Hidden Gems: Meet Marsha Douglas-Sydnor of Shades of Shades®

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marsha Douglas-Sydnor.

Hi Marsha, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I knew from a very early age that I was assigned a role filled with purpose in this lifetime to create. My Jamaican parents came to this country with the hopes and aspirations to make a better life for themselves, and once I came along, for me as well. I was born in Maryland and raised as a single child. I saw firsthand what hard work and dedication looked like, as my father never missed a day of work and my mother insisted on me never missing a day of school. My parents sacrificed to put me through private school and send me to a top-performing arts High School where I studied dance. After high school, I began entering pageants and was crowned Miss Mid Atlantic and featured in JET magazine as the Beauty of the Week. I was also very fortunate to be awarded a full-tuition dance scholarship to the University of Maryland, later transferring to Bowie State University, where I obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and met the love of my life.

Upon graduating, I followed my intuition directly to Los Angeles, California, where I worked as a Hollywood actress and Soul Train Dancer in the fashion/entertainment industry. Soon after, I married the love of my life and fell in love with love! I became drawn to capturing love as a wedding photographer and later opened up a fine art photography studio alongside my husband, where we traveled the world to shoot until we conceived our first child, and two more followed shortly thereafter.

Life was wonderful until I hit my head. I have always been a relatively healthy person, so it was a complete shock to me and my family when I hit my head while working out and was suddenly diagnosed with a brain tumor. Life became still. I had never experienced anything like this before in my life. I have three babies that need me. I have a husband who needs me. My entire family from Jamaica is depending on me. I had to be strong and fight this head on.

After my diagnosis, my husband decided to plan an international trip to mentally prepare for my upcoming brain surgery and raise our spirits to celebrate life. It was on this very trip that I struggled with finding a perfect nude sunglass shade that actually matched my unique caramel complexion. I went to 6 different boutiques/department stores in hopes of “making something work”, just to leave disappointed and empty-handed. Other than thinking about the brain tumor and my children, I spent a good amount of time wondering why there weren’t any realistic NUDE options for high-quality sunglasses. Not to my surprise, on the way home, I saw four people wearing nude shades that weren’t their nude shade!!! It was at that moment that I realized that this market has been completely overlooked in the eyewear industry. We provide inclusion for makeup foundation shades, shoes, and even lingerie. Why not eyewear?? At that very moment, Shades Of Shades® was born.

Once we returned home, I made a promise to myself and to my husband that if I were to successfully come out of brain surgery, I will acknowledge my purpose for creating, bring Shades Of Shades® to the forefront and provide diversity representation and inclusion to a neglectful eyewear industry. From my hospital bed, I created our mission to provide premium, inclusive Nude Eyewear for ALL demographics and promote a platform of unity and self-love. Shades Of Shades®, pioneering the Complex™ movement, is the ONLY luxury brand exclusively dedicated to an all-inclusive Nude palette, consisting of 14 different beautiful complexion shades. I am happy to say that this brand was birthed out of love. Today, I am tumor-free and happily residing in North Carolina with my husband and three beautiful children.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As with starting up any business, funding, quality sourcing, and marketing, can be difficult at times. However, our mission continues to outweigh the challenges and therefore, we continue to move forward, no matter what.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Shades of Shades® is the very first luxury eyewear brand, exclusively devoted to Nude Natural Eyewear for ALL beautiful skin tones. The custom Italian Eyewear Brand was created to provide inclusive nude eyewear to an industry that mainly focuses on limited nude color selections. Shades of Shades®, designed in the USA and handmade in Italy, was created with the rise of eyewear consumers struggling to find the perfect nude shade that truly matches their unique skin tone. Our 5 Model silhouettes are currently available within our custom 14 shade inclusive nude palette.

How do you think about happiness?
Seeing people live and thrive purposefully in their shade makes me happiest. Our brand celebrates self-love and encourages others to see beauty in ALL, no matter how different we may be. We are all uniquely made and beautiful in our own special way.

Pricing:

• Silhouette Range : $198 – $425

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.shades-of-shades.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shadesofshadesofficial
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/worldofshade
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/shadesdishades
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdtj7nt2NCoQXAuOmkH-Vig

Image Credits
Syds Designs Photography