How She Turned Talent Into a Beauty Empire 💄 | Kim Baker

On this episode of Right Now with Rhenotha, Show Your Receipts we’re getting into what it really takes to build something that lasts.

I’m sitting down with Kim Baker, CEO of Glamazon Beauty—and this conversation goes beyond makeup.

We talk about the evolution from talent to CEO, the mindset shift it takes to build a brand, and what it looks like to truly step into ownership of your name, your vision, and your next level.

This is for anyone who knows they’re called to more but is figuring out how to make that transition from doing the work… to becoming the boss.

Because one thing about it—we’re not just talking about it…

We’re showing receipts.

Right Now with Rhenotha
Hosted by Rhenotha Whitaker

Right Now with Rhenotha is an experience designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. Blending conversation, storytelling, and everyday moments, it captures the energy of what’s happening right now.

📺 Watch full episodes on Facebook & YouTube
 🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms
 📲 Follow for updates, clips, and behind-the-scenes moments

#RightNowWithRhenotha #RhenothaWhitaker #RealTalk #ThereWillBeShenanigans #AllTheThings #OutHereInTheseStreets

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Glamazon was always yours and RuPaul started using it and he was like, hold up.

SPEAKER_01 0:05

And so that's one reason why I didn't come for his neck.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

All right, good evening, everybody. Thank you for tuning in to right now with Redasta. And I'm so excited to have my friend, Kim Vaker. The Glamous on the Baker? Okay. Okay. Kim Baker. Yes! Kim Baker, the Glamous of Glamour Beauty. Glamous on cosmetics. Glamo-beauty, yes. Hello, hello, hello. Can I just jump right into Hello? So can I just jump right into the fact that you had to get your name back? Okay. Oh, you're talking about with the RuPaul situation?

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Yes. Oh no, I didn't have to get it back. I owned it the whole time. Say less. Okay, so what happened? Tell me what happened. No, you mean he had to walk away from the situation. Yes. No. No, I never went anywhere.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Period. So Glamous was always yours, and RuPa started using it. And you was like, hold up.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Well, you know, in 2013, first of all, I love Rue. I used to see him all the time at the club back in the limelight days. And and so that's one reason why I didn't come for his neck. Uh because I remembered how nice he was during those days. But um, yeah, he has started, he put out a line, Glamazon, which I'm sure a lot of people probably remember if you think back. And um, I was just about to drop my line. I was, I had luckily I had trademarked it in like 2011. So I wasn't worried about it because I knew it was mine. But that's the beauty for you uh, you know, entrepreneurs out there. That is the beauty of doing your trademark. Is so that even though that happened to me, I didn't have to worry about nothing because I knew it was mine. And it was a live trademark. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Listen, trademark your stuff, okay? Ken Baker, the Glamour Zon said trademark incorporate your stuff.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Absolutely. It's your protection. And you know, um, at that point I already had the R, so I wasn't worried about it at all. I was registered.

unknown 2:29

Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Period. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Period. So you got started off in this industry as a model. Um you are quite statues, fabulous, um bronze sister, okay? Golden chocolate sister. You started off as a model, and then you became and then you became a makeup a celebrity makeup artist, but you got tired of something. Tell me what you got tired of.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

I didn't get tired of anything. Well, yeah, I guess you could say that. I got tired of people not getting our skin tones right. You know, you sit here and you see this beautiful chocolate skin, and how you can come up with muddy brown and mustard yellow and you know gremlin gray is beyond me because my skin is warm. I mean, look at it, right? Even right now it's warm. You know, and I say that humbly, but how can you mix up? And it's because at that time I didn't know, nor did they try. Uh, but you know, our skin is multidimensional. And so, you know, it was gonna take someone with the love and the passion of like a me or you know, the the other sisters out here who have created beauty brands, Ashantha Shareev, Tisha Thompson, Denessa Morris, all of us. I think we all went through that stage where we were just like, we want to put out things that help make our makeup journey and celebrate our beauty, you know, make our makeup journey easier and celebrate our beauty. So it's gonna take a woman with that type of passion to really make it happen. And, you know, I listen, I'm wearing my foundation right now and I swear it looks like skin. And I've been wearing this like all morning. So, you know, yes. And this is the best time in history because for the first time in history, you really have options for black, you know, beauty experts. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:31

And I want to say you were one of the innovators, you know. Yes, my skin tone is unique and not unique, but you know, we're out here. We're out here, do right by us.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

First people to walk Mother Earth. So it's not unique. It it is the say that again to, you know, the exception to the rule, you know. Right. But let you know, some people tell it, you know, they make this the this the narrative a little bit different. But you know, we we're taking it back to the beginning.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Yep. Awesome. Thank you, girl. Thank you for you know paving the way for making sure I I myself, okay, can have my right color, okay, when I do when it is light camera action. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

And more than just your right color, your right undertone, you know.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

What does it mean to step into your original lane? To step in your lane of glamour-what does that mean for you?

