Cultivated By Urbanity Beauty Subscription Boxes

While talking to one of my students about my years of trying out multiple beauty products that were good but didn't have the long-lasting moisture, long-lasting pigment shade as advertised, was oily and given little or no fragrance that embraced women of color shades, and gave back to college institutions through purchases-it was time to build Cultivated By Urbanity. When I looked at the ingredients inside the products that I was using, they lacked essential oils, such as grapeseed oil, aloe vera, shea butter, almond oil-just, to name a few. At the time, the beauty products that I was using were minimal on using active ingredients that would interact with a woman of color body and body's chemistry to create calming and beneficial long-lasting beauty effects.

Our mission at Cultivated by Urbanity is to use and provide Women of Color with a natural base choice using essential oils to develop beauty items that offer a safe skin shield while maximizing natural beauty in the format of subscription box that will be sold through the campus bookstore and online.

"Our company was so intentional with creating beauty products for international and multicultural populations that I started to get this image of a global woman with modern elegance-while being affordable." Cultivated by Urbanity broadens the discourse by introducing women of color into the dialog to develop and embrace the lifestyle, allowing it to be more than just a phenomenon. Our company focuses on women of color attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities who may not ultimately have the financial means to obtain beauty products, which may be in a specific price bracket.

In the atmosphere of a Historically Black College and University, you still have a girlfriend, roommate, or acquaintance on campus recognized for doing everyone's makeup and having the casual presence that enhances the sophistication that goes with producing a look of perfection. I noticed a void after going through the analysis and comparing it with other brands on the market, and at that moment, Cultivated by Urbanity was born.

Being alumni and active faculty member at a Historically Black College and University, I recognize the necessity to get the necessary amenities but not the financial means to do so. From tuition to homework, figuring out what your late-night snack will be — you're confused and figuring out how to comprehend your budgetary needs and desires. It can be not easy to find beauty and makeup products as women, especially women of color, that not only complement our skin texture but also enhance our range of natural beauty hues. Cultivated by Urbanity's aim is to continue creating beauty products for women of color with a target audience centered at Historically Black College and Universities.

Cultivated by Urbanity also takes 10 percent of each purchase and provides a monthly charitable contribution to Historically Black Colleges in supporting on-campus programs to continue the beauty inclusion conversation. College, especially HBCUs, can also foster self-discovery and knowledge through a variety of on-campus opportunities, as Historically Black Colleges and Universities encourage the environment of learning. Traditionally, "Homecoming" at an HBCU allocates space for all to be stylish-while highlighting their most beautiful looks, whether you're a current student or alumni. For her Netflix film, "Homecoming," Beyonce recently explored the path of celebrating the significance of the Historically Black and College University (HBCUs) Homecomings. Our mission is to contribute and create an ongoing beauty collaboration with all the 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the world in which our products with campus bookstores, and online. Currently, our products are only available online through our website.

What sets Cultivated by Urbanity apart from other beauty brands is our 'Cultivated Sh(Empowered) Talks' which caters to college women of color at Historically- Black University and Colleges, contribute monthly to women's beauty projects at HBCUs, create a venue for a monthly dialogue with experts in the beauty industry, and provide young women of color with an all-natural appearance. Our products are vegan and cruelty-free, starting as low as $3 dollars. The "Cultivated Sh(Empowered) Talks builds a community for all women to create inclusive dialogue around celebrating self-awareness and appearance while shattering conventional beauty ideals and creating beauty-inclusion conversation.

Our expansion goal is to have brand ambassadors at each of the 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities by December 2021, collaborate with campus bookstores for shelving opportunities for subscription boxes, develop a presence at conferences like CosmoProf, Essence Festival, and Beautycon, and working with beauty influencers for our monthly "Cultivated Sh(empowered)" Talks. At the moment, we're only selling lip gloss, body shimmer, and body scrubs. We are interested in expanding to other beauty forms, including but not restricted to skincare items and haircare. 

The IFUNDWOMEN Campaign would assist us with producing our beauty products continually, mass production of our subscription boxes,  enabling us to start exploring and evaluating the demand for natural products that fit well for women of color, enhance our existing goods on a larger scale, partner with organizations involved in engaging in beauty benefits for collegiate women of color, enhance the beauty label packaging and branding so that it will feel more customized and fit with the company, to provide the right machinery for mass manufacturing, to help develop emerging innovations deliver exciting ways to operate and interact with our potential and existing customers, obtaining a small warehouse space for mass production for distribution, explore how to quickly outsource the commodity for customers to meet the brand's supply and demand, create a digital platform and/or app  to host our monthly "Cultivated Sh(empowered) Talks, and to have further strategic opportunities to help expand Cultivated By Urbanity entirely.

Thank you to all the IFUNDWOMEN backers for the chance to learn more about this project. The Cultivated by Urbanity team will always be grateful no matter the contribution, because you are supporting the development of young women of color who are excited for beauty at an affordable budget.