Today we’d like to introduce you to Roporscha Taylor.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Roporscha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Having been raised in a strict Christian, single-parent household, faith and hard work were synonymous. My mother worked as a teacher in both her profession and church, so education was very high on her “To Do” list for me. For the most part, my childhood was amazing. I didn’t lack for the things that I needed and in most cases, I also got what I wanted. However, it wasn’t until I was about 16 or 17 that I started to desire a relationship with my father. He would come around during special occasions, a few holidays, and some weekends, but the absence and inconsistency still left a very large void.
During college, while subconsciously trying to fill that void, I found myself on the horrible end of an abusive relationship and in an emotionally dark place. I didn’t realize how much I had allowed my desire for self-love and worth be tied to something so toxic. I can honestly say that there were two things that helped me see the beauty in me; faith and lipstick. Initially, I would wear lipstick to cover a scar that I received while in that relationship on my bottom lip. I would get compliment after compliment on how the shades that I wore were beautiful on me. As well, my faith in God allowed me to understand the unique design and path that was destined for my life was equally wrapped in my healing by helping other young women. At that time, I didn’t know-how. After participating in several mentorship and leadership programs for young women, I wanted to do more but in a different way that was fun.
In early 2019, I was having a candid conversation with a close friend about eccentric lipstick names that some of the beauty brands could have with a spiritual twist. In that moment, SAVD Shades was born. I wanted to create something that made women feel beautiful and blessed at the same time. It’s pronounced as SAVED but without the ‘E’. I was able to creatively infuse the two things that made a significant difference in my life to serve the greater purpose for my life. SAVD Shades is a unique beauty brand that is designed to elevate, empower and enrich the lives of every woman by proving that sometimes loving yourself from the outside in is just as beneficial as loving yourself from the inside out. We offer a variety of rich quality cosmetic products that are inspired by elements of spirituality and glamour. From vegan lip scrubs cleverly named Salt of the Earth to our first signature matte lipstick collection called First Sunday, SAVD Shades has a special item for any woman. Lipstick saved me and I believe that if a small tube of lipstick, an eyeshadow palette or a pair of lashes can give a woman even the smallest bit of joy, then I’ve done my job. At SAVD Shades, anyone can get SAVD.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Creating a unique beauty brand and trying to stand out in a market that is so heavily saturated with so many other great brands has definitely been a tedious task. Developing and re-developing everything from the logo to the website has given me a profound respect for all business owners. I started SAVD Shades in November of 2019 and did a soft launch on New Year’s Day of 2020. We fully launched on the first Sunday in April to highlight the First Sunday Signature Collection. The launch was great and then the world shut down due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Initially, sales were scarce but I continued to persevere, post and pray and they started to gradually increase.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with SAVED Shades – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
SAVD Shades is your go-to beauty brand that specializes in many natural cruelty-free cosmetic products to enhance the Unique You. We are best known for the rich quality of our products their creative spiritually infused names such as our Lion of Judah lippies and The Genesis eyeshadow palette. We have not been in business long but we are well on our way to becoming a household name in beauty. I am extremely proud of the light that I see in the young women that proudly wear our products. I would like to say the thing that sets SAVD Shades apart from others, besides our exceptional customer service, is our plight behind the product. The ultimate goal for SAVD Shades is to be a catalyst that funds a fully self-sufficient non-profit that provides counseling services to women who have endured abusive relationships and situations.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My future plans for SAVD Shades is to establish a fully funded non-profit called SAVD Space that offers counseling and relocation assistance for women and children leaving abusive relationships. In the short term, SAVD Shades is planning to collaborate with other small businesses to do a COVID safe camp day that allows young women to get pampered and hear from an amazing panel of young girl bosses.
Contact Info:
- Address: 539 W. Commerce St.
Suite 2125 Dallas, TX 75208 - Website: savdshades.com
- Email: info@savdshades.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/savdshades
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savdshades/
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