How Desiree Verdejo's Skin Struggles Led Her to Create One of 2021’s Buzziest Brands

Photo: Courtesy of Desiree Verdejo

Welcome to our monthly editorial series A Day in the Life where we ask women we admire to share the daily minutiae of their professional lives, from the morning rituals that set them up for success to their evening wind-down routines. This month, we talked with Desiree Verdejo, CEO and founder of Hyper Skin, about how she launched a skincare brand that’s rooted in multiculturalism, why she always tackles her hardest tasks first thing in the morning, and her favorite pandemic purchase (which still uses every day).

Tell us a bit about Hyper Skin and what inspired you to launch your business. What whitespace did you see in the market, and what need did you want to fill?

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve struggled with acne that was always followed by large dark spots. After years of trying to find the perfect solution to combat hyperpigmentation, I finally came to the realization that there really just wasn’t anything out there addressing this particular problem. 

On top of that, there has always been a major lack of diversity in the skincare and beauty space. As a woman of color, it didn’t take long for me to notice how little representation we have within the skincare market, from advertising to the formulation of products themselves. So many dermatologists and chemists receive little to no training on how to treat melanin-rich skin. 

I founded Hyper Skin because I wanted to solve both of these issues that I ran into by creating an easy, fun, results-oriented skincare brand that is rooted in multiculturalism. My goal is to not only target dark spots and discoloration but to do so for all skin tones and really shine a spotlight on celebrating diversity. 

Now, let’s talk about your workday routine! First, are you a night owl or a morning person? When do you do your most important work and why?

I’m definitely a morning person! When my schedule allows, I typically like to start my morning early and work on anything that is time-sensitive, challenging, or just requires more brainpower. Then, I will schedule any calls and meetings for the afternoon. 

In the evenings, I like to catch up on all of my emails and organize a to-do list for the next day. This way, I can go to bed knowing I have everything set for when I wake up in the morning without feeling too overwhelmed or stressed about figuring out what I need to do.

What time does your alarm go off, and what’s the first thing you do upon waking?

Actually, I don't have an alarm clock! I naturally wake up at 6:30. Since I have two little toddlers that wake up at 7:30, I like to wake up before them so that I can have a peaceful morning with some time to myself. The first thing I do when I wake up is have coffee, listen to NPR, and take a look at my phone to make sure there’s nothing urgent that I have to take care of. My absolute favorite pandemic purchase was my Nespresso, so I love making my oat milk lattes right when I wake up—it’s my morning ritual!

What does your morning, pre-work routine look like?

In the mornings, before I start working, I love to spend quality time with my toddlers. Usually, that means making them breakfast and heading to school drop-off. My younger son is only two, so we usually walk together to a nearby coffee shop and I'll get a coffee for myself and a treat for him! I really value these little moments of time together—they are both growing up so fast so I want to spend every moment I can with them.

Photo: Courtesy of Hyper Skin

Take us through your morning skincare routine. How do you prepare your skin for the day? 

My skincare routine is by far my favorite part of the morning. It's another reason that I actually enjoy waking up early and having enough time to really care for my skin. I have oily skin, so I always start by cleansing. My skin is acne-prone and susceptible to dark spots, so after cleansing, I follow up with the Hyper Skin Brightening Clearing Vitamin C Serum to combat hyperpigmentation. I love face mists. Right now I’m using one by Tower 28 that I really like. The last two steps in my routine are using a lightweight moisturizer and always using sunscreen. A couple of my all-time favorites are the Unseen Sunscreen from Supergoop and the Everyday Humans sunscreen. 

Mark Twain said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” What’s the first thing you do when you get to your desk?

I always complete the hardest task of the day when I get to my desk first thing in the morning, so I completely agree with this quote. I think what sets me up for the most success in the morning is making my to-do list for the next day in the evening. If there is a task that is really important or challenging, I'll send an email to myself so that I see it fresh in my inbox in the morning and it's a great reminder to jump right in. I think the key to avoiding feeling overwhelmed and stressed out is always thinking one step ahead and preparing for the future.

What are you working on this week?

We have a few new exciting launches that are coming up so my weeks have been filled with reviewing and signing off on proofs, working with the team on developing social concepts for the launches, managing operations, and just overseeing everything regarding launch preparation. We're really leaning into using our social media platforms to share the Hyper Skin story so it's been a lot of brainstorming and creating as a team.

What’s been the most rewarding part of running your business? The most challenging?

Creating something that our community tells us really works for them has definitely been the most rewarding part. That doesn't ever get old. As someone who has always had problem skin and has constantly been on the lookout for solutions, reading reviews and getting emails from customers will always be something that I look forward to. It's so motivating, and it really pushes me to always create at the highest level. 

On the other hand, the most challenging aspect of running a business is that you always have to keep going. There’s no time to stop to say, “This sucks,” or, “Wow, we’ve accomplished so much!” It’s always like, “Okay, now what do we have to do next?” As a founder leading a small team, there’s no time to sit in the emotions, in the challenges, or in the wins. You just need to keep pushing forward and doing your best. 

Do you ever reach inbox zero? What tips can you share for handling the constant influx of inquiries and communication entrepreneurs are so familiar with?

I never have and I don’t think I ever will—it’s not even a goal of mine anymore because it’s so unattainable! As for tips on handling the constant inquiries and communication with others, I think it's important to prioritize your day on what's most important to you and what you need to get done next. If you are always responding to what other people are asking of you, you'll never be able to meet your own goals.

What is your go-to work lunch?

My go-to work lunch is always changing. One benefit of the pandemic was that I had more time at home to cook really wonderful, nourishing, and balanced meals. However, now that I have gone back to working in a co-working space, I am trying to find the balance between continuing to cook for myself and eating meals on the go. Simplicity is key. My favorite go-to meal is chicken with cauliflower rice and lots of fresh veggies.

Photo: Courtesy of Desiree Verdejo

What advice do you have for balancing the minutiae of day-to-day tasks with big-picture planning?

