Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Ryan.
Hi Kristen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was born in MN and primarily raised by my single mother who was always in school and working to provide a better life for my little brother and me. We didn’t have much money, but we never felt the lack. Mom always did her best for us and from a place of love. Minnesota is a beautiful state and a great place to have grown up. My Dad and Stepmom live in South Minneapolis, so I have spent many hours galavanting around the Minneapolis chain of lakes, admiring the architecture, restaurants, music, diversity, and overall culture of both Uptown and Downtown.
It was a big dream of mine to raise a family of my own in this wonderful state. In fact, later in my twenties, I met who I thought was the hard-working man of my dreams and had three beautiful children with him, but sometimes love is blind and we are unable to see the wolf behind sheep’s clothing.
For 15 years, I found myself in the yo-yo cycle of domestic violence riddled with emotional, physical, and financial abuse. Intimate partner violence is often insidious by the design of the perpetrator and the targeted partner tends to continually dismiss the red flags because of their skewed perception of love and hope. Abuse can become the “normal” dynamic for the family involved and unfortunately, children are often caught in the middle. It took leaving several times before having the courage to make it forever, but getting out doesn’t mean the abuse is over. When an abuser is determined to destroy their target, they often don’t stop until the target is erased from this world or stripped of their life. In many cases, the abuser will walk away without any legal consequences, often taking his target’s home, vehicle, reputation, and even her children with him. That is exactly what happened to me. My case should have been a slam dunk, but the system doesn’t always work in the survivor’s favor.
Once I realized the system wasn’t going to provide any kind of integral justice in my situation, I knew I needed to focus on self-preservation, or I probably wasn’t going to survive the emotional state I was in, so I headed for the mountains of the Northwest to seek salvation. I share this story because I want other women to know, no matter what the outcome, with the right support, they can pull themselves up out of the darkness. Absolutely nothing is worth losing your soul essence and your safety should come first.
I would wholeheartedly describe myself as a right-brained woman with a kaleidoscopic imagination. I love anything to do with fashion, beauty, and interior design. As a teenager, I could go into a thrift store or search a clearance rack and still achieve “best dressed” at an event. Growing up, I was a combination of feminine and tomboy- still that way today. I love outdoor sports, lifting weights and roughing them, but very intrigued by the beauty, caring for myself, and helping others do the same. I’m not really sure how I ended up in a 26-year dental career, but it has served me well and it provided the opportunity to connect with so many amazing people, and yielded time to work on my dream career of owning a beauty business. I have always had a burning desire to create something of my own, but because of the path I chose earlier in life, I wasn’t afforded the opportunity or given the support to do so. Moving to the mountains provided a way to heal and cultivate a great new network of loving, supportive and brilliant humans that I could add to my existing Minnesota list. My vision for Paige Ryan Beauty was fostered in early 2019 and then…COVID arrived.
It was a confusing time, but during the first phase of the pandemic, unfavorable circumstances allowed me to hunker down and get some real work done on my dream of owning a business with a purpose.
I designed Paige Ryan Beauty’s logo to represent every woman who has undergone or will undergo a radical transformation much like that of a pupa to a butterfly. Some species of butterflies gain energy by feeding on nectar from flowers. As a comparison, my hope is every woman will discover how to retrieve the innate nectar they hold within themselves because it is there they will find the wholeness to spread their wings. I want women to know, no matter how dismal their past, they can heal and overcome the emotional charge from their trauma. That is the first step to success.
Paige Ryan Beauty has developed products that are soothing, and effective and create a glow every woman deserves. We’ve leveraged the power of nature and essential oils to create a real action on the skin. Plus, I’m excited to announce a portion of all sales go towards helping other domestic violence survivors receive the support they need to become stabilized, which is why the tiny purple ribbon appears on all of our product packagings. Every year, October is domestic violence awareness month and last October, we were able to present our first check and donate several products to Faces of Hope, a special foundation in Boise, ID through one door, provides a multitude of services to survivors such as counseling, legal support, clothing, beauty supplies, toiletries, and classes just to name a few.
Throughout this amazing journey, it has remained important to me to honor my three children in any way possible. Paige Ryan Beauty recently launched an amazing mascara with tubing technology that won’t flake or transfer and washes away with just warm water. Luscious Lash+ in color “Brooke”, bold black, is named in honor of my gorgeous daughter, Brooke, and we are also about to drop a new, very effective, prostaglandin-free lash serum with an ingredient list of plant extracts and vitamins to perpetuate a perfect storm of lashes. Eve’s Eyestorm Lash Serum is for the goddess who wants thicker, longer lashes naturally in 90 days. This product was named to honor my beautiful, youngest daughter, Eve. Both of them are maturing into fabulous young women.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been one helluva ride so far. Paige Ryan Beauty initially launched with just one product and it is still my favorite because I started mixing ingredients for the serum in my kitchen. No one else has anything like it and it’s absolutely delectable. Our Biocellular Flash Moisture Serum allowed us to grow and face more challenges, yet we approached those with fortitude and gratitude. The biggest challenge is getting out of my head- out of my own way and realize not all opinions matter. I try to listen to my heart because that is where all of our correct answers come from.
There’s also the ever-changing e-commerce portion of my business. Customers don’t just magically find your website and at first launch, it was to crickets, haha, so I’ve learned how to ask for help and do my best to adapt to the dynamics of the changing trends in technology. Overall, things are going fantastically and I’m okay with the speed bumps because we cannot grow without challenges. One cannot climb a smooth mountain…
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I own and operate an e-commerce beauty business that specializes in affordable, luxurious, and effective skincare with plans to branch into cosmetics beyond our amazing mascara. Paige Ryan Beauty is still a startup company being it is younger than 5 years, but is passionate about Beauty Beyond Skin Deep.
We are and will continue to give back to nonprofit foundations and individual survivors both monetarily and through a personal connection. We are a goddess brand because you are a goddess and deserve to know it, feel it, and embrace it.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I would love to share my opinion about success with the hope more people feel successful already. If you don’t, kickstart your imagination and think of ways to achieve it.
For me, success is simply defined as being able to support yourself and your family by doing what you’re passionate about. It is having the freedom to choose when you work, play, and connect with the ones you love.
Pricing:
- Superpower Under-eye Treatment: $88
- Biocellular Flash Moisture Serum: $139
- Luscious Lash+ Mascara: $28
- Empowering Ginger & Turmeric Silk Cleanser: $38
- Powerful 2.5% Retinol Renewal Cream: $68
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paigeryanbeauty.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/_paigeryanbeauty?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaigeRyanBeautyFB/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@paigeryanbeauty?_t=8Yq4i645Rl8&_r=1
Image Credits
Deborah Hardee https://deborahhardeephoto.com/
