By Samantha Tobares
Baddie Cosmetiques is a Miami based make-up brand created by 20-year-old Lauren Del Valle in June of 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It began as a passion project for Del Valle who built the brand from the ground up.
While hundreds of in-person stores were put to the test when America began to hunker down in March of 2020, online stores began to thrive. Baddie Cosmetiques CEO Lauren Del Valle decided that instead of waiting around for an opportunity to fall in her lap, she would take matters into her own hands.
“I called all the shots, ordered and created everything from the website to the product, and took all the photos.” said Del Valle. “My boyfriend shouted it out when I first got started, and that got some people to view my website. My dad also helped me buy some supplies.”
The pandemic was no match for Del Valle’s determination. While being a full-time college student at Florida International University, the brand has shipped to over 30 states in the country, with Florida being its best-selling market. The vegan and cruelty free brand specializes in homemade lip products, make-up palettes, and eyelashes.
Entering the beauty industry made Del Valle realize she’d entered a competitive market,but she ended up gathering about 1,000 loyal followers, nonetheless. A highlights section on the brand’s Instagram features dozens of positive customer reviews.
She recounts a holiday sale that earned her over 50 orders to ship out in three weeks alongside her highest-ticket order ever, worth over $100 worth in product.
“I sent her an email thanking her and she said she wanted to expand her lip gloss collection and was glad she could support a small business,” said Del Valle.
You can find Baddie Cosmetiques as @baddiecosmetiques on Instagram.