My biggest tip or piece of advice is to do different types of tasks on different days. For example, I like to plan certain days for all of my calls and set aside other days of the week for other things that I need to accomplish. Every week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are my call/catch-up days. Monday and Friday are big-picture, ideating, and thinking days. Without a schedule like this, you can spend all day responding to people, but it doesn't give you time to think about marketing, strategy, or business plans on a larger, more creative scale. 

What are some work habits that help you stay healthy, productive, and on track to reach your goals?

My number one reminder to myself that helps me stay healthy, happy, and productive is just to not overdo it. Don’t drive yourself crazy by focusing on all of the tasks or things that you didn’t do or aren’t able to do at that moment in time. As a founder of a new, emerging brand, I'm in a very busy stage of my life. I’ve taught myself to lean into that, but at the same time, I’m always making sure that I’m not overdoing it. I just remind myself that I’m in a busy season now, but it won't be busy forever. 

Any favorite apps you use regularly?

I love Slack for communicating with my team on a daily basis. Instagram is another favorite of mine because of how much it allows me to connect to the rest of the world and all of the new concepts and ideas that are out there. Another app I love is the HomeExchange app; it fuels my wanderlust!

What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now to help you wind down at the end of the day?

When I’m in a really busy stage of life (like right now!), I'm not great at watching TV because it draws me in deeply for too long. Instead, right now I’m planning our first post-pandemic family vacation to Costa Rica, so my favorite way to unwind at the end of a long day is by scrolling through Instagram and different chat groups to help me plan for that and get excited about our trip. It really helps me unwind!

When do you go to bed? What’s your “optimal” number of sleep hours?

I usually like to go to bed around 11:00 pm. I always try to aim for 6-7 hours. If I’m able to get in seven hours of sleep I am a wonderful person, but that doesn't always happen!

What’s the most rewarding part of your day?

Because I launched my business right before the pandemic, I ended up hiring every member of our team remotely, and they’re all planning to stay remote for a while. That being said, the most rewarding part of my day is whenever I get to interact with my team via Zoom. I love to chat with them and share ideas and hear their updates. Most people are complaining about Zooms these days, but they’re my favorite!

MORE ON THE BLOG

How Courtney Shields Pitched an Innovative Clean Beauty Product Over Dinner and Turned It Into a Reality

“

I didn’t want to just white label something, I wanted to be a part of the process.”

—Courtney Shields, Founder, CourtneyShields.com

Courtney Shields is the definition of a glow-getter. 

Six years ago, she was a singer-songwriter looking to break into the music industry when she decided to take the leap and launch a blog to share her beauty and fitness tips. What originally started out as a passion project quickly proved to be a profitable business.

Fast-forward to today and that humble blog is now a multifaceted platform reaching thousands of daily readers and over 680K Instagram followers. It should come as no surprise that Shields has collaborated with all the major beauty brands, and this month, she launched her very first product, Glow Hour, with the innovative clean beauty brand TULA. 

Like many of the best beauty products, the idea for Glow Hour was born from a personal need. Unable to find a brightening under-eye treatment she loved, Shields decided to create it herself—and she found the perfect in a brand she’d worked with for years: TULA. One evening while at a work dinner with reps for the brand, she took a sip of her wine, made the pitch, and the rest is history.

At Create & Cultivate’s recent Digital Beauty and Self-Care Summit, Maya Allen, a beauty editor at Marie Claire, virtually sat down with Shields to learn more about her multi-hyphenate career and her latest venture in the competitive clean beauty industry, including the night she summoned the courage to pitch the idea to TULA over tapas and wine.

Scroll on for all of the most memorable moments from the conversation, and be sure to grab a notebook and a pen because you’re going to want to write these quotes down.

On launching a beauty blog… 

“I love helping women feel more confident.” - Courtney Shields

On cultivating inner beauty…

“Inside out, outside in.” - Courtney Shields

On partnering with TULA on Glow Hour…  

“Choosing TULA was super easy for me.” - Courtney Shields

“I’ve been using their products for 5 years.” - Courtney Shields

“I wanted to work so closely with the team to create something from the ground up.” - Courtney Shields

“I didn’t want to just white label something, I wanted to be a part of the process.” - Courtney Shields

On the importance of getting started... 

“You can always pivot as you go, but just start.” - Courtney Shields

On forging ahead during COVID…

“You can look at 2020 two ways. One way is you can choose to complain and feel stuck and frustrated, or you can use 2020 as an opportunity for growth.” - Courtney Shields

“There’s power in our perspective.” - Maya Allen 

On not paying attention to the number of followers, likes, or comments…

“If you are seeking outside validation, you’re never going to be happy.” - Courtney Shields

On seeking work-life balance… 

“You can have it all, but you can’t have it all at once.” - Courtney Shields 

On prioritizing self-care…

“Go for the walk, take the bath, do whatever fills you up, otherwise you’re pouring from an empty cup.” - Courtney Shields

On standing out in a saturated space…

“You have to do what you’re passionate about.” - Courtney Shields

“Standing out in a saturated space is all about being yourself and being authentic.” - Courtney Shields

“If you start trying to emulate what everyone else is doing, you’re on an uphill battle.” - Courtney Shields

“Looking inward, figuring out what feels good to you, and then doing that full-force is so important.” - Maya Allen

On navigating negativity and naysayers…

“I’m not a jar of Nutella, I can't please everyone, no matter what I do.” - Courtney Shields

On the best advice she’s ever received…

“Don’t procrastinate. You’ve got to get it done eventually, so might as well do it now.” - Courtney Shields

On her purpose…

“Walking through hard shit and showing people that you can still do hard things with a positive attitude and come out on the other side.” - Courtney Shields

On not paying attention to the number of followers, likes, or comments…

“If you are seeking outside validation, you’re never going to be happy.” - Courtney Shields

On seeking work-life balance… 

“You can have it all, but you can’t have it all at once.” - Courtney Shields 

On prioritizing self-care…

“Go for the walk, take the bath, do whatever fills you up, otherwise you’re pouring from an empty cup.” - Courtney Shields

