By Trissean McDonald

The coronavirus pandemic marked a significant change throughout the world, as many businesses had to shut down, and homeowners were limited to outdoor activities because of government quarantine mandates. But it also opened a pathway to many doors for innovation and creativity, one of which 25-year-old Symone “Ming the Mua” Lenard managed to walk through, taking her down the road on an indefinite adventure to where she’s the CEO of a makeup line called Journee Beeauty.

Born in Hawthorne, California, Lenard utilized her “creative genius” during the pandemic to help launch Journee Beeauty. She grew tired of getting disregarded — missing out on business opportunities — and therefore decided to take some time during the pandemic to work on herself and develop a business that centers on enhancing the beauty of young women from 16-35. “I didn’t feel the need to continue waiting for an opportunity,” she said. “So, I created my own.” Lenard is a makeup artist whose artistry is full of curiosity, passion, and imagination. And she says it’s a profession that helped save her life.

“The importance of my artistry stems from me trying to find myself, especially during the pandemic,” she said. “I launched my cosmetic line, Journee Beeauty, in June 2021 because I was tired of being overlooked by other makeup brands — I needed to learn how to be OK with the woman I was becoming, and makeup truly saved my life.”

Journee Beeauty awakens Lenard’s imagination daily, helping build self-confidence to assist with making life-changing decisions relatable to the progression and success of her business and artistry, all while having fun and strengthening the self-esteem and beauty of young women. “Journee Beeauty stands out more than ever because it’s everything I’ve ever imagined for my life,” she said. “To be ‘free’ from the pressure of being perfect, having fun doing what I love, and looking fabulous no matter what life throws my way.” Such as Lenard getting accused of copyright infringement. Yet, her faith in God has sustained her during many pressing moments in life.

“When I launched Journee Beeauty, another individual accused me of illegally using her name for a couple of my lash styles. I’ve had people tell me I shouldn’t be wearing so much makeup and to focus on something else that’ll make real money,” she said. “You name it, I’ve heard it. And the only way for me to manage any of it is because of God. I listen to him, and he’s the reason Journee Beeauty is as successful as it is now.”

Lenard runs multiple social media campaigns online for her business and also shares makeup tips using TikTok reels. She says that her business motto is ‘where quality elegance meets’ because she always wants her customers to experience using high-quality products, all while feeling a sense of elegance and dignity. “Not only do I produce quality products,” she said. “But I also want my fellow beauty lovers to feel elegant while wearing our products.”

Lenard believes that people between the ages of 16-35 typically undergo multiple periods of self-identification and ego finding, ushering them to grow into the individuals they’ve always dreamed of becoming. And those are the individuals her business caters to the most. “It’s something about this age range that shows the period in which a person is growing into themselves,” she said. “They are what I consider the ‘finding myself’ phase, and it ends with the ‘this is who I am’ phase…We want to help that 16-year-old girl who’s going on her first date and who wants to look pretty, that 25-year-old woman who wants to feel sexy as she’s headed out to meet some friends, and even that 40-year-old woman who wants to be glammed for the day,” she said.

During the pandemic, Lenard studied various techniques for makeup artists until she built the confidence to launch Journee Beeauty — a business invested in the diversity of young women of all shades and colors, and believes that makeup is more than a cover-up of blemish. She says it’s a freedom to be able to express yourself without feeling ambivalent about it. “Our mission is to inspire beauty lovers of all shades, all over the world, to feel more beautiful than they ever had,” she said. “We believe makeup is more than foundation covering a blemish or concealer brightening a sunspot, but it’s about having the freedom to change anything you want without feeling bad about it.”

Change is a desire many people want; however, they choose not to put in the work to obtain it. But Lenard says her businesses focus on shattering the stigma surrounding people becoming ‘woke’ and not making a difference in society for change. “I take the word entrepreneur to the next level because I pay for everything out of my pocket and am a one-woman team. My husband helps me with shipping and packaging, but everything stems from my creative process. My businesses mark relevance because we are living in an era where everyone pretends to be ‘woke,’ but no one is interested in making change,” she said.

Lenard not only runs a makeup line. She also hosts a podcast and has an active blog. She says her blog content centers on healing, growth, and maturing relationships between friends and family. Whereas the content on her podcast, well, that material consists of the importance of women and sisterhood, giving men insight into relationship tips. “Aside from Journee Beeauty, I own my blogging brand, ‘It’s Only a Journee,‘ where I write weekly blogs about healing, growing, and evolving relationships with friends and families, as well as getting to know one’s self,” she said. “I also have a podcast called ‘All Things Woman Podcast,’ where I speak about the importance of womanhood and sisterhood to give our men insight on how to handle their relationships.”

Lenard’s podcast segments are accessible on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, YouTube, and many other streaming platforms. She says that her inspiration comes from God, who gives her the courage to help others build the strength and confidence to heal from their trauma. ” I just want to help other women and men feel brave enough to heal, even if it means they’ll never receive acknowledgment or even an apology from their abuser,” she said. “My inspiration comes from my obedience to God. He gives me the courage to speak on my story and promote how good he truly is.”

Not only that. Lenard says that God also blesses her with the confidence to break through the multiple barriers of negative comments and backlash from people so she can continue doing good for others. “For the people who have tried to tear me down … I’m just here to promote that change and encourage everyone to feel comfortable with it,” she said. And she is.