When it comes to cosmetics and investments, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.
That’s why Yolondo Salmon Thomas, chief executive officer of Playing in Makeup by Yolondo (PIMBY), has invested in her first major cosmetic store in the United States after spending years establishing a multimillion-dollar cosmetics business with customers in over 150 countries.
The company converted a 10,000 square foot space in the Mall of Georgia in the town of Buford, the largest mall in the state of Georgia, for her first Playing in MakeUp by Yolondo store in the USA.
Yolondo is juggling product, growth, and fundraising to strengthen the brand’s footprint in the beauty industry marketplace.
“These are exciting times, it’s been a challenging couple of days dealing with the logistics, and the unpacking, but this is an important move for our company. This store will be critical to the success of PIMBY’s customer experience. Without a physical space, customers can’t touch, feel, smell or see what they’re buying…and they won’t find that perfect foundation match online,” Yolondo said.
The store will officially host its grand store opening on September 27 with a ceremony which will be attended by business and political leaders from Atlanta and surrounding areas, as well as members of the Jamaican diaspora and the Consulate of Jamaica.
The company had already opened a store in May Pen, Clarendon – an event that attracted high-powered politicians. But with this latest ‘boss move’, Yolondo is seeking to cash in on the beauty sector’s surging global appeal and potential for scale.
“Digital purchasing power is en vogue right now, the beauty industry is worth over $500 billion because customers can purchase their favourite products online with the click of a button. Buying has become enabled by email marketing, shoppable apps and social channels like Instagram supercharging global sales.
“We have a strong online presence with the PIMBY brand but this physical store will give us a necessary edge where you can shop your faves and swatch in person,” said Yolondo.
This strategy allows for brand growth, greater customer engagement, and increased revenue streams as the business moves from an online-only model to a hybrid e-commerce and brick-and-mortar presence. For years, Yolondo has been bravely developing her own niche of products, using her business savvy and creativity to establish her business as a high-growth brand, occupying the top one per cent of over one million brands on Shopify.
Yolondo now has specific palettes designed for all skin tones with ultra-vibrant, ultra-pigmented colours and eyelashes. She has a diversified client base in over 150 countries. She also has over 130 different products in her brand.
“Our biggest seller is the Evanesce soft matte cream concealer. It’s designed to smooth over everything from blemishes to dark circles, scars, and tattoos,” she revealed.
A certified make-up artist, she is renowned for her popular online tutorials that highlight her fast-selling original make-up, sold at a fraction of the cost offered by her competition. The collections include: highly pigmented eyeshadow palettes, mixed-race contour palette, luxurious eyelashes, and lip glosses.
Yolondo has employed an experimental and adventurous approach to beauty. In her career, she has embraced bold, eccentric, fashion-forward looks that rival the runway.
A native of Mitchell Town in Clarendon, Yolondo migrated to the United States at 17 years old.
While in the United States, Yolondo worked as a nurse and started practising her make-up artistry part-time. She was very dedicated to her craft, so much so that she applied herself and became a certified make-up artist. A budding entrepreneur at heart, she started selling eyelashes.
Yolondo was determined to be successful and started to utilise social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to market her skills and products. She has gained a growing customer base with her make-up tutorials online via her Facebook page, which has attracted more than 93,000 followers and her Instagram page with over 419,000 followers.
The cosmetic company owner has used a mixture of online channels and traditional advertising to build her multi-racial and multi-cultural customer base.
“For me, make-up is a creative form of self-expression. And it’s really good fun to play with. I’ve been playing with make-up my whole life, and now I am making a living from it,” she said.