On standing out in a saturated space…

“You have to do what you’re passionate about.” - Courtney Shields

“Standing out in a saturated space is all about being yourself and being authentic.” - Courtney Shields

“If you start trying to emulate what everyone else is doing, you’re on an uphill battle.” - Courtney Shields

“Looking inward, figuring out what feels good to you, and then doing that full-force is so important.” - Maya Allen

On navigating negativity and naysayers…

“I’m not a jar of Nutella, I can't please everyone, no matter what I do.” - Courtney Shields

On the best advice she’s ever received…

“Don’t procrastinate. You’ve got to get it done eventually, so might as well do it now.” - Courtney Shields

On her purpose…

“Walking through hard shit and showing people that you can still do hard things with a positive attitude and come out on the other side.” - Courtney Shields

Shop Glow Hour

TULA Glow Hour

$32

SHOP

MORE ON THE BLOG

“Passion Isn’t Enough” and More Real-Talk From Our Beauty Summit Small Business Roundtable

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Before COVID-19 hit, the beauty industry was valued at $532 billion and on a rapid upward trajectory. Now, however, in the midst of a global health crisis, experts predict that global beauty-industry revenues could fall by as much as 20 to 30% in 2020. But despite these discouraging stats, the beauty industry is resilient. During the 2008 financial crisis, spending in the industry only fell slightly and fully bounced back within two years.  

To gain insight into the current state of small business, specifically within the beauty industry, and to find out what the future holds for the category post-COVID-19, we partnered with Mastercard as the presenting sponsor to bring together four powerhouse founders who are at the helm of next-generation brands and disrupting beauty and wellness verticals at our recent Digital Beauty & Self-Care Summit on Saturday, July 25th. Mastercard recently surveyed the small business community with an eye toward championing diversity and learned that 41% of respondents started their business to set a positive example for other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Ginger Siegel, the North America Small Business Lead at Mastercard, led a conversation with Shontay Lundy, founder of Black Girl Sunscreen,Tai Beauchamp, co-founder and CBO of Brown Girl Jane, Rochelle Graham-Campbell, CEO and co-founder of Alikay Naturals Africa Miranda, author, host, and founder of Beauty by Africa Miranda, to dive into the topic. Scroll on for the most memorable real-talk moments from the conversation, and prepare to write these down because you’re going to want to add them to your vision board, stat.

On disrupting an outdated industry…

“A cosmetic product is supposed to make you feel good and look good.” - Shontay Lundy 

“There is a myth that Black people don’t need sunscreen and we’re here to bust that myth.” - Shontay Lundy 

On finding whitespace in a market…

“Pivoting is never easy, but oftentimes it’s about recognizing a void in the market and an opportunity to have an impact.” - Tai Beauchamp

On finding your purpose…

“Passion is not enough. Passion is necessary. Passion helps fuel the energy that you need to go at times when you don’t have the resources, capacity, or bandwidth. However, what should inspire you is finding your purpose and being clear about your intention.” - Tai Beauchamp

“The same way that a business has a manifesto and a mission statement, you should have your own personal mission statement, you should have your own personal manifesto, and then align that as you’re looking for opportunities in the market to build.” - Tai Beauchamp

On building a community…

“If you remain authentic with your audience and take them along on the journey with you, I believe that it builds loyalty that cannot be broken.”  - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

“I’ve shared my wins, I’ve shared my pitfalls. We’ve cried together, we’ve celebrated together. It’s a “we.” It really is a community.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

“If you are a business owner or a brand owner, you have to figure out if you want the responsibility of a community because you owe them more. You have more of a social responsibility to them and you have more of a responsibility to make sure that the actions that your brand is taking are not just a reflection of your own beliefs but also the beliefs of the community as well.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

On finding whitespace in the market… 

“Create something with your story and your approach. That does not exist. There will always be a space for that if you stay true to that.” - Africa Miranda 

On learning along the way…

“Respecting the process is a big part of the entrepreneurial journey. If you don’t respect the process, then being an entrepreneur may not be for you.” - Shontay Lundy 

On breaking into a controversial category…

“Being a Black-owned business focused on centering Black and Brown women, there are so many stigmas that exist within our community around CBD and a lack of knowledge and education.” - Tai Beauchamp 

“A part of our business model is that a portion of all our proceeds goes to support nonprofit and for-purpose organizations that center women of color around their mental health and wellness and the over-criminalization of Black and Brown people who have been incarcerated because of cannabis and marijuana.” - Tai Beauchamp  

On running a business… 

“There’s a big difference between starting a business and running a business.” - Africa Miranda 

On raising money for your business from your network...

“Utilize your network. There may be someone in your circle of family and friends who has been watching your journey and may be very willing to give you a small loan or a small gift to help you get started.” - Africa Miranda 

“We think that we need $10,000 or $100,000 to get started, but sometimes $1,000 or $500 can be the difference between an idea and actually starting a business. Be open to nontraditional sources of support.” - Africa Miranda 

On just going for it…

“I didn’t overthink the process and I didn't focus on my launch needing to go the perfect or traditional route, I just went for it.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

On running a self-funded business…

“We decided that, instead of focusing on what we couldn’t have, let’s focus on what we were making and just make sure that we manage our business finances just as strictly as we do our personal finances.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

“For every dollar that we spend, we have an ROI.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

“Every dollar I spend, I need it back.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

“If anyone is considering starting a business and self-funding, understanding your cash flow management is something that is extremely important. As early as you possibly can, hire an accountant or a CFO.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

On prioritizing e-commerce and DTC channels…

“A mistake that a lot of product-owned businesses make is they focus more on the retail channels and then they neglect their e-commerce. Your e-commerce is your direct connection to your people—to your customers and to your tribe—and you have to make sure that you’re nurturing that because retail can disappear at any time.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

On their Priceless money tip for small business owners…

“The first hire is a bookkeeper, accountant, or CFO.” - Tai Beauchamp  

“Know what you’re spending and be very intentional about it even as you’re building a business.” - Tai Beauchamp 

