Supa Sense

Cosmetics Company Founder Raynell Steward Has An Infallible Foresight When It Comes To Creating Viral Moments—And It’s Paying Off Big-Time.

- Marquita K. Harris

On Cyber Monday last year, Raynell Steward, known to fans on social media as Wuzzam Supa Cent, pulled off the unimaginable. As many of us scrolled through websites searching for post– Thanksgiving Day deals, Steward’s Box of Crayons eye shadow palette, along with the brand’s highlighters, lipsticks and liners, was in exceedingly high demand. The New Orleans native made a whopping $1 million that day—and it didn’t happen by chance. Instead Steward’s preparation and keen intuition propelled the gangbusters sales for her two-year-old cosmetics line, though even she was shocked to tears at how quickly it all went down. Here the mother, social media trendsetter and digital marketing mastermind shares what fuels her passion for both makeup and business.

ESSENCE: When did you first become interested in makeup?