Destiny Jones, daughter of hip-hop legend Nas, visited Chicago to share her lip gloss line, Lipmatic. She debuted the line in 2014 in line with the 20th anniversary of her father’s classic album, Illmatic. The Chicago pop-up shop was sponsored by Hennessy VS and was held at Sheena Marie Beauty Studio. Jones and her mother, Carmen Bryan, were in full mogul mode. This was the third stop in their tour across the United States. We took some time to speak with Jones about Lipmatic and the challenges that of being an entrepreneur.
What you are showcasing in the pop-up today?
Basically all 12 of my lip gloss colors and giving people the opportunity to try the glosses on. Sometimes when you buy products online, you don’t know how it’s going to look on you and it helps to try things out in person. We did a pop-up in NY and LA, and Chicago was the next major city we needed to do.
What motivated you to launch this line?
I always loved lip gloss, ever since I was little. I used to make my own with a little kit that I had. I always knew I wanted to have my own line. I wanted to make sure I had something that was organic, healthy, not sticky and not bad for your lips. I wanted it to represent who I am. It’s a streetwear, hip-hop brand. It’s not just glitz and glamour. It’s for real girls. It’s New York-based and a reflection of who I am as a person.
When you say “real girls” what do you mean by that?
Real everyday girls, me. Girls who are from the city, girls who went to public school, girls who wanna look cute. Girls who don’t want their lips to be all sticky. Not everybody wants a dry lip or a matte lip — sometimes we want a shiny lip. I wanted to do something for girls who are kind of like me.
What is the challenge of running this business?
The challenge is basically doing everything by myself. I don’t really have a team or assistants. Everything that has to be done, I have to make sure it gets done and if it doesn’t work out, that’s all on me.
What’s next for you?
I definitely want to do lipsticks and I might start doing matte glosses and go into further cosmetics.
What words do you have for the 10-year-old girl who is looking up to you and wants to follow their dream?
You just have to do it, no matter who is helping you or who tells you that you can’t. At the end of the day, nobody can tell you how to be you. You are your own individual with your own style and put 100 percent of your heart into everything that you do.
Learn more about Jones’ line at Lipmatic.com.
Take a look at the gallery below.