“You should be very dangerous in every department, so know a little bit about a lot of things.” - Shontay Lundy 

“Fire yourself from every position other than CEO. Once you get your company to the point that you’re able to, it’s really important to take a step back and delegate to other people on your team.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

“As CEO you need to focus on money-making or brand-building and driving activities and not answering an email or filling out a form.” - Rochelle Graham-Campbell

“Prioritize. If you know you don’t have a large pot to pull from, then really look at where your dollars can go the furthest.” - Africa Miranda 

MORE ON THE BLOG

Hey, Glow Getters! Here's What to Expect at Our Digital Beauty, Self-Care, and Wellness Summit

Photo: Smith House Photography

Taking care of your mind, body, and spirit has become a trillion-dollar industry, and we’re coming straight to your home to tackle it all. From energy healing and acupressure sessions to informative workshops and inclusive conversations with leading industry disruptors, our Digital Beauty Summit presented by Mastercard has it all—and we’re not holding back. Prepare yourself for a jam-packed day full of panels, keynotes, live podcasts, wellness experiences, and everything else you’ve come to know and love about our Create & Cultivate digital events.

As always, our lineup for Saturday, July 25 is stacked. Pound Fitness is kicking off the day with a heart-rate-raising cardio class, then Miranda Kerr (yes, THE Miranda Kerr!) is taking the virtual stage to talk about switching lanes from supermodel to clean beauty entrepreneur, Nabela Noor is taking the mic to share how she’s redefining beauty and launching a self-love movement, and Tia Mowry is sitting down with Jaclyn Johnson to discuss managing a multi-hyphenate career for a live episode of WorkParty. Trust us, you won’t want to miss out!

Read on to discover everything else we have in store for this jam-packed day, and if you haven’t already, be sure to buy your digital pass ASAP!

THE DATE

Saturday, July 25th, 2020

TUNE IN FROM HOME

First things first! On Saturday, July 25th, you’ll receive an email with your link and password to access the exclusive Digital Beauty Summit site. Please note: All content will go live on Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), including the launch of the exclusive Digital Beauty Summit site. To find out what time a session is happening in your time zone, use this handy time zone converter.

Digital Beauty Summit is made up of pre-recorded video sessions hosted via Vimeo and live video sessions streaming via Zoom. We recommend that you have a strong WiFi connection and find a comfortable place to tune in from home. Digital Beauty Summit is optimized for desktop, so it is best viewed via a computer or laptop, rather than a tablet or phone.

While the live content is specifically designed to be watched in real-time, you’ll be able to access and view it until Friday, July 31st at 5pm PDT (Insiders, you have all-access even after the cutoff via your C&C Insiders dashboard!). Tickets will be available to purchase until July 29th at 5pm PDT. 

THE SCHEDULE

Digital Beauty Summit is built just like our in-person conferences, which, of course, you all know and love. We have a stacked schedule with an A-list line-up of speakers so we suggest taking notes along the way. 

Want the full lineup? Check out the play-by-play schedule to map out your big day. Please note, all times are listed in PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), as C&C headquarters is located in sunny Los Angeles. To find out what time a session is happening in your time zone, use this time zone converter. 

NETWORK

Networking is a huge part of our event and our Create & Cultivate Beauty & Self-Care Summit Attendees Slack Workspace is a great place to mix and mingle with your fellow Create & Cultivators before, during, and after the big day. We’ve created channels for every workshop and panel, as well as channels for international attendees, networking, and more! 

Attendees will receive a link to access our Create & Cultivate Beauty Summit Attendees Slack Workspace in our What to Expect newsletter on Monday, July 20th. This Slack channel will remain accessible until Friday, July 31st at 12pm PDT. Not familiar with Slack? Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Download the Slack app to your phone, computer, or both

2. Complete your account profile with a profile photo, your name, and what you do

3. Public conversations will happen in the channels (ex: #networking) and are located on the left-hand side of the app. You can also start direct messages with others in the Slack workspace

4. Hit send too early on a message? Slack has an edit feature! Click the three-dot icon located on the right side of the message to open the drop-down of message options

5. We’re all about GIFs at C&C! Here are instructions on how to integrate GIPHY into your Slack account.

6. Our Slack workspace is a busy, happening place on the day of the event. Streamline the notifications you receive by using the “mute” feature on channels that don’t pertain to you. To mute a channel, simply open up that channel, click the three-dot icon labeled “more,” and select the mute option

7. Most importantly, be kind and respectful of others. If you don’t follow this rule, you will be removed from the Slack group

If you have any questions on the day of the event about navigating the schedule, accessing the workshop downloads, or anything else, you can drop them into the customer service channel in Slack.

THINGS TO PREP AHEAD OF TIME

Here are a few things to prep before the big day so it goes off without a hitch:

• Make sure you have a strong WiFi connection.

• Install Zoom on your desktop computer or laptop and test it out.

  • Zoom tips:

    • Find a quiet place to tune in. Try to situate yourself in a small room that does not have an echo. 

      • Try and stay away from noisy electronics and silence your cell phone and computer notifications for an optimal experience.

    • When possible, limit your internet connection to solely the device you’re using for the Zoom conference.

      • Set your phone to airplane mode, pause your television connection, ask others in your home to pause anything that may require a strong internet connection, etc. 

• Set aside your athletic gear and your mat (or towel) and fill up your water bottle for our morning moves session with Pound Fitness.

• Be sure to download the workshop assets so you can follow along with the expert in real-time. Note: Your exclusive workshop downloads will be available starting Saturday, July 25th via the exclusive Digital Beauty Summit site. 

• Dance along with the NetWerk Dance Movement instructors during a special NetWerk Dance Movement Session. Don’t forget to network with your fellow Create & Cultivators via our exclusive Digital Beauty Summit Attendees Slack Workspace.

• Don’t miss the opportunity to get real-time advice from small business owners, venture capitalists, and other experts during Mentor Power Hour presented by Mastercard.

