding products? We love the brand for what it brought to the marketplace!
This is why we have to support instead of bash our black owned brands on social media. Give the same energy that you give to Huas labs to black owned businesses. If not, we won’t have anything for ourselves.
Love this for them! Loved their products but I can no support. I’ve been wondering why everything is unavailable 😢
Hi Shanygne you look absolutely beautiful as always! Thank you for the updates. I always look forward to them! 💖💖💖💐
Thanks for the update ❤😊
Forgot to mention how cute your hair looks! You have such a pretty head of hair.
Time will tell. Thanks for the update.
Can you do one on Coloured Raine! I just find it funny that it seems like they. Are trying to get rid of everything on their website! I just bought a whole bunch of stuff damn near 50 to 60 percent off 2 weeks ago!
They're still posting stuff all the time on Tik Tok. They probably wanna get rid of some stock. I did notice most of the lippies are on preorder.
@@jostinaluver these lip products have been on pre order for well over a year! I am a faithful coloured rain customer! I have been waiting on colors since last year around this time! But who knows! In all honesty is giving going out of business vibes!
@@Heatherjordan2010 Have you tried reaching out to them? Shanygne can only give us the info on these brands she finds from Google and what they're saying on their social media.
@@Heatherjordan2010they lost their momentum years ago. I still have their Xmas palette and some single shades but these brands dont know how to market themselves
Glad that KJ resurfaced to let us know what's going on. Even as Mented expands I hope they still have great quality, especially for darker skin tones. They've got a few of my faves (Dark Night, Foxy Brown & Brown Bare) 🤞🏾💄
I'm convinced these black founded companies are being threatened if they don't sell out...🤷🏾♀️
I love these updates r🎉
I hope all goes well because that Mented #5 lipstick feels custom made, and the Every Night Eyeshadow palette was something special. ❤❤ I want to be optimistic and believe that everything is going to work out in the end.
I’m glad they’re not closing and I’m going to still support them. As long as KJ is still there, it’s black owned for me
On sale today at target 🎯 $8 foundation
Thank you
CURLS!!!!!
And here we are…..summer is almost over and they have not re-launched. I can’t find an any new stock at my local Target or Ulta and products are STILL out of stock on their website. So sad, but I have a feeling that this company is slowly going out of business. Very disappointing.
From a business standpoint it's not sustainable for black owned brands to only or primarily market to black people, that's too niche in an extremely competitive market especially if the brand doesn't have a competitive edge. These brands have to be inclusive to stay in the game which is not a bad thing if that's what Mented is doing.
Ami colé is doing great so far in the US but how long will that last if they don't get enough funds to expand internationally.
What about Lusters? There are lots of BOBs making money that market to black people. I think some of these BOBs that target black consumers are mismanaged.
If the goal is to make more money BOBs will either have to create more products, raise prices/cut costs, or expand to another market. There is only so much you can do with the first two before you hit a wall, so it’s not a surprise that many choose to go with the 3rd option.
Also considering the fact that for a lot of business owners black or white getting acquired and tons of money is a dream and wayyyy easier than running the business.
I disagree. Especially when again we lead a lot of trends and people assume if it works for us it definitely will work for them. It's not even about being black just being inclusive to those with deeper shades which is a lot of people. Brands cater solely to white people and are doing fine, and if it wasn't profitable to have a niche market then why purchase the brand.
@@abookishmess It's a numbers game. Among all consumers, black people who wear makeup is really small compared to non black people which is why it's hard to constantly generate revenue. Also, since Fenty disrupted the market, most non Black owned brands are chasing the black coin by including products for deeper skin tones and many are successfully doing so which has made the market extremely competitive.
IMO the brand will no longer be niche and they'll probably open up to a larger target.
@@hayaglamazonluxe Is that a makeup brand? I've never heard of it.
It's sad that we are losing another Black-owned brand. JD Glow is completely closing it's doors as well. We just have to continue to throw our support behind the ones that remain, like Coloured Raine.
The pigment will no longer be in the room with us 😂😭.
Unpopular opinion: Running a business from the ground up and keeping it successful is exhausting and stressful. I can’t imagine how many sleepless nights and working holidays they have to endure. I don’t blame anyone for “selling out” if a good offer is on the table. Why are other brands allowed to sell but *we* have to stay on the grind?
No you could not buy their products from Europe. They did not shipped out of US. A lot of brand has it like that. Especially smaller brands
International shipping is expensive both ways. I wanted to buy from Europe by the shipping was $13 which was only a few dollars less than the product I was buying
A lot of black owned brands in the US don't make an effort to sell to other black consumers worldwide. Missing out on $$
@@hayaglamazonluxe i agree with you 100%. Its not about the cost of shipping. Because I have bought plenty of stuff on etsy from small brands. But for some reasons black brands dont in general.
@@pdobani I agree fully. I am ready to purchase and support but they won't ship to my country so I cannot. The US global black population is 5 per cent of black people worldwide. I agree shipping isn't the issue either.
@@hayaglamazonluxe so am I. I think it could be ignorans. Its like they dont know that black people outside us struggle even more to find products that works for them. That happly pay to get their makeup.
Isn't fenty set up like this too? Technically fenty isn't blck owned or isn't fully black owned
Not fully, but ppl pick and choose what’s acceptable 🥴
Fenty is majority owned by Kendo brands, which is part of LVMH (same owner of Sephora.)
rihanna is 50% owner of fenty. it's savage x fenty where she's a minority shareholder.
Name a black brand that was not run into the ground by a wyt corporation... Fenty is the only one that is partially black owned that has not turned to rubble. Probably b/c she is a celebrity and it started as a corporate collab
Mented is a case study in how not to run a business especially in terms of customer service. We keep hearing support black businesses but ignoring comments on Facebook, IG, TikTok is not how a business with VC capital should operate. Period end of story. If we want BOBs to succeed, we need to act professionally. Both founders clearly didn't care so why should we 🤷🏾♀️?
Does anyone know of a good dupe for Mented’s No. 5 lipstick? Can you do a video for dupes of Mented’s products?
Have you tried Juvia’s Place lipsticks? She has a great selection of browns (Sheba, Cocoa, Morocco) reds and pink shades of lipstick. And she always has some type of sale.
@@msaerosoul1861 Ooo, this is a great suggestion! Thank you so much. I will look there. ☺
U look too Beautiful
Not enough investment in VC for black women, Serena and her husband are the only ones doing the most to help move the needle on this.
I just hope they don't turn into another Morphe (cough cough).
Poorly managed business
Yeah when I saw this announcement. I had mixed feelings but I left an encouraging positive comment 😂