Before ZNB: My Story

ZNB started before there was a product. It started as an idea I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Before ZNB had a website, a name, colors, or even a real plan, it was just an idea in my head.

I didn’t have products. I didn’t have a factory. I definitely didn’t have a huge budget.

I just knew I wanted to create something that felt like me.

And honestly, I didn’t even know where to start.

I’ve always loved creative things. Singing, dancing, drawing, designing, chatting, listening to music — basically anything that lets me express myself.

I’ve also always dreamed about becoming a creator or influencer one day.

Growing up in Taiwan while being mixed Taiwanese and Colombian, I always knew I looked a little different from a lot of the people around me. Before starting middle school, I worried about that more than I probably needed to.

I wondered if people would judge me.

I wondered if I looked good enough.

And like a lot of girls my age, there were times when I compared myself to other people and felt like everyone else looked more perfect than me.

I had a few close friends, but after some of those friendships changed, I started spending more time focusing on myself.

And weirdly, that changed something.

I started caring less about whether I looked like everyone else and more about becoming comfortable with who I actually am.

I became more confident in my appearance, my personality, and the things that make me different.

Then I started thinking:

What if there are other girls who feel exactly the way I used to feel?

And eventually another thought showed up:

Wait… what if I made my own beauty brand?

It wasn’t like I woke up one morning with the whole brand figured out.

It happened slowly.

I kept thinking about products I wished existed, what teen beauty brands looked like, what felt too childish, what felt too mature, and what I would actually want to use myself.

That idea eventually became ZNB Beauty.

I learned really quickly that having an idea is the easy part.

Turning it into something real is where the work starts.

One day I’m choosing fonts and colors.

The next day I’m learning what MOQ means and wondering why a factory wants me to order thousands of lip glosses 😭

Then suddenly I’m learning about ingredients, packaging, websites, SEO, surveys, manufacturing, pricing, and things I never thought I would need to know.

I wanted ZNB to feel like a beauty brand that actually understands teens.

Not too childish.

Not trying too hard to make us look older.

And definitely not built around the idea that we need to hide our real faces.

Social media can make it feel like every girl has perfect skin, perfect makeup, perfect hair, and a perfect life.

And as a fifteen-year-old looking at all of that, I know how stressful it can feel.

But the truth is that nobody looks perfect all the time.

Filters, lighting, makeup, angles, and editing can change so much.

I think every girl should know that she can enjoy makeup without feeling like she needs it to be beautiful.

Makeup should be fun.

It should be something you use because you like the colors, the style, the creativity, or the way it makes you feel.

It shouldn’t be something you feel forced to hide behind.

You are still you without makeup.

You are still you without a filter.

And that is what I want ZNB to stand for.

So this is the part before the big launch.

Before the first product.

Before the first order.

Before anyone really knows the name.

Just me, learning as I go and trying to turn an idea into something real.

Maybe one day I’ll look back at this and laugh at how early everything was.

But for now, this is where ZNB starts.

And I’m really excited to see where it goes. 🎀