  • Join the Mentor Power Hour Slack Channel and peruse the list of mentors who will be answering questions in real-time in hour-long Zoom webinars and choose your mentor(s). 

    • We have experts in everything from raising money to creating engaging content to growing a dedicated following on social media. If there’s more than one mentor you want advice from, don’t worry! You can hop from session to session over the course of the hour if you’d like. 

    • Don’t forget to jot down any questions you have for the mentor sessions ahead of time! You’ll be able to ask your Qs in real-time by typing them into Zoom’s Q&A feature.

GET SOCIAL

Stay tuned for exciting announcements and updates by following along on our social at @createcultivate. 

To access our custom Digital Beauty Summit IGS filters, head to @createcultivate on Instagram and click on the smiley face icon beneath our bio, or open your camera in Instagram and click on “browse effects” and search with keyword “createcultivate.” You can also search “ccselfcarebeautysummit” on Instagram to use our custom GIFs. 

Don’t forget to tag @createcultivate and use the hashtag #CCSelfCareBeautySummit for the chance to be featured in our Instagram Stories throughout the day!

C&C INSIDERS’ PERKS

Our Insiders get a ton of perks at all our events—and our Digital Beauty Summit is no exception. As an Insider, you get discounted ticket rate of $29.99 and you’ll have access to all of the panels and keynotes after the Friday, July 31st 5pm PDT cutoff via your C&C Insiders dashboard. Not an insider yet? Well, don’t miss out—you can sign up here. 

VIRTUAL GIFT BAGS

We know you want ‘em! Complete our post-event survey to receive an email packed with promo codes from some of your favorite brands, including OLLY, Codex, GOODFISH, NetWerk Movement, House of Lashes, The Perfume Bar, Vie Healing, the Honey Pot Co., and more. The survey will be sent out to all attendees on Friday, July 31st.

GIFT BOXES

Plus, the first 250 ticket purchasers will receive a gift box the week of event date featuring the following products:

• Pound Fitness RIPSTIX

• Juvéderm Lipstick Kit

• SheaMoisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Body Lotion & Body Wash

• Purely Elizabeth Strawberry Cauli Hot Cereal Cups

• Enavant Active Sports Bra

• House of Lashes Lash + Glue Set

• ECO Therapy CBD Mint Box

• J.R. Watkins Cleansing Hand Elixir

• Each & Every Lavender & Lemon Deodorant

• Juna Hemp Drops

• Mane Club Dry Shampoo

• Lora DiCarlo promo card

• Califia Farms Nitro Latte Oatmilk

Note: If you are one of the first 250 ticket purchasers, the C&C team will reach out to you prior to the event.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES?

Live chat with a C&C specialist on CreateCultivate.com. You’ll see a “Chat With Us” pop-up in the bottom right corner of your screen. 

WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU ONLINE! Who are you most excited to hear speak? Which workshop are you looking forward to most? Tell us in the comments below!

MORE ON THE BLOG

5 Experts Share Their Best & Newest Skincare Tips

It’s seemed like the who’s who of beauty editors and experts gathered in New York this past weekend at the Create & Cultivate Beauty Summit featuring Mary Kay®. So, who better to ask for skincare tips than this range of experts?

We tapped some of the best in the biz for the goods, so you can look good.

Kelly Bales, the digital editor at Allure kept it simple. “Consistency,” the beauty expert shared. “And,” she added, “make sure to exfoliate at least once a week-- twice in warmer weather.”

Luis Casco, Mary Kay’s Global Beauty Ambassador, who was on hand to help showcase Mary Kay's® new TimeWise® Miracle Set 3D™ skincare line (launching 5/12), shared the following: “I think number one is to be regular with skincare,” he explained. “It’s really important to be consistent and to be patient. With makeup we can do wonders instantly, but with skincare you have to be patient. With TimeWise® Miracle Set 3D™ you can see a visible difference after four weeks.”

“It’s really important to be consistent and to be patient. With makeup we can do wonders instantly, but with skincare you have to be patient.”

Michelle Lee, EIC at Allure, knows a thing or two about skincare. She shared, “My number one best tip is using peel pads twice a week to exfoliate. It cleanses everything off and allows all your other skincare to be absorbed super easily.”

Sam Gen, of Sam Jen Makeup had this tip: “Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize, even if you’re oily. There is a great moisturizer for everyone.”

And finally, Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Scientific Officer at Mary Kay® was kind enough to share her 2-cents. “Always cleanse and moisturize with an SPF,” the doctor shared. “A lot of people have the perception that they don’t need to cleanse their face. TimeWise® Miracle Set 3D™ is a simple 3-step regime. It’s three simple steps, twice a day: you cleanse, apply your day or night cream, and then the eye cream. Eye cream is important to use, because it’s where one of the first signs of eye cream ever show up on the face. And it’s important for people to know they should use an eye cream before signs ever show up. The whole point of 3D™ is to have a proactive approach-- it’s a 3-dimensional approach to skincare: to delay the onset, to defend against free radicals on the skin, and to deliver visible results. And you get more results in less time.”

MORE FROM OUR BLOG

Influencers Share How to Celebrate Confidence and Beauty

photo credit: Jessica Bordner Photo 

How do your beauty and confidence line up?

It was a hot topic of the day when we gathered in Miami for our Create & Cultivate x Clinique “Best Face Forward” panel. Attendees received makeovers and tried out the Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer, enjoyed drinks and had new headshots taken before sitting down to get inspired by our panelists.

Joining C&C founder Jaclyn Johnson on panel were an awesome array of women in the beauty space in Miami.

Annie Vazquez, is a fashion, travel and beauty expert and journalist who has been coined as one of the pioneers of Miami’s fashion blogging community.  She is the founder of The Fashion Poet and was voted Miami’s Top Fashion Blog by the New York Times.

But that doesn’t mean that she went into the her career fully confident.

