This week, the term “Manic Monday” could barely describe the type of day Tammie Holland was having.
It was the beginning of her usual routine as co-host of Majic 104.9’s The Tony Scott Show, but thanks to the debut of her Laugh SHINE Repeat lip gloss line, everything else about the day was a new, yet pleasantly hectic experience.
“The site launched today, I ran my first commercial and had the first promotion today,” Holland said. “And I had my first sale today – so I’ve already cried.”
December 13, 2010 will indeed be historic for Holland, who also just so happened to be having her first interview (and accompanying) photo shoot – for her product Laugh SHINE Repeat.
At the end of this day – and every day after it – she hopes that the message of the motivation behind her gloss stays in place more so than the product.
“I talk to a lot of women on the air, and you know we have a lot of issues,” Holland said, particularly referring to the “Therapy Letter” segment of the show – which features Holland and Scott offering enlisted advice.
“But the number one issue that I find with most women is that they are just not happy with themselves. I’m not going to say, ‘Oh, if you put this lip gloss on that you’re going to be happy.’ But I truly believe that using an everyday tool like a lip gloss or, I don’t know, a candle can help remind you to be happy.”
As an added guide to get her customers to a better place, Laugh SHINE Repeat purchases come with affirmations, such as “I attract happiness to myself today and everyday.” Her website, www.laughshinerepeat.com proclaims, “We believe in using everyday tools to promote success, happiness and positive life changes.”
The line consists of about 20 shades – with textures that include cream, glitter, sheer and more. Contrary to popular belief, it is not in affiliation with another cosmetic manufacturer.
“I hear people all the time saying, ‘Is this something that you bought into? Is this a pyramid?’” Holland said. “This is my baby, this is my thing. This is Tammie, Laugh SHINE Repeat. And I’m excited about it. Can you tell?”
It was written all over her face, which contributed to the title of her product.
“When I laugh, I shine – and I want to do it all over again,” Holland said.
But plenty of people are also probably wondering, “Why lip gloss?” – especially considering all of the products and services in the world waiting to be branded.
“A happy woman is a beautiful woman,” Holland said.
Led to the lips
But it was an experience that she had while shopping that led her to the lips.
“I’m at the Galleria and I walked past a makeup counter,” Holland said.
“And I hate to hear people say, ‘She’s heavy, but she has a pretty face.’ I hate that. But there was a woman who was sitting there, and she was heavy. I thought she was gorgeous. And she put on some bright red lipstick, and I walked by and I smiled.”
Holland seemed to be transported back into the moment.
“And you know what she said? She said, ‘You’re laughing at me,’” Holland continued. “I said, ‘It looks beautiful on you.’ I went home and I said, ‘It was just a tube of lipstick, but that lipstick meant something – ‘t made all the difference in the world.’”
She talked the idea over, and it just felt right.
“I laugh because I have all of these great ideas and I’ve been a multimillionaire many times over in my brain,” Holland said. “But I said, ‘This is something that I want to see into fruition and I want to watch grow.’”
Even in her perpetual procrastination when it comes to bright ideas and opportunities, she worked towards her dream at a manic pace.
“By the beginning of the year I want to include lipsticks and I want to do more, but it has to make sense,” Holland said.
“I’m not a makeup artist. I just said, ‘I feel good about this. I’ll make some sacrifices.’ I think that the time is right for me to do it. If I wait and procrastinate like I’ve always done, it will never happen.”
It’s only been months since that chance encounter at the mall, but today Laugh SHINE Repeat is available for purchase.
“There are a lot of women who listen to us on the air, and I hope that they will be curious about it,” Holland said. “And I hope that their curiosity will help them come to understand exactly what Laugh SHINE Repeat is about and they will seek happiness for themselves.”
The beautiful irony is that she hopes to use radio – a place where she had a breakdown that led to a breakthrough – to aid her in the process of guiding them.
“Three years ago, I had a hairdresser who told me, ‘I really like listening to you on the radio, but your laugh just irritates me and I can’t stand it,” Holland said.
She mentioned it on air, and that led to an influx of complaint calls and an on-air breakdown – and, ultimately, a breakthrough.
“They were saying, ‘I can’t stand her. I hate her laugh,’ and saying these things like I wasn’t sitting there. I said, ‘Let me tell you something. I laugh, therefore I am. I am a happy person. There were so many years in my life where I couldn’t laugh, so I could careless if you don’t like my laughter.’”
She says that encounter motivated her to make her happiness her priority and allowed her to shake the opinions of others as she continued on her path to joy.
“There are a lot of women there – where I used to be – and I want to say, ‘Hey, sis, its okay,’” Holland said. “I know it’s just lip gloss, but I think that it’s a little bit more. I’m trying to send a message – if I’m going to keep it real, a movement – of happy people.”
For additional product information, visit www.laughshinerepeat.com.
