Juana La.Faye’ Wiley
Owner/Curator/Lipstyck Lab
lipstycklab.com

For Juana La.Faye’ Wiley, lipstick is a serious business.

A licensed cosmetologist for more than 20 years, the Pittsburgh native, who goes by Jae’ in her business, grew up mixing her mom’s lipstick samples from Avon. Today, she’s still mixing cosmetics, albeit professionally.

In 2019, Wiley started Lipstyck Lab, Pittsburgh’s first custom lipstick bar.

“You can come to Lipstyck Lab and create your own custom Lipstyck or lip gloss,” Wiley says. “You have choices between bases, pigments, shimmer and scent.”

Before opening her brick-and-mortar store in Squirrel Hill last year, Wiley hosted Lipstyck Lab parties at various locations throughout Pittsburgh, including at holiday popups and The Black Market, a one-stop shopping event featuring local, Black-owned businesses. Soon after, Wiley brought her products on KDKA-TV’s “Pittsburgh Today Live” show.

“Their producer reached out to me to do a segment on their show with Heather Abraham and Mikey Hood,” Wiley recalls. “By the time I drove out of the parking lot my phone never stopped ringing.”

After rehabbing the building’s location on Murray Avenue herself (a process Wiley admits caused a lot of tears), her company went on to win “Best Health & Beauty Store” in Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2024 Best of the ‘Burgh contest. Lipstyck Lab, which offers custom and private sessions, was featured twice more on “Pittsburgh Today Live,” as well as on “Talk Pittsburgh.”

“We reached 245 5-star reviews in one year in business,” Wiley says.

Along the way, Wiley learned to trust herself as a businesswoman.

“In business you are always shifting or pivoting,” she says. “I think sometimes I think too small; I push myself to think bigger. We have to stop telling ourselves no before someone else does.”

A wife and mother herself, Wiley takes joy in donating to causes close to her heart. Last year, she partnered with Davis Child Care to rent out a movie theater for a viewing of “The Color Purple.”

“We took a portion of the proceeds and donated to a mother in need,” she says. “That felt amazing knowing you helped someone in need, [who] did not know it was coming. It is a blessing to be a blessing.”

For 15 years, Pittsburgh Magazine has spotlighted exceptional businesswomen within our pages and at quarterly networking events. Join us for a vibrant conversation with our four inspiring honorees and a keynote speaker at our Women & Business Awards.

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When: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: The Art Room
Ticket Price: $40, with $20 benefitting The Children’s Institute

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