SPEAKER_01 5:35

Well, this feels so second nature for me. You know, my whole life I have been in beauty. My whole life I've always admired, you know, w women and and beauty in general. And, you know, beauty comes in all shapes and colors. I'm just glad to finally, you know, make us included as part of the narrative, you know.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

So, what's the difference between being known for something and owning something? What's the difference?

SPEAKER_01 6:06

I I think you have to own it in order to be known. I do. I think, you know, I am so happy that people who know me and people that come in contact with me really are confident that I'm I am what I say I am, and I am a beauty expert, and and you know, uh it's blessed. I'm blessed to have all the accolades, but this is something, and my daughter will attest to this. This is something I eat, drink, sleep, wake up. So much so, my daughter snaps at me all the time and says, Mom, you talk about nothing else. And I probably don't, but that's because this is my passion working on women, and you know, I remember the day I fell in love with makeup, and it was it came really after doing a woman's makeup and seeing how it transformed her from feeling low because she found out her husband was leaving her for a younger woman. She had just turned 51, and uh after she was really nasty to me. And after I did her makeup, she started crying and apologizing, told me I made her look and feel beautiful. And that was the moment, and I will never forget it, that really made me say, I'm where I'm supposed to be now.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Man, when you said you went when doing something, it has to be your passion. Can you say a little bit more about that?

SPEAKER_01 7:27

Say a little bit more. Yeah, it has to be a passion, and that's why when people ask me, Well, do you worry that the market is oversaturated? Hell to the no, I do not. You know why? Because this is what I am, this is what I do. You know, I I I I didn't sing, I didn't act, I didn't, you know, uh yeah, I was a model, but it all was encompassed in the beauty space, you know. This is what I do. I do makeup, I make makeup, I I blend color, you know. So I'm in my place, and and when you are authentic at what you do, you don't have to worry about nobody else. This is what I do.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

You know, at what point did you realize that your presence needed to be in this space?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Uh during the time when I felt that black women were not our my line is multicultural, but during the time that I felt that black women weren't being spoken to the way we should, first of all, we're the number one consumers of anything beauties, especially hair. And now makeup as well. But you know, um I just wish people saw what I went through before I got to this point when I would go out and advocate to the Revlons and the the other big legacy brands, you know, asking them to include us. And when they didn't include us, I had to make the decision to go out and do it myself.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

Yeah. Listen, what table? Okay. I'm gonna build a table myself. How about that?

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Absolutely, absolutely, and that's exactly what you know I did, and I and I'm assuming my my counterparts who have recently done the same thing. We just got tired of you know, people not making us a part of the conversation, but yet everybody wants our dollar. Like you right now, you see everybody, you know, hiring these black spokespeople or you know, brand ambassadors. Child trust. That is just to legitimize the reason why they, you know, uh have brought us to the table. And uh and when I say that meaning, it it was never about wanting to make sure that you know we had our correct shades. It's about the dollar. And I've said this in multiple interviews. I know what it's about. You know what it's about. Yeah, they know what it's about.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

You know, definitely. It's better late than never. Right. Um, yeah, it's it's about the the dollar. Did you ever feel like, you know, being in this industry was um was something that you I know you started as a model and then you became a celebrity makeup artist, but did you ever feel a time where you were like, um, you know, I'm not popular or I'm not, you know, where I'm not where I need to be. Did you ever have that feeling ever?

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Because I'm where I need to be. Where God, you know, where God wanted me to be is where I am. I enjoyed the time. First of all, I've I was a very successful model. Um, and then I became a very successful makeup artist, shooting for every publication, every ad agency. So I feel like, you know, I don't need to be, you know, the popular girl. I've always been confident my whole life. I've always been told I was a beautiful woman. And you know, that meant the world to me. That was enough. But more importantly, I'm a good person. And that's what you know means most to me, you know?

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Yeah. Listen, listen, we gotta we gotta be good to people in this life. And that's why you've been so successful. You know, we reap what we sow, you know? Amen.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

And I'm like, girl, when I'm not working, I'm I'm all about my family. I'm always you'll always see me with my daughter. You'll always see me with my other daughter lived up here, it was always with her, or my sister, my mom. I'm very much a family-oriented person.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

What's a decision that you made that people didn't understand but was necessary? Oh, I don't care what people be thinking.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

I don't even know if I would even know the answer there, because I don't care enough. You see me all two, you know what's to give. I don't care if you worked on what people think about me. Oh my goodness. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

I love it. I love it. You don't care about what nobody says. So, what does confidence look like to you? What does confidence look like, honey?

