“Love Island USA” alum Olandria Carthen will be stepping into her CEO era.
When Carthen’s time on the show concluded, her star power was evident. She now has an online following of more than 4.5 million across her platforms, carving out her own lane in beauty and fashion. In fact, she has secured major partnerships in these sectors, most recently with MAC Cosmetics to promote its Studio Radiance Skin Tint Stick in Rich 1, according to information on Instagram.
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“MAC Cosmetics has been a part of my beauty routine from the very beginning. I remember using the Ruby Woo lipstick for the very first time and how it made me feel as a young adult. I felt so grown at the time,” Carthen told People. “Being able to actually work with the brand at this level has been such a full-circle moment for me.”
Before that, Carthen teamed up with designer Brandon Blackwood to release a fashion collection, marking her first, according to ELLE. Blackwood is a fashion designer whose work is influenced by his interest in STEM, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Blackwood had been a constant supporter of Carthen from the start of her reality television days.
“Brandon’s bags have been part of my entire journey starting with ‘Love Island,’” Carthen explained in conversation with ELLE. “For one, I love supporting Black designers as is. And I’m all about supporting those who supported me when no one wanted to.”
The Olandria x Brandon Blackwood collection, which consists of the O-Zip Mini Trunk, O-Top Handle Bag, O-Vanity Case, and O-Lipstick Case Bag Charm in Bama Barbie pink, hot pink, and jet black, sold out within 10 minutes of its launch on May 27, according to a story post from Carthen.
“Y’all crashed the site,” she penned.
As for what’s next for Carthen, she’s launching her own business. While on stage at “2026 Create & Cultivate,” which is a festival for women in business, Carthen revealed she has her own brand in the works.
“It’s like, you know what, I be selling out everybody else’s product, let me sell out my own for a second. Hello! So I’m super excited,” Carthen expressed on the stage, according to a video she shared on Instagram from People Brands And Things. “I’m in the weeds and the building stages of it now, and obviously good things do take time. So, dolls, hold off on me. Hold on for a second. …We’re doing all the things.”
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Carthen previously teased the launch of a bodycare line, which could include body oils, in a former interview with AFROTECH™ in April.
“Even when you guys met me on the screen, I was always shining. I don’t play about being ashy. That’s one thing I don’t play about,” she previously told AFROTECH™. “Definitely in the works of trying to get that off the ground. Be on the lookout.”
During an event at Soho House for New York Fashion Week, Carthen doubled down on the venture, saying it’s coming soon.
@hypebae You heard it here first, @Olandria is working on a body care line! 😍 Will you be shopping the brand? ✨ Video: Hypebae #olandria #olandrialoveisland #olandriacarthen #loveislandusa
