Recap articles are all the rage when you’re ringing in a new year, and while I like to consider us trend setters, not followers, Mented just celebrated our two year anniversary (!) so it’s the perfect time to recap a truly spectacular 2018.
January
Here’s a little-known fact: last January Amanda and I moved our entire team to California because we thought we needed to be in a fancy accelerator to grow our brand successfully. Turns out, we were wrong. We decided to leave the accelerator three weeks in because it wasn’t a good fit. It was a scary decision (this particular program is world-renowned), but it was the right one. Ringing in the year by taking a huge risk, realizing we had made a mistake, and working quickly to course correct was a huge learning moment for us: we learned to trust our gut and move quickly when something doesn’t feel right.
The upside: we got to celebrate our 1-Year Anniversary in Napa Valley!
February
We launched our Everyday Eyeshadow Palette!
This was big for us - it was our first foray outside of the lip category, and it’s safe to say it’s been a HUGE hit. The palette sold out a whopping four times in 2018. Here’s to doing a better job of forecasting demand in 2019…
March
I’ll be honest, this month is a bit of a blur for me. I spent much of it in San Francisco raising our seed round, and if you’ve never been on the road fundraising let me assure you...it isn’t fun. Let’s move on!
April
I found myself back in San Francisco, but this time for something much more fun: Sephora Accelerate! We feel so lucky to have been chosen for this amazing program - we met other awesome beauty founders, learned from Sephora’s team of experts, and had a great time at Demo Day pitching to a room of 250 people.
May
WE CLOSED OUR $3M SEED ROUND. I can’t even begin to tell you how big of a relief that was. We love having the opportunity to continue helping women of color feel beautiful, and this round went a long way in helping us do that.
June
We launched our Summer Gloss Collection and found out you guys reeeeeally like cranberries.
July
It was too hot to do anything, am I right?
September
You asked and we answered: we made all nine of our lipstick shades available in our velvet matte formula and created matching lip liners.
We then hosted not one but two launch parties, here in NYC and out in LA. We can’t wait for our next big launch because honestly, we’re in it for the parties.
October
Our office Halloween costume contest was a huge hit on Insta stories! Shout out to Nadia, aka Presidential Candidate Michelle Obama, who took the win.
November
We launched the world’s most perfect Red Lip Trio, and within two weeks one of the shades - Red Rover - was sold out! We’re finally back in stock - so get your hands on it while you can!
December
This holiday season was a huge hit thanks to our super cute holiday packaging.
More importantly, the Mented team took a much needed break to visit family, reconnect with loved ones, and practice some self-care so we could approach the new year with vigor.
When I think back on all the amazing, stressful, fun, exhausting, and liberating moments of 2018, I truly have to pinch myself. Building this company has been a dream come true, and Amanda and I are so grateful to have made it to Year 2. Here’s to 200 more!
XO,
KJ
