It was the holidays of 2018. A simple festive and small cook-out turned into a life altering event. 4th degree burns on the upper third of her body. Two months in a coma. When she woke up, she says she already knew. The nurses asked her if whe wanted to look in the mirror. Tonya already had an idea that the woman that was there before this tragedy was no more.

An important question. Why was it so important for me to connect and collab with Tonya on this 1st of kind launch?

2 words-Authenticity + Attention. (+ a bit more- read on!)

Authenticity. Beauty is an intensely crowded market. Hoardes of influencers abound touting their faves. Massive mis-statements and exaggerated claims in skincare are rampant. Its so bad, that some creators have their entire online personae centered around de-bunking false skincare claim! Unlike the rest, Tonya is without debate or doubt, truly authentic. In the era of AI, this is something we crave in those we follow.

Attention. Again, here is the same point- personal care is an extremely crowded market. The most difficult thing to do is to stop a viewer’s scroll long enough to take in your message completely. When a viewer stops on Tonya’s post, they quickly get past the point of curiosity and they stay for her soothing voice, genuine enthusiasm, inspiring point of view- and watch her very talented makeup and fashion tutorials.

There is much more on the Authenticity point. My brand, Mettalusso, has a mission and it’s ‘Daily Mental Health’. Tonya is incredible. She is a survivor-and so much more. Not only is she surviving, she is thriving. Her messages always finish with her signature sentence that goes something like this:

“Whatever you are going through, always know that this too shall pass”

That message is so connected and authentic to the company’s mission. Her makeup tutorials are amazing as well- she is a very talented lady. Her skills are perfect for relaying the importance of the Mettalusso MIX THIS makeup collection and how in reality, no matter our complexion type, we all face the same challenges in makeup application.

“Tonya’s skills are perfect for relaying the importance of the Mettalusso MIX THIS makeup collection and how in reality, no matter our complexion type, we all face the same challenges in makeup application.”,

founder Christine C. Oddo, Mettalusso

Her background lets you know that she is also a business-savvy professional. In her career, Tonya was a paralegal. At the time of her accident, she was also at the start of carving out a career in real estate.

There are so many reasons to admire Tonya. So many reasons why I knew I had to collaborate with her. I feel privileged to launch a first of kind collaboration with her with the Mettalusso MIX THIS liquid makeup collection.

You will find Tonya as BurnedBeauty2018 all over social. She is also on my website, Mettalusso. The MIX THIS collection can be found on at mettalusso.com, on Verishop and in the WalMart marketplace.

My original Mettalusso brand characters Mettie + Lunah Lusso with their pets Manfred and Moon cat do the PR announcement for the Mettalusso + BurnedBeauty2018 makeup collab-