While studying at UNC Charlotte, Kaylan Joseph was busier than most students. That’s because he was also IAMEGYPT, an actor and singer with almost 83,000 listeners on Spotify.
Joseph also likes to try different styles. But with her busy college days, she didn’t have time to go to the store to get her hair care essentials.
He said: “I didn’t have time to go to the store to buy the things I needed. Or if I went to the store and it was on sale, I didn’t drag myself to another store to buy it.”
Besides his time and product flexibility, cost was another issue. Many Black women spend $1,000-plus on hair care and styling.
I would close my eyes and just pay [for a product] and I cried,” he said: “It’s like, ‘No, this money is too much.’
The singer got into this more (like the fact that many people feel “stuck” when they visit famous stores like Sephora or Ulta Beauty) during interviews with other women and realized in time that she is not alone in her problems.
It was on Easter Sunday in 2023 that inspiration came. Joseph decided to create something that would revolutionize the beauty industry. At the UNC Charlotte Venture Challenge in 2023, he gave his first pitch. She took a break from music and started talking to stylists and researching how an online beauty service could help them.
Moving changes beauty
In 2025, Joseph officially launched GlamourBae, an AI app powered by people like himself who need help finding makeup, hair and skin products that can help them look their best. The platform is currently undergoing beta testing and will officially launch this spring (with a first-come, first-served waiting list currently available).
To get started, users register with their phone number and email. Then they ask beauty questions—they ask about their hair type, skin tone, skin problems, hobbies, etc., as well as questions about how often they use products.
After completing the questionnaire and entering the site, users can view the selected categories and brands, as well as the main options of GlamourBae. Users choose what they like and add those products to the shopping cart, along with coupons when available. When checking out, users will be able to get real-time information for the delivery of their ordered boxes.
The founder described his platform delivery service as “Amazon meets DoorDash” for beauty. The delivery service itself has partnered with Charlotte-based Just Her Rideshare, but would-be drivers will also be able to apply through GlamourBae’s driver app, which is still in development.
GlamourBae will have monthly and yearly promotions for both Prime and VIP members. The basic monthly price may be $5.99-$7.99 per month. If the user is a “LuxeBae” member, they can get free shipping for $7.99 per month or $75 per year.
Standing out from the competition
When it comes to the competition, Joseph believes that GlamourBae will stand out through personalization, simplicity, and dedication to taking care of users’ needs. She notes that some beauty subscription services don’t work well for Black and Brown women.
“It doesn’t matter if you are recommended products, you have rosacea or [other skin conditions]you know that what you see is good for you.”
From a consumer perspective, many are concerned about cost, poor quality, or poor service. So, the GlamourBae team is creating a database to learn exactly what stylists need to do to best serve their clients.
Perhaps the most interesting of all is GlamourBae’s AI, which is designed to help users “try on” different looks. The AI even includes a shader-like feature for planting different makeup applications. With this, one can see the desired view in detail.
Progress very far
The team has opened a waiting list for the Glamourbae app in January 2025; now there are 275,000 people in it. The startup also has beta testers who are primarily located in the Raleigh-Durham area and have provided positive feedback for usability and brand selection in particular. (Other brands GlamourBae has partnered with include Maybelline, Got2Be, Scala, REM Beauty, and Charlotte Tilbury.)
Last year, GlamourBae officially partnered with Fenty Beauty to feature some of their best hair products in their pre-order boxes.
From the beginning, Joseph worked with the help of his six-member advisory team.
“I love that they align with my strengths and GlamourBae and make me think about business and trends and all sides because…
Joseph is just starting out, though he has raised about $10,000-$12,000 through grants and angel investment.
QUICKLY A LOT OF STONES
Starting: GlamourBae
Founder: Kaylan Joseph
Established: 2023
Group size: 5
Location: Raleigh
Website: glamourbae.com
Funding: Bootstrapped, other angel investments
In the past year, GlamourBae has had many successes, including completing their first script, hosting a pop-up at UNC Charlotte, and being accepted into Google’s startup program. The platform has also received almost 200% profit on beauty products.
But Joseph’s most memorable achievement last year was making 115 bags for the Root 100 gala, from North Carolina to New York to deliver.
“I put my heart and soul and everything into this company,” he said. [all] truly amazing.”
In the next few months, Joseph is looking forward to expanding GlamourBae nationwide, to cities like Atlanta, Detroit and Houston. Her vision for the next few years is for GlamourBae to grow internationally.
“Get ready GlamourBae,” said Joseph. “We are coming.”
The app will be released to the public in April 2026. If you’d like to join the waiting list, check out GlamourBae’s website.
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