Di Davis’ hair and skin saved her from a life of grief. Her life hadn’t always been easy, but she had a son, James “Jay” Lilly III, who gave her purpose. On August 5, 2012, Jay’s life was taken at age 25 by one of the things he loved most—his motorcycle.
“I was done,” she says. “For a year, I was gone. I wouldn’t even get off the couch.”
On the first anniversary of Jay’s death, Davis looked in the mirror and saw someone who had let herself go. Her amazing skin had gone bad. Her curls were stringy. In those moments, she started seeking paths to healing, while a lifetime’s obsession with skin health began to germinate into a business.
Today, Davis is the founder of Féroce Skin Studio and its vegan organic line of skincare and hair products for men and women. Launching just before the pandemic of 2020 started, the business has thrived. Now, Davis is preparing to open a skincare studio in downtown Mount Joy.
Davis’ goal is to “normalize” self-care. She started the business by partnering with a manufacturer to launch a private-label line of products, but she didn’t stop there. For two years, she studied skin health and perfected her formulas. She wanted naturally derived products so easy to understand that using them becomes routine. Her Facebook feed regularly offers a cheery reminder: “GIRL WASH YOUR FACE!”
“In helping women, it helps heal me,” Davis says. “I keep it as simple as possible and forget all about the excuses.”
Customers who send Davis three selfies –the face from the front and both sides–get a customized plan and product recommendations. She knows that, like her, it could be someone who is in pain and “at your most vulnerable point.”
“If you can trust me with your raw images, then I got you,” she says. “You and me, we’re going to talk, and I’m going to fix your skin.”
The Féroce line includes hydrating oil cleanser, moisturizer, serum, night cream, mask, scrub, blemish treatment, eye masks and gels, soaps and bath bombs, and hair growth oil. Guys have their own Féroce HIM line of masks, eye gel, cleansers, and cold brew beard oil, inspired by Jay Lilly’s motto, “Chin up, chest out, make history.”
Teens who find relief from acne with Féroce products make Davis’ heart “so happy.” She sees the impact in all her customers.
“If you look good, you have to feel good,” she says. “Things start to balance out a little better.”
Davis’ self-care starts every morning, even when it’s hard to get up and face the day. With the smell of her oil cleanser and the orangey tang of the CC Serum, she feels daily affirmation. She sends up a prayer that she is ready for whatever blessings come her way.
It’s the same feeling she hopes for the customers she calls her “beauty tribe.”
“Take those few minutes for loving on yourself, and then you’re ready to face the day,” she says. “If you can do that, then you can conquer a lot of things, because you love yourself first.”
Davis’ home studio, where she offers facials and skin peels, closed for a time during the pandemic. After reopening, the instantaneous response convinced her that she could do much more. In spring 2021, a beautiful new Féroce Skin Studio is set to open on Main Street in Mount Joy with Féroce products and a loft with cabana-style treatment spaces.
“It’s just relaxing and away,” says Davis. “I think I’ve worked so hard on my healing. Before I touch anyone, I align myself and say, ‘I’m good.’ I’m going to leave them much better than when they came in.”
A passion for health and glowing skin runs in the family. Davis’ elder daughter, Ciara Lilly, is studying to become an esthetician and plans to partner in the busines. Her younger daughter, Ty’lia Stewart, is studying to be a registered nurse. She hopes to join the studio to offer Botox injections to help clients who have hair-loss issues.
Davis tries to live by the message her son left behind—to put God before everything. He lived a full life, she knows, as a Christian musician and mentor who taught young men and women to express themselves through song, dance, and poetry.
She believes today that he would be proud of her. She loves seeing her tribe engaging on social media, sharing and giving each other advice. This, she believes, “is why I’m healing.”
“This is my purpose. This is me helping people, because they’re feeling good. Women that wouldn’t take pictures of themselves months ago are taking selfies. They’re feeling fabulous about themselves, and that makes my heart feel so, so good.”
