Since corporate lawyer Adiya Dixon Wiggins created the Yubi Brush in July 2018, a beauty brush that helps women multitask, and won a spot on Time magazine’s Best Inventions in Beauty list just months later, her life has taken on a new dimension.
“There have been so many changes since I won the award in November. The biggest change is my decision to step away from the legal profession to build the company. Although I no longer practice law, the experience I gained such as the ways I assessed problems and created strategies has helped me run the company more effectively,” she told TNJ.com in a recent interview.
According to Dixon Wiggins, Yubi, a Japanese word for finger, is a cute play on words for a tool that slides on to your hands to become an extension of your hand. “The name is actually what the product is, but it’s also personal. I spent five years living and working in Japan, and that’s where I developed an appreciation for beauty, aesthetic and the simplicity of design,” she says.
The creation came to her while leading her busy life of being a working mom with two kids.
“Like so many women, I was stretched thin; I had very little time for myself. I found that when I did make time for a skincare regimen, I felt more like myself,” notes Dixon Wiggins. “I was a better employee, a more loving wife and caring mother. I came to understand the value of self-care through a beauty routine, and I wanted to make it simpler and faster so that I could have it everyday and enjoy it on-the-go.”
Frequent business-related travel led to the revelation that she had too many cosmetic brushes and tools that were bulky and cumbersome. With the Yubi Brush, she set out to simplify and speed up the beauty process.
But like any invention, there was a lot of work involved. She spent nights and weekends in her basement playing around with old brushes she had cut up and hot-glued together until she found a prototype worth taking to a design firm. “Finally, I had something that gave me the experience I wanted, and that is the Yubi Brush that’s on the market today.”
So far, she’s pleased with the result. “I certainly like the product, but you never know how the world will react,” she says. “Being on Time’s Beauty list helped with sales, marketing and brand awareness, but equally important to me is the customer feedback.”
The Yubi Brush has garnered direct reviews on the website, five-star reviews that keep coming in every day, inclusion in FabFitFun’s summer add-ons and big applause at trade shows and other events.
Says Dixon Wiggins, “When I demonstrate the power of this tool that replaces all of the makeup brushes in your arsenal, the response is overwhelmingly positive.”
The Yubi Brush is $35 and is available for purchase on her website and on HSN.
