What's up, Babez! Today I want to tell you a little bit about how I started CoRo and what it means to me.
I'm not much of a writer but every once in a while I feel the need to express myself and that’s what I want to do here. So, who am I?
My name is Nik and I created a brand called CoRo (I know, how original right?)
For starters, I’m an entrepreneur at heart. My mom tells me that as a kid all I wanted to do was work for myself, to become my boss.
As an adult, my biggest passion has always been beauty. It’s something that makes me happy and can change my mood within seconds. It's also something we have full control over; so why not use it for good?
I started CoRo a year ago today to create something beautiful for you, a reminder for you to come home and find your CoRo too. The name "CoRo" is an abbreviation of my middle name and my mother's middle name, Cocyese x Romedis, but the meaning behind the name is stronger. CoRo means "courage + compassion for you and others." This is what CoRo is about - a self-love relationship with yourself + your relationship with others.
I’ve always been a girl who loved fresh starts. I love the idea of turning the clock, starting over, and making today better than yesterday.
I’ve also always been a girl that loves to create. My first memory of any creative outlet was when I was 8 years old. I loved to wear press-on nails. One day, my mom bought me some press-on nails by KISS! I remember how much fun it was to pick out the colors, apply them to my nails, and admire them once they were finished. Since then, through all the life changes, wearing press-on nails has stayed a constant in my life.
BUT… we all have secrets...
I was also the girl with the voice of my insecurities telling me who I should be and what I should look like. I’ve been a girl that never felt good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or talented enough.
When I was a teenager, I had some pretty low self-esteem. I used to think that to be loved, I had to be someone else other than myself. Like a lot of girls, I grew up with the idea that who I was wasn’t enough. So I tried to change into what other people wanted me to be.
My lack of confidence caused me to doubt myself and all of my capabilities. I didn’t know I was lost. It took me a while to realize that I had been wandering around in the proverbial desert of my life. I didn’t know what I wanted, who I was, or what I needed.
There were times when I just felt so lonely and disconnected from myself. My friends would ask me how they could help but all they could do was listen.
In my sophomore year of college, I began my journey of rediscovering myself through meditation. Meditation helped me reawaken my body’s natural intelligence and inner wisdom that was lost long ago. It reconnected me with my body and turned me into the present moment.
BUT... even during those times, I lost myself... AGAIN!
I’ve always been a seeker of truth and love, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that reality hit me in the face like a tire iron and forced me to take a good long look at myself.
What did I see? A girl looking for something she couldn’t find, trying everything under the sun to satisfy her soul—and failing miserably.
It was only after I started exploring who I was that I realized that everything I had always wanted was within reach, all it took was for me to believe in myself. I knew that if I could achieve this self-acceptance, then so could others. This is when my passion for self-love found me.
I wanted to create press-on nails that were simple yet meaningful; personal yet relatable; different yet versatile; and most importantly, valuable. It’s time we focus on what matters most: ourselves.
I love watching a woman discover her confidence, especially when she doesn’t know it’s coming. I love the way she carries herself and the subtle shifts in her behavior as she unconsciously becomes more and more confident. There is an air of lightness, an ease of movement, a fluidity to her interactions with others, and a self-assured smile that comes from knowing who she is and what she wants.
The more I watched this, the more I realized how much the woman who knows herself and is comfortable in her skin relies on the power of self-validation. You can tell she doesn’t look outward for approval or validation. She centers around herself and builds up her confidence from within. She looks in the mirror not to fix her flaws but to accept them as part of her beauty. She loves herself enough to let go of expectations imposed by society or others because they no longer matter to her.
This woman I saw was my mom. She was (and still is) the epitome of what CoRo stands for, and being a product of her, I knew that this was what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be.
CoRo was created to share the beauty of self-relationship. It is about mistakes, learning, and never giving up. CoRo is a trilogy that combines beauty and fashion with faith.
Because every woman deserves to live her most authentic life. This is for you, me, and every woman looking for inspiration.
I am in a love affair with myself. I made mistakes, I learned from them, but I never gave up. It starts with me, it starts with you, it starts with us!
I am CoRo, and this is my love story.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my journey, and as always, if you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out!
