Houston woman creates successful beauty product brand

HOUSTON – We've got oats, honey, and sugar. What are we making in the kitchen today, a cake? Nope. Beauty products.

Four years ago, Angel Cornelius was looking for an alternative. She wanted beauty products that did the job and were made from all natural ingredients

"I [had become] a product junkie, buying things that didn't work. So, I did some research and decided I could just make products on my own,” says Angel. “I don't think you should have to be a chemist to understand what you eat or what you put on your skin.”

And it worked! A little too well. Her product was so good that her friends and family encouraged her to start a business. So in May of 2014 this career woman and mother of two added entrepreneur to her life with the launch of LA Belle Femme.

“French for the beautiful woman,” says Angel.

For the following two years her nights and weekends consisted mixing and making her products out of her own home. Then the big break came.

“A mutual friend introduced one of my products to the Essence beauty team,” Angel recalls. “They liked everything, but they really really loved the Pomegranate Kiss body butter. That launched us nationally."

Her spot in the Essence Beauty Box meant commercial manufacturing, product line development and thousands upon thousands of new customers.

When asked specifically about her success Angel says she's “not a celebrity endorser, an actress, I don't have a background in cosmetic chemistry or manufacturing. I simply created something out of need and there are a lot of women who needed the same thing.”

Despite all of the recent success her business is not done growing. They're actually launching a hair product line in April and guys, they even have stuff for men.