“When I first started, I was a journalist,” Annie shared on panel. “When I moved over to blogging I asked myself, ‘Do I really want to do this? Do I really want to put myself out there for criticism?’” Her internal answer was, “Let me just do it.”

You learn to do what you want and not worry about who is going to leave you a comment. It’s a business. And even at the end of the day, if this isn’t your business it’s important to have self-love.

Martha Graeff, is a former model, stylist and Womenswear buyer for Harvey Nichols. Fashion and beauty are in her blood.

But she also had to work on building confidence.

“When I was a model,” she shared, “I would go to twenty castings and hear no. There are so many other beautiful girls. And you’re always hearing no. No. No. No. You’re not good enough. That girl has better skin. It’s always rejection. Modeling breaks you. But it also makes you stronger because you deal with rejection constantly. When I stopped modeling and started blogging I felt a hundred kilos off my shoulders.”

When it comes to negative comments online, they all agree that there have to be boundaries. Hugette Montesinos, is the Editor in Chief and Creative Director for DISfunkshion Magazine. She is also a trained life coach and college professor.

“With this mega-digital era, we don’t set boundaries any more,” Hugette shared. “For me, I have to set boundaries with what I consume-- and what I allow into my life, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.” When it comes to social media, the EIC explained, “I’m not going to aimlessly browse. I’m going to connect and share.” She furthered, “You obviously don’t have control over what comes into your inbox or private messages but you do have control over whether you chose to entertain that thought or not. We have so much more power over our thoughts. For me, every time something negative comes it, I’m able to say, ‘I’m not going to entertain this thought and I’m going to bounce it out.”

It’s one of the reasons she started DISfunkshion. “I started the mag because there was nothing out there that I could enjoy and read,” she explained. “The motto and thought-process was to create a movement that looked at beauty from the inside out. Than from the outside in-- which is what culture teaches us.”

photo credit: Jessica Bordner photo

Martha piggybacked on this idea a bit explaining, “We post our best photo on Instagram. We use five different apps before we post it. Maybe we’re not really happy, but we’re smiling.” She says meditation has changed the way she feels about everything-- and before she wakes up and checks her phone, she meditates. ‘It’s really changed the game for me and the way I see other people’s lives.”

“We need to celebrate how we’re born,” Annie added. “And that’s it.”

Daniella Ramirez, is a Miami-based blogger and the founder of Nany’s Klozet. She was born in Caracas, Venezuela, moved to Miami to attend college and hasn’t left! “When I was growing up it was all about perfection,” she said. “I remember being 9 and in my ballet class. My teacher told me, if you’re not skinnier by tomorrow, you’re not dancing.” She says it’s not the same anymore. “If you had told me 12 or 13 year old self that I would be working with brands and having this careers, I would have said, ‘I’m not tall enough for that, or I’m not skinny enough for that.’ But the world is changing and we’re accepting different body types and beauty and it’s what we should continue to do.”

“It’s also super important for us to normalize, ‘normal,’” Hugette added, to the nods of everyone on panel.

How do you feel about beauty? And how do your beauty and confidence line up? Share in the comments below!

MORE FROM OUR BLOG

Life Doesn't Wait for Allergies

More than 50 million people in the U.S. suffer from allergies! And that’s why we gathered in New York with the makers of ZYRTEC® to talk about spring beauty, and how to put your best face forward, even if you suffer from allergies. Panelists included: actress Jordana Brewster, Create & Cultivate founder Jaclyn Johnson, College Prepster founder Carly Heitlinger, and Alex Thomas, a trained cosmetologist and the founder of Learning to Be Fearless. 

Relying on the expertise of moderator and celeb makeup artist Jamie Greenberg, the crew chatted everything from their spring beauty trends to allergy symptoms and biggest allergy challenges. 

Shared Jamie, “I started working with ZYRTEC® five years ago to talk about ALLERGY FACE® - you know what I mean - watery eyes, the red nose and the puffiness that come along with allergy symptoms. Women – and men – face these beauty challenges all across the country during allergy season and we want to help. Over the years, I’ve created many tips and tricks to combat ALLERGY FACE® beauty challenges – such as using waterproof mascara to combat watery eyes. I’m excited to share some of those with you today, alongside my fellow panelists.”

“Plus,” Jamie added, “I am digging everyone’s lipsticks.” *A bonus for all.*

Now, the overall consensus was that life doesn’t wait for allergies. Nor does work. 

Jaclyn shared “I’m on a flight every other week, in a different city with a different climate.” She’s always battling the elements, if you will. “With Create & Cultivate, we do so many events and a lot of those are outside and they are six to eight hours long.” Jaclyn said that for her, “it’s really about what’s going to stay the course for the entire day.” Her go-to is concealer under the eyes to hide the exhaustion during event weeks and ZYRTEC® to keep the her allergy issues at bay. 

Actress Jordana Brewster, is also someone who knows the perils of traveling for work, but, as she shared, she also has to keep up with her kids. “I have two sons and my youngest does not stay inside ever, especially as soon as spring hits,” she said. “We go to the farmer’s market every week, we love going on hikes-- we’re always outside. That means I need my ZYRTEC® for relief.  ZYRTEC® relieves my symptoms and makes me feel so much better. It starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when I take it again the next day, staying consistently strong day after day.”

The women also talked about tricks they use to stay on top of their game, even on their worst days. 

Alex shared her tricks for putting her best face forward. “I get super watery eyes when my allergies are acting up. I pile on the falsies to make my eyes appear more open,” the YouTuber explained. “Now with magnetic lashes, its super easy to apply without the mess! When all else fails, also love a bold red lip – it really helps distract from any ALLERGY FACE® challenge you’re experiencing!” Alex also shared what trends she’s excited about for spring. “I am very into a glowing look lately. This spring, let’s go with the glow and some color.” 

Carly had her own take on tips. “I'm all about letting your natural beauty shine through! So, when I'm suffering from allergies, I try to keep my beauty routine simple and effortless, while still correcting some of the things I'm self-conscious about. Waterproof mascara is a must for watery eyes, tinted moisturizer helps even out redness, and a dab of green corrective concealer around my nose helps me return to my normal look!”