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Confidence looks me, me being authentically me. I mean, that's I think that's my my best asset about myself is that I am very confident, and that came from you know having a mother that always, you know, was strong and showed me love and you know told me all the great things about myself and never looked down on me. And I think if you look at my children, my both of my daughters, oh my God, you will never, they done took me to the 10th power child. I mean, my youngest daughter. Uh-huh. But you know what? They're such smart girls. And I don't question their judgment because they're both so smart. Um, my youngest daughter is always giving me even advice about relationships, and and uh she just got her head on right. And my oldest daughter's the same way. My oldest daughter, child, her husband is wrapped around her finger, and it's because of the type of strong woman that she is, you know. Yeah, he's got a stupid.

SPEAKER_00 13:05

I know the answer, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. Do you ever feel pressured to have it all together?

SPEAKER_01 13:12

Only from myself. Only for myself. I don't question what nobody else thinks about me. I I'm a Virgo, so that if anybody knows Virgos, we are so hard on ourselves. And um the the part that I question as as far as you know being hard on myself is this whole technology thing we going through. It drives me crazy. To me, it just takes up so much unnecessary time and and you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

Well, this day and age, um, we have speaking of technology, I know we gotta be on the TikTok, we gotta be on the Facebook, we gotta be on the we gotta be on all the things. Yeah. How are you how are you incorporating that into your brand?

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Or how has it helped your brand or has it we just got with a TikTok agency? Oh, have we been running ads? It's so so much that goes into having a beauty brand. Like people think, and I used to think, you set up your website and you're in business. Oh, nobody ever said what comes along with it. Nobody, and I'm sitting here saying, why didn't nobody ever mention this about ads and and influencers and and you know influencers just really came to be. They created their own lane. Oh, yeah, and actually many of them are very smart because many of them are millionaires now from what they do, but um yeah, it's a lot of this business.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

So we're gonna play a game. We're gonna play a game, we're gonna play a game called Glamazon says, okay. And so um, as soon as I say this, I want you to give me a response immediately. Don't think about it too long, just give me a response immediately. So you ready? I'm ready. All right, glamour says, Doing makeup again just because someone expects you to.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

No.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

Okay, okay. Glamison says, answering business calls after 9 p.m. Yes. Period. Because he's about your business.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

I'll answer him at two o'clock in the morning.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Oh my goodness. Hello. Okay, glamison says, a brand deal that looks good but doesn't feel right. No, I just got one of those. Okay. Say less. I hear you. All right, glamazon says, letting people from your past have the same access.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Hell to the no.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Glamazon says, getting fully glammed just to stay in the house.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

Oh yeah, I do that. All right, glamothead. Let me just say that sometimes can lift you out of a funk.

SPEAKER_00 16:09

I understand. I totally get it. Yep. Put on that side of the shine. Yes. Okay. Glamazon says, say no, even if it slows the money down.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

Say no, even though it slows the money down? Oh.

SPEAKER_00 16:31

Yeah. All right. Okay. Uh Glamazon says, correcting someone who misrepresents your brand.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

Oh, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

100%. Okay. Alright. Absolutely. Alright, so last one. Glamazon says peace or pressure. Oh, peace. Because he's right, because listen, Glamazon gone work because you have your passion toward this business that you have built. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

You know, more importantly, I don't know if you've ever tried the line, but we I when I say I put the best ingredients and like for instance, our press powder goes on so beautiful. So many celebrity makeup artists tell me they use it. There's no talc in there. There's no talc in our press powder. So it doesn't have any carcinogen. And uh it does what you know a powder came to do, and it just gives you this beauty. I'm wearing powder now. Can you tell? Do I look dry like that? No. No. No, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Skin looks luscious, Dolly.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, so everything is just well thought out. The foundations really look like skin. Look how it matches my neck. Look how it looks like a skin. You know, um, and it we're about to include include some new items into our products, and we're about to launch into a major retailer, uh, 611 stores nationwide. So that news will be coming soon. And uh I just want to bring great products that perform with great safe ingredients for women.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

You ladies will see. Listen, thank you, thank you, thank you, Chimsa the Glamour. Thank you guys for being on right now with Renata. I truly appreciate having and you know, this edition of Right Now with Renatha is called Show Your Receipts, okay? And you are my receipt today. Glamazon Beauty. Glamous on beauty. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

And you're looking amazing, I must say. You look you don't took off, I know you lost weight, but you don't took off like 10 years with it. So you look at it. Oh my gosh!

SPEAKER_00 18:48

So many people say that. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Yep. So Glamazon Beauty is glamazonbeauty.com.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Glamous on beauty.com. We're also on HSN. We're on HSN, and we're also a customer's pick on HSN, meaning the customers have voted that the products are amazing.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

So of course the products are amazing. Okay. Thank you, thank you, thank you. To the wonderful Kim Baker, the Glamazon, Nurt's own uh show your receipts right here or right now with Redassa.