How I Got Loud: A Story About Chance, Chaos, and Finding My Voice

Some of you might know bits of this story. Others might just know that I somehow wound up running a nail polish brand. Either way, with my birthday launch around the corner, I thought now was the right time to share how I ended up here—mixing polish, naming collections after chaotic slang, and building something I never saw coming.

It All Started With a Facebook Group (Seriously)

via GIPHY

Rewind a few years: I was just a fan trying to complete a collection from a brand that was closing down. I’d loved that brand partly because they had a polish with my name on it (tell me that wouldn’t pull you in too). I joined a Facebook group of fellow fans, hoping to trade or buy whatever I could before it was all gone.

Enter Melody, who some of you will recognize as the original force behind LOUD. She had worked very closely with that brand’s owner and ended up with a giant box of samples and pre-ships. (I didn’t even know what a pre-ship was at that point.) She posted in the group asking if anyone in L.A. could come get the box for free!

Well, I was in St. Louis. Not exactly close.

But I didn’t let that stop me. I helped organize a group chat of folks who were interested. One person was in L.A. and agreed to pick everything up and inventory it. We figured out what everyone wanted, sorted it fairly, and made sure each person got a good mix—including their top wish list shades. Some of those polishes had even been used in official photo shoots. It was such a fun little adventure—and everyone was so happy with how it turned out.

That’s when Mel decided to keep me.

Thrown Into the Deep End (Repeatedly)

From there, Mel just… kept handing me responsibilities. And every time, I’d say the same thing:
“I can’t. I don’t have experience with this. I don’t know how. What if I mess up?”

But somehow, Mel saw something in me. She didn’t care that I’d never worked in beauty. Or done product development. Or had any kind of “proper” experience. What she saw was a woman who could organize chaos, who didn’t give up, and who made things happen.

One of my very first product development tasks was designing our glass nail file and cuticle tool. I spent months researching them, making sure they were sourced authentically from Czechia—where the best ones are made.
Here’s a cool tip I learned: if you want to spot a fake, scratch it with a penny. If it’s fake, you’ll see the etching scrape up. Real glass or crystal won’t budge. I went deep on this stuff because even back then, I cared about doing things right.

Back then, I had no idea how many different types of glitters, flakes, or shimmers could even exist in a nail polish. Now, I can look at a swatch and reverse engineer it—assuming I’ve got the right ingredients, of course. It’s like muscle memory at this point. There are truly so many components that go into one tiny bottle, and somehow my brain just knows how to pull them together now. I didn't expect that skill to form—but here we are.

Finding My People (And Pouring Polish on Barbies)

Of course, Mel and I became partners in crime fast. We just clicked. But I think the moment I knew LOUD had found its people—that I had found my people—was during that first viral ad.

It was 2020. Everyone was stuck inside. We couldn’t use models, so Mel goes, “What if we paint Barbies?” I was like, “Okay, sure, let’s get weird.”

We pulled swatches from our community for the With Love From Cali collection, licensed the song Mythologica by Ofrin, and put together a totally chaotic, glitter-drenched Barbie ad. We poured polish on them. Literally. Was it the absurdity? The fact that the Babbs helped showcase every single color from various angles? Or maybe the song was just a total bop? I honestly don’t know what made it take off—but it did.

Design by Cassi Parker

That was the moment. We weren’t just a brand—we were a little movement. People got it. People loved it.

LOUD Found Me When I Needed It Most

What LOUD gave me wasn’t just a job or a brand. It gave me space to finally create something on my own terms. Mel didn’t just give me a chance—she handed me a legacy and said, “Let’s see what you can do.”

At that time, I was driving Uber and doing gig work so I could stay flexible. My mom’s been chronically ill since the '90s, and my youngest sister was born with intellectual disabilities and other health challenges. I’ve been caring for both of them—and my other sister—since I was 12. My life required flexibility. It still does.

I’ve had a lot of jobs. Managed a Culver’s for a couple years (Midwest folks know what’s up). Sold phones at AT&T when the first iPhone launched. Worked for a bank. Got an associate degree in business management. I could do a lot of things, but nothing ever stuck. Not because I wasn’t good at them, but because life kept pulling me away to handle real stuff—surgeries, appointments, emergencies. You can only go on FMLA so many times before a job lets you go.

I’m just an average Mom trying to dig her family out of poverty and give her kids a better life. I don’t always do things the right way—but I always find a way.

That’s kind of the whole spirit of LOUD: doing things differently, boldly, with heart.

My dream is to keep LOUD a place where weirdos feel welcome, and polish is about embracing our voices—not perfection. That’s why we say it all the time:
LOUD NOT PERFECT.

Zest Day Ever, and What Comes Next

This month, I’m launching a special birthday trio called Zest Day Ever—a lemon-blueberry dream filled with chaotic sprinkle glitters and a big ol’ sugar crash at the end. It’s LOUD, it’s sweet, and it’s packed with heart.
And alongside it (but not part of the collection), I’m also releasing a fifth polish: a charity topper that gives back to immigrant communities. It launches the same day, sold separately, and every bottle helps support real people in need. Constantly finding ways to give back is something I care about deeply—because growing up, my family got help from programs like these. I know firsthand how much that kind of support can mean.

This collection isn’t just about celebrating my birthday—it’s about celebrating this wild journey and everyone who’s been part of it. LOUD exists because people believed in something weird and worth preserving. People like you.

Thanks for being here. Thanks for sticking around.

Stay LOUD Babbs - Cassi

via GIPHY (one day i will legit make something like this with nail polish... you wait...)