The College Prepster founder also joked that she was sick of snow and excited to see “the light at the end of the tunnel.” However, that doesn’t mean that she’s out looking for a tan. “I have to make sure that all my products have SPF. It’s the one think I look for in everything I use from powders to foundation.”

Jordana admitted that since she can’t put on false eyelashes, she, like Carly, loves piling on the mascara. “But if I don’t use waterproof it ends up everywhere.” The actress also shared her “beauty musts.” 

“My biggest challenge is puffiness and there are a few ways I deal with that,” the actress and mom shared. “I enjoy a quick steam on days when my skin is looking especially puffy. My favorite trick is to boil a bowl of water, cover my face with a washcloth and then hold my face over the bowl to let the steam reduce puffiness. I also love a good eye mask!”

What are your tips and tricks for dealing with ALLERGY FACE®? Share in the comments below!

MORE FROM OUR BLOG

How CRWN Magazine Founder Is Changing the World by Being Herself

Real Queens fix each other's CRWNs.

“Don’t touch my hair! “ Many of us have heard Solange Knowles sing about it, but Lindsey Day co-founder of CRWN magazine is doing something about it.  Lindsey launched CRWN, a hair and lifestyle magazine for black women, with longtime collaborator, Nkrumah. It’s no secret that women of color go to inexplicable lengths to transform their natural hair to Caucasian standards of beauty.  It’s an arguably negative cycle of self-denunciation with a great financial and cultural burden.  However, in this age of information saturation, there has been a surge of natural hair influencers on social media and a boom in Black hair care products.  Both Nkrumah and Day felt compelled to contribute to this movement, finding that the one thing missing was “a premium magazine documenting the phenomenon, or authentically portraying our narrative”(Day). And thus, CRWN magazine was born, a culturally aware art platform that prides itself on showcasing only NATURAL Black hair. 

Day is no stranger to running magazines, uplifting social morale, or being on the cusp of innovation, but the road to her existential success was not direct.  She landed her first full time job at Interscope Records, while also editing a blog called “livelevated.com” with collegiate friend and creative director Nkrumah.  At the time they were working in the corporate music industry and found a little haven in this side project.  During Lindsey’s six years with Interscope, she witnessed the economic crash and the corporate industry flip inside out due to expanding technology.  This uncertainty drove Day to crave ownership.  And in 2009, she co-founded “Made Woman,” “an online magazine that helps young professional women connect and learn from each others’ careers.” 

She quit Interscope, worked full time at MW, and took some freelance gigs along the way.  One of which turned into a full time position with Intern Queen, doing content, business, and project management, honing in on her digital marketing skills.   

As she was approaching 30, the wordsmith needed a change.  She reconnected with Nkrumah on a Brooklyn rooftop in 2014, where they reflected on ownership, career, and voids in the marketplace, but most importantly “what life would look like if we could sustain ourselves by serving our people.” That was the beginning of CRWN.

CRWN is a quarterly print magazine with an e-commerce offering.  It is 100% independent and self-funded, and has built successful advertisement relationships based on its ability and promise to stay true to its core message of authentic Black culture.   This authenticity is what drives the owner. Lindsey says it’s her “love of my people, and the work,” it’s about seeing “a woman or girl flip through CRWN and her eyes light up…or when a sister confides in me about her hairstory and how CRWN is a place where she can finally see herself…These are the reminders that CRWN is so much bigger than Nkrumah and myself.”  A profound feeling that most of us hope to evoke at some point in our life.   

CRWN is culture. It is the Black musicians, painters, photographers, writers, activists, and visionaries of a culture that have never been honestly represented in the media, nor maybe even to it themselves.  It is healing Black people in America by saying ‘it is beautiful to be you.’  The team at CRWN feel a moral obligation to tell their story and document their culture.  In years to come, Lindsey sees CRWN growing into a “true media platform and hub for the culture,” where creatives and business people alike can come and “cut their teeth,” as she says. 

CrwnMag Issue no. 01; CrwnMag Issue no. 02. 

The co-founder's ability to show up, persevere, work hard, and trust her gut instinct, has brought her to a place of ownership, pride, humanitarianism, and cultural revival.  She has created a tangible change in the Black community, and most importantly, an awareness of truth and self-love.  In a world where African Americans have been systematically misrepresented, discredited, and traumatized throughout the course of history, Lindsey Day and CRWN have created a haven of acceptance, beauty, self-love, and open conversation.  The powerhouse tells it like this, “This is the first time in my life I’ve known I’m walking in my true purpose.”     

Arianna Schioldager is Editor-in-Chief at Create & Cultivate. You can follow her @ariannawrotethis. 

MORE FROM OUR BLOG

Exclusive Interview: Meet the Woman Behind a Billion Dollar Biz

As the granddaughter of Estée Lauder, the co-founder of the cosmetics company Estée Lauder Companies, Jane Lauder grew up on the front lines of the beauty industry. Today she serves Clinique as Global Brand President. 

"It’s my aesthetic," Lauder shares of the iconic American brand. "It’s so simple but so incredibly effective." Working with such an iconic brand can be challenging, but Lauder maintains that “when my grandmother started this company and for her it was always about quality. Quality never goes out of style. Brands come and rise up, but people always come back to quality." 

"Quality never goes out of style."

Tweet this.

Prior to her leadership role with Clinique, she oversaw the Origins, Ojon and Darphin brands. Under her leadership, Origins, grew significantly and expanded globally. And yet, she's returned to her Clinique roots, the brand she first worked with when joining the company in 1996. 

"It’s always modern. It never feel dated, it always feels relevant," she says. "I've always loved the simplicity. It looks so simple but everything going on underneath is what makes it so impactful. It’s kind of like your iPhone, it looks so chic but it’s all the things behind-the-scenes that make it that simple."

