Sharing my Experience as a new Over Forty Black Woman in the Luxury Beauty Niche

I am excited to share my one-year experience of being a YouTube content creator.

Why and how I challenged myself to conquer my fear of social media

For many of you who do not know me, my name is Chantell. I am a native Californian who lived in Dallas alone during a pandemic. I moved to Dallas, Texas for my career. I discovered in Dallas my love of makeup, and the truth is I love all things beauty. Beauty includes skin, hair, makeup, decor, fashion, food, and I live for an experience. During my seven years in Texas, I lived in Downtown Dallas happened to be the heart of chaos during the pandemic from the George Floyd protest, the presidential election, and the power failure that resulted in the freeze and flood disaster. I needed an outlet to connect with others who had similar interests. I found my people on YouTube in the micro-content beauty creator space. I watched multiple makeup videos a day connecting in the comment section. YouTube opened the live feature, and content creators were going live on their channels, and we all were able to relate, connect and support each other in the chats. I formed many relationships with my YouTube friends that I now call my sisters. I had not been involved in social media for at least six years. I have always had a phobia of sharing or opening up in a public setting. I am an introvert, so I am sure this plays a role in avoiding most social things.

I shared all of that as context to why I started my own YouTube channel. My makeup collection overgrew during my quarantine, and this is a side effect of watching hours and hours of YouTube beauty videos. I gained quite a bit of knowledge and made my observations. It was clear that there were not enough medium-deep caramel complexions in the beauty space. Representation is critical, especially in makeup. Makeup swatches on white skin do not help gauge what shade I need in a complexion product. I also noticed that there was a need for over forty content creators. Over forty people have unique concerns such as aging skin, discoloration, revitalization, and more.

My favorite content creators suggested that I should create my channel. This suggestion was mindblowing. I would have never uploaded a picture, let alone a video, and speaking and demonstrating my application? Oh, hell naw. It took some time to settle in my soul, lots and lots of encouragement. But I finally did it! And the rest is history. So that is a short summation of how I created Heavy on the Chai on YouTube. Now, the story behind the name will wait for another blog. I am a very modern aging woman, and I want to share and encourage other women who do not fit in a box. So you can expect lots of sassy makeup and fashion. I would love for you to join the family and hopefully are inspired to share or possibly challenge yourself and not be held prisoner to your fears. I love you and appreciate you, and most of all, I value your time and energy.

Below is my very first video, and I was terrified. However, I am so happy I did it!

What I have learned

I have learned that creating content is not easy. Speaking to a camera with personality is not as easy as it looks. YouTube is a one-person show with lots of learning curves. I became the personality, the trainer, the videographer, the editor, the scriptwriter, the promotor, the PR, and the lighting person overnight. I can comfortably shoot a mini-movie or photoshoot with my gained skills. I am no longer afraid to present via video or in front of large crowds. I know I have left out some other acquired skills, but we will discuss these in a future blog.

What's next?

I am an over forty woman who will continue challenging her fears, finding her love of luxury beauty, and creating a safe space for others like me. Although I will continue to create safe spaces, I have graduated from making YouTube videos to creating content on Instagram, starting this blog, and creating an e-commerce space to share beautiful Los Angeles fashion finds for others to shop. I want to leave you with this: NEVER stop challenging your fears, stop enjoying the beauty, and stop being your best! Please share how you will challenge yourself to fight your fear? You got this!

Now, please leave an answer to my question, comment, and subscribe. Here we have a safe space, no drama or judgment zone.

Please do not forget to check on the shop. I am adding new finds weekly.