An exclusive Interview with Kristle Haynes the Founder of Waterflower a Water-Activated Makeup Company. Learn about her experience as a founder in the beauty industry. USE CODE BLACKSTYLEMATTERS for 10% off
Kristle Haynes, multi-culturally Caribbean bred, created WaterFlower Makeup as a means of searching for an organic alternative to the beauty industry’s traditional offerings of eyeshadows/eyeliners. The future of eye makeup is water activated!
The revolutionary product of water-activated makeup is shaped as a flower in its packaging, with its exterior crafted from eco-friendly tree resin, and interior with all natural ingredients. The name? Totally in sync with its natural vibes, WaterFlower. With just three organic ingredients, it adds a splash of skincare to your eye makeup routine, all while intensifying your natural beauty with colors straight from Mother Nature's palette. It's makeup, but eye makeup that’s also good for your skin!
I’m a free-spirit that loves trying new things, and with an addictive personality, fell in love with the process of trying different makeup. One day, I formed an allergic reaction to a random eyeshadow and started looking into the ingredients. That lead into me researching makeup ingredients and thereafter playing around with different formulas in the hopes of creating a better quality product for myself. My friends and family noticed how pigmented the makeup was an insisted on trying it. From there I began selling to them, on social media, as well as to businesses. Since then I have began expansion into different markets, and have sold to a beauty center in Italy with the hopes of integrating into more countries during this exciting growth stage.
In every country I’ve lived there has always been an appreciation of the flowers there, in particular when I lived in Italy I was mesmerized by the nature wholeheartedly. The aesthetics on a daily basis accompanied by the beautiful water & iridescent contrast of flowers everywhere was truly inspiring. The mission is to have my products everywhere that emphasizes that type of natural beauty. The vision is sustainability in beauty, the future of eye makeup!
An artistic product that can be used as eyeshadow or eyeliner (even mascara). The product in itself comes in the form of a gel-like substance, whereas when you add water to the makeup brush for application it then morphs into an acrylic-type liquid. Water activation allows for customization of the color’s intensity and provides a smoother application. Water-activated makeup, in general, is known for its versatility/ability to create vibrant or bold looks, which is what makes it unique in various creative and artistic contexts.
Water activated makeup has a smooth finish, and is buildable in terms of color coverage. Also, the color is vibrant on any skin-tone without the use of a makeup base. Traditional eyeshadows typically require steps in order to achieve that level of vibrancy, and often those steps lead the eye makeup to appear chalky around the eyes due to the thinness around the skin on that part of the face.
A key ingredient in WaterFlower Makeup’s water activated makeup is ‘Vegetable Glycerin’ - renowned for its humectant properties, provides valuable hydration to the delicate skin around the eyes, effectively reducing dryness and diminishing fine lines. Its gentle and non-irritating nature makes it a favorable choice for the sensitive eye area, softening and smoothing the skin while enhancing overall texture. When included in our water activated makeup formula, vegetable glycerin's moisturizing benefits coupled with its compatibility with other 2 ingredients, make it a versatile and effective component in promoting a plumper, smoother appearance.
WaterFlower Makeup doesn’t use colorant that’s ‘cut’ with anything. So the color is sourced from the Caribbean and 100% pure. It shows up vibrant on any skin tone and is safe for any skin type.
The formulation of the product is quite simple in terms of the ingredients of the water activated makeup, however the floral cosmetics packaging takes about 2 business days to fully cure each. The lengthy process includes shaping the flower once it’s cured, before they are sent to the lab and sanitized/sterilized.
The flower power speaks for itself; a timeless beauty that flourishes in any beauty routine.
Acquiring investment for the development stage. It’s a costly process that I’ve had to do out of pocket every step of the way.
Having my beauty brand in a beauty center in the south of Italy. Truly a magical experience.
They are impressed typically by the appearance of the packaging at first glance, however when they subsequently see the vibrancy of the colors, they are even more entranced.
I once walked up to 2 ladies in a park in the South of Italy to get a blind-first-reaction to my floral cosmetics, it was an amazing experience to hear their genuine opinion of adoration in Italian.
Investments for expansions into my favorite countries. I have some in mind already.
I truly believe the beauty industry will get a wake-up call in terms of how much plastic is being polluted and will decide to take another direction. I’ll be there to help when they decide to invest in a beautiful change.
There is no excuse for not following your dreams. When I had no money to invest in product development I worked on my digital footprint. For 3 years I learned about filming content, editing videos, social media, and various artistic applications. Had I not done that, I wouldn’t have been ready for the current step that I’m in. It’s all about timing. What you dedicate your time to you’ll see results in. Now that I’m at this stage where I am able to film/edit several videos in one sitting, it’ll be great to see how I can grow the brand’s interest through my social media audience.
Although I don’t have a large presence (currently) on social media, I still have a small group that’s dedicated to following my journey. They love to see the my funky artistic expression and it’s fun engaging in the process of growth with their influence. It took a long time for me to enjoy the process because I was always frustrated of not being at the finish line, when in fact I was simply at the start.
On my TikTok I share more personable content where you can see my personality shine through - @water.activated.makeup https://www.tiktok.com/@water.activated.makeup
On my YouTube I share longer form content in which I also delve into fun stories on missed connections from all of my travels. I sprinkle water activated makeup tutorials in there, along with other beauty tips and tricks, while also sharing vulnerable stories - @water activated makeup tutorials https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ73bvXda79pOTLcpUpsJAA
On Instagram I share more creative content, such as the latest Egyptian Goddess collection of 2 floral cosmetics in water activated makeup colors of gold and royal plum. In my latest water activated makeup tutorial, to frame my eyes I’m wearing gold face jewelry that I bought in Egypt a few weeks ago to highlight the new color combo. @wateractivatedmakeup.tutorials
https://www.instagram.com/wateractivatedmakeup.tutorials/
I’d love for you to join my small team of supporters on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. Whichever platform you prefer to see my flowers!
Black excellence showcased stylishly on a platform that matters, the internet.
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