Pretti Spotlight: From Portmore to Forbes Getting to Know Beauty Boss Danielle Edmond

I love when I interview a woman and I can learn ways to better my life from her. Let me tell y'all my skin has been glowing since my conversation with Danielle Edmond last month. Danielle affectionately referred to as Danz, is the founder and CEO of Stay Golden Cosmetics and uQueen Organics- the skincare line that is currently changing my life! After a trip to Africa opened her eyes to new possibilities, Danielle made a clear decision to create a life that she loves doing exactly what she loves. Let me tell y'all the love is felt in the quality of her products. These are only a few of the reasons Danielle is this month's Pretti Spotlight.

When was that moment you realized “Oh snap! I’m going to be successful at a career in beauty”?
When I was featured on the Forbes Up Next list. And that’s because I never thought that there was a way I would ever be included on that list. When I was growing up in Portmore, Jamaica, I would see Oprah on the Forbes list and I remember we had an issue and I would skip through it just barely read it but skip through it just to see who was in it. Never really saw too many of us. I remember seeing Oprah and I was like that would be cool, but ya know I never thought I would be mentioned. I think once that happened it just sort of affirmed that I was on the right track and I don’t have to worry so much. Entrepreneurship was such a new thing for me. I had to figure out a lot of things myself, in the beginning that I didn’t necessarily have that much faith in myself. But when that happened, I was like, “You know what, yeah you got this. You ain’t got nothing to worry about.”

I love that! So can I ask why entrepreneurship? There are tons of ways to have a successful career in beauty. 
I always wanted to do my own thing. I wanted to make my own wave, and I always wanted to create something that was unique, that I never saw before. But I truly got inspired when I went to Johannesburg as a model. 
I was able to see these beautiful Black people pushing these very expensive whips, and it sort of opened my mind to the fact that “You know what? You could do this too”. Where I'm from, when we're asked what it is that you want to become or what it is that you want to study, it's always a nurse, doctor, or teacher. I remember saying to myself, I don't think I want to be a doctor, or a nurse. But when I came to New York to study, I had taken on the same mindset, where it's like, okay, I'll just go into healthcare because it's what I was familiar with. 
But, by the grace of God, I got an opportunity to go overseas and was able to be in a room filled with people who were freely talking about the events of their days. They were talking about fashion, they were talking about gold mines, platinum mines, things that I never thought were possible, especially for black people.

Seeing that definitely opened up my scope. So in 2013, I started Danz Distributors,at the time, still not knowing exactly what it was that I wanted to really pursue, but I knew that I wanted to create something for myself. And I think we've created something for ourselves over here. 

Yes! Your cosmetic line has been on Nicki Minaj Cardi B, Kacey Musgraves and Lizzo. What was it like the moment the first celebrity wore Stay Golden Cosmetics? 
I died inside. Okay. Like, I. Died. Inside.

(Both of us laughing hysterically)

Died inside?! I'm definitely not editing that out. But that's such a big deal! Congratulations!
Thank you! It really is, and Kacey especially has been really supportive. 

Let me ask you, as a beauty professional, what's something you wish that people knew about skincare and makeup in that relationship? 
I wish that more people realized that the majority of your skincare needs can be resolved from just eating better. You don't need to be putting a ton of things on your skin to get the results that most people are looking for, whether it's antiaging or just tightening the skin, getting rid of fine lines and all of those things can literally be resolved with what you eat. 

When it comes to beauty and nutrition, I have learned that 80% of your diet should be fruits if you really want to age well and age gracefully. Even hyperpigmentation can be resolved if you were to consume more papaya and if you were to consume more vitamin-rich fruits. And in terms of fine lines and wrinkles, the antioxidants found in berries are going to be your best friend. 

Can you tell us about your personal skincare routine, and how you maintain your natural glow? 

Whew. It took me a while to get here. My skin lady is the best! I leave Brooklyn to go all the way to the Bronx because she takes care of me. Having a good esthetician is key.  That has definitely helped me recognize the things that I could to do to my skin to ensure that it's at its best. 

