Playing in Makeup opens doors for Jamaica-born creative
Yolondo Salmon Thomas opens first US store today
Published:Saturday | September 27, 2025 | 12:07 AM
When it comes to cosmetics and investments, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. That’s why Yolondo Salmon Thomas, chief executive officer at Playing in Makeup by Yolondo (PIMBY), has invested in her first major cosmetic store in the United States, after spending years establishing a multi-million dollar cosmetics business with customers in more than 150 countries.
The company converted a 10,000-square-foot space in the Mall of Georgia for her first Playing in Makeup by Yolondo store in the USA. The store’s official opening ceremony today will be attended by business and political leaders from Atlanta and surrounding areas, as well as members of the Jamaican diaspora and the Consulate of Jamaica.
“These are exciting times, it’s been a challenging couple of days ... but this store will be critical to the success of PIMBY’s customer experience. Without a physical space, customers can’t touch, feel, smell or see what they’re buying … and they won’t find that perfect foundation match online,” Salmon Thomas said.
PIMBY already opened a store in May Pen, Clarendon, but with this latest ‘boss move’, Salmon Thomas is seeking to cash in on the $500-billion beauty sector’s surging global appeal.
“We have a strong online presence with the PIMBY brand, but this physical store will give us a necessary edge where you can shop your faves and swatch in person,” she said.
A certified make-up artist, Salmon Thomas has been bravely developing her own niche of products, using her business savvy and creativity to establish her business as a high-growth brand, occupying the top-one-per-cent of over one million brands on Shopify.
“For me, make-up is a creative form of self-expression. And it’s really good fun to play with. I’ve been playing with make-up my whole life, and now I am making a living from it,” she said.
Originally from Mitchell Town in Clarendon, Salmon-Thomas migrated to the United States at 17 years old. While there, she worked as a nurse and started practising her make-up artistry part-time. She has gained a growing customer base with her make-up tutorials online via her Facebook page, which has attracted more than 93,000 followers and her Instagram page with over 419,000 followers.