Meet the Tween Mastermind Behind a Growing Makeup Empire
When you first hear the story about a little girl who “sells lip gloss” you might mistakenly think it’s as cute as a neighborhood lemonade stand.
But that would be underestimating the striking presence, drive and camera-ready communication skills of young entrepreneur, 10-year-old Journee Orage.
More than a kid with a hobby, she’s a serious young businesswoman with a fully branded line of beauty products and dose of ambition that’s twice her size.
The idea for Poppin Lips By J Etc., started when Orage’s mother, Eugenia, noticed her daughter always carried a lipstick or lip gloss and was “playing in makeup” from a very young age.
What Orage created is bigger than a little bling. It’s a young girl’s reaction to her own inspirational mother and her heart to share that joy with others.
“Journee wanted to create something other little girls could keep with them to feel just as special,” her mother said.
Poppin Lips produces an assorted variety of vegan glosses in fun flavors, created to be “every girl’s best friend,” but the young Orage talks about the business side with serious savvy.
“I’ve learned a lot about building confidence when speaking and I was inspired by seeing others on Tik Tok and other social media platforms making their own money without working for others,” she said.
It seems she has career advancement figured out before advancing to middle school.
“What’s most important to me is the quality of the product, so I’ve learned not to rush through making the lip gloss,” Journee said.
She’s also learning a lot about counting money, as her burgeoning business is beginning to grow. Her ever-increasing inventory has grown since the start with branded accessories from scrunchies, mini-purses, and summer shades, to bangles, bundles, keychains, commuter cups, holiday trinkets, and masks.
A fifth-grader at Hilton Head Island Elementary School for the Creative Arts, Orage has developed a stocked inventory of cosmetics and accessories, branded packaging, and a logo featuring her own image which comes in handy for marketing efforts and organic content created that she publishes on all major social platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and her website poppinlipsbyjetc.com.
You can find a range of items on the site, but your best bet for the most up-to-date content is her socials where posts and videos give you an introduction to her catalog.
Passionate about everything she puts her hand to and living up to her moniker as a young CEO, Journee runs her own video content, curated to sell wares as well as keep awareness focused on supporting small business as well as kid-owned and Black-owned businesses.
Being a star of video content and photo shoots alike sets the scene for other kids to see an example of what one can accomplish at any age.
Orage’s “get it done” spirit has proven contagiously positive from Bluffton to Hilton Head Island, where she lives with her family.
It’s also helped her grow her business steadily for three years, whether online or behind merchandise tables at local farmers markets, Gullah markets, beauty expos, fundraisers and charity events.