I studied beauty, nutrition, so I'm very careful with what I consume, because what you consume, whether it's eating or even staring at or reading, you become. Right. So I'm very mindful of what I put into my body, especially since I've been in the US. 

So it's just like my skincare routine. I would say, first of all, have to have fruit smoothies a day filled with antioxidants. So, like, all the berries, blackberries strawberries, blueberries, raspberries. 

And then I do, like, spinach and kale, because creams, it has chlorophyll, which is what gives you that nice little glow. And then if I have papaya, put papaya, because papaya and glue is like, there's two peas in a pot. 

Like, once you eat or consume a lot of papaya, you have, like, green skin naturally. And then I usually dump some, like, a vitamin deep powder in there, as well as lemons and so on, pineapples, and then drink that once a day outside of that. 

I'm very mindful, again, with, like, cutting back on certain things. So, like, anything that I have to fry as well as to just chill off. But I try not to do that, you know? And then outside of that, the things that I do put on my face, I use uQueen it's my skincare line, so of course that's what I use. It is a tropical skincare line. So it's literally perfect for women of color because it takes into consideration the ingredients that were raised you know. 

It's made in Bali for a very specific reason, because the earth, the soil is so rich there that it translates into the ingredients that we're putting into these products. It's high quality, very potent products that we're doing in our natural skincare routine. 

And we're utilizing ingredients such as rose and papaya. Papaya. Again, it's great for glowing skin. It's great for smoothing the skin as well as making it feel light while replenishing. And then there's coconut and shea, which we know are great for moisturizing. 
Right. So it's using those ingredients and ensuring that I'm putting it on a great surface, a good surface, so it's absorbed well. My night routine and morning routines look very different. 

I want to say sunblock is everyone's best friend. I've learned that, and I've never stopped using it as a result of it. Every single professional I have spoke to , would say that once you're using sunblock, it actually helps or assits you in aging backwards. From I hear that, I'm like, okay, because I want to age gracefully. 

You’ve got an esthetician and a detailed skin care regiment. What does your self-care routine look like? 
My self-care routine has different levels. 

I’ll share my intense routine. When I really go hard for a few months without stopping. And I know that I need a moment to myself, I will disappear in the middle of nowhere. Like seriously. I just did this in January. I went upstate New York to this cabin in the middle of nowhere. My phone was on don't disturb mode for the majority of the time. 

I do a cleanse as well. And I do a lot of journaling. So every single time I go on one of these trips, I reread that journal just to see how far I've come and the things that I still need to work on. Then I will make a new survey. In my new journal, I'll write how I'm feeling, the things I want to achieve for my spirit, my soul, my mindset, my body. 

And I love me some candles. So I'm always traveling with candles. I love when the place smells amazing. Once those things are inplace, I feel like, okay, Danielle, you have properly taken care of yourself. Now you can go back into the world and take it on. 

Okay, that's definitely intense self-care. So what does your I just had a long day routine look like? 
Okay, so this looks like my apartment. pitchback is always that nice. So it's pitchback. All the lights are off. My phone is probably off as well. I put a candle in my room, a candle in the living room, a candle in the bathroom, and one in the kitchen. Then the whole house smells good. Then I take a long go shower. And I’m talking long. I have a whole bathroom concert, singing all my old-school songs and vibing out. Then when I get out I look at myself in the mirror naked and dance while I moisturize myself. That's when I feel really good and so I will walk around the apartment naked, drink some tea, play soothing music. That really does a lot for me. It's my weekly self-care routine.
This is why a part of I introduced uQueen Organics. They represent the hear and soul of my vision and is a representation of the way I believe we should care for ourselves. 

Okay so where do you see the brand in ten years?
God willing, we have completed the transition from a cosmetics brand to a lifestyle brand. As I said uQueen will be the heart and soul of that transition. 

Last question, if you could get a message to your younger self what would it be?
Aw man, don't stress out so much. Don't doubt yourself so much. Believe in yourself for true. Trust your instincts. You got this!