Most recently Clinique collaborated with beloved designer Jonathan Adler on #CLINIQUExADLER, an exclusive new makeup collection styled by the design guru. "We are always looking at brands that we want to collaborate with, Lauder says. "Brands that have the same aesthetic and that are great American icon brands." How Clinique decides on partnerships is fairly simple. "We sit as a team and put down on paper the people we think are incredible and would love to work with. Sometimes it works." Adler was top of the list. Beyond his obvious style chops, Lauder notes that Adler's "tiny treasures, big pleasures," idea is what Clinique makeup is all about. (Scroll through the below album for exclusive pics from our Create & Cultivate brunch with Clinique at Jonathan Adler's Shelter Island home.) 

"It’s so important that we’re really listening to what these women want," she explains. "The hardest part about this brand is that people fall in love with a product and they take it super personally if you try and discontinue anything. Even if it’s only 300 people that are buying it, it’s really hard for us to move onto something else. We only discontinue something that we’re sure we're replacing with something better. You never get rid of the classics, but we are constantly thinking about how to make our products better. WE always want to TOP ourselves.”

That includes the collection with Adler. This marks his first foray into beauty. Inspired by '60s pop and Adler's signature geometric and poppy style, Lauder says, the collection includes "A simple silver case that can give you so much pleasure with the right color in it." She also "obsessed" with the brushes, gushing, "I love all the colors and wear all of them, but the brushes, I gotta have those pink brushes." The collection also includes several of Clinique’s best-selling makeup products in standout summer shades. His inspiration? His inspiration? “That iconic Clinique green has always signified freshness,” says Adler. “I wanted the collection to be bright, bold and fresh, and make women feel more glamorous.” Check the limited edition collection out here. (And enter to win a giveaway below.) 

As for the brand, Lauder says, "We’re really trying to figure out who the Clinique customer is— every woman has had a piece of Clinique or used it. We’re noticing that the more mature millennial is our sweet spot-- a lot of women who are now taking care of their skin and going through life changes. They are getting married, having children, working, and there is so much going on in their that they want something that is a simple routine but gives them a remarkable result. Quality and effectiveness, but also that’s real.

Admitting that she had acne as a girl, Lauder knows that, "Skin is super personal and really emotional. When you wake up with great skin it’s really transformational." 

"When you wake up with great skin it’s really transformational."

Tweet this.

And it always comes back to quality. "For us, whenever we’re creating anything it has to be of the highest quality. They have to be collaborators of the highest quality. Whatever we create has our name on the packages. As a company that is the most important thing.” 

#Careergoals + #Hairgoals: Find Out Why This Celeb Stylist Is Both

Kristin Ess has been doing hair for more than half of her life. Since she was 15, the hairstylist whose roster includes Lauren Conrad, Lucy Hale, and Halle Berry, has said “yes to anything and everything” that came her way. The stylist and her trademark vibrant redhead has done the salon thing, the editorial jobs, the freelance route, as well as assisting hairdressers she admired for free “a lot.” In 2011 she launched The Beauty Department, aimed at bridging the divide between the glam squad and the every-girl, work she has continued as founder of Kristin Ess Hair. 

Taking on the role of founder it’s only natural that her workload has gotten “more intense,” as there is now “more to see, more to create,” as well as “more to dream up.” But don’t expect her to start slacking as a result. With a new Target collab, she's only getting started.  

“I try to be as original as possible,” says the mane guru. “I don't go on Pinterest and just copy whatever pretty visuals I see. I don't creep other hairdressers and copy what they do. I do my research and try to bring something inspiring to the table.”

Despite her superhuman hair prowess and boss ass hair flips (see: above photo), the mane goddess is mortal. Over the holidays Kristin says she was walking about her house crying, wondering if she would ever sleep again. Between The Beauty Department relaunch, Kristin Ess Hair, the steady stream of content creator, travel, and being down two assistants, she had averaged between three to four hours a night for four days. “I actually googled, ‘Can you die from exhaustion?’” 

She didn’t. 

The hairstylist doesn’t set goals, something she says may be “a big no no according to some, but so far it’s worked for me.” She also doesn’t have habits or routine. “The one and only habit I have is brushing my teeth.” 

As for her relationship to herself and career she’s keeping it real. “I think I've started to judge myself a little bit more in the last five years,” Kristin openly shares, “which I never did before. I thought I would have launched my line sooner, I thought I would have traveled more, I thought I would have lost weight, I thought I'd be more organized, I thought I would have a bigger team. I never would have thought those things about myself 10 years ago. But you get into your 30s and you start being a little harder on yourself. I catch myself in the moment, almost every time. I stop, mentally step back and look at what I am/do/have experienced and I remember I'm doing fucking great.”

When her clients feel good, she feels good. And her number one takeaway for them when they leave her chair is that “That they've been heard. That I get what they want and that I can deliver on what they've asked for.” It’s simple, but powerful and is in harmony with what she sees as one of the next big trends in beauty. “We're breaking down the walls of overpriced beauty!” she exclaims.  

In an industry not known for being soft, rather one that Kristin says “can be very competitive and sometimes nasty,” she’s focused on a positive future. Encouraging “women, both friends and people I haven't met, via social media and throwing down all the YAS KWEENS I can. We’re all in this together and no one woman is better than the rest.” 

While it may seem that the follicular feminist's career is on fire ('cause it is), Kristin remembers a past and “very wise” client who told her, "You never want to be on fire. Fires burn out. You always want to be smoking." 

"You never want to be on fire. Fires burn out. You always want to be smoking." 

Tweet this. 

Sound advice that has stayed with her. “I’ve never desired to be the most famous hairstylist on earth. I never needed to have every single celebrity in my chair. I just want to do my job really well for a long time, and hopefully people will love it whether they're famous or not.”

---

Kristin will be joining us in Seattle for Create & Cultivate Seattle on September 9th. Nab a ticket now, before they sell out (they always do). 

MORE FROM OUR BLOG

Celebrating 60 Years of Redefining Beauty

The last 60 years have been a daring exploration in change. We’ve witnessed the rise of the female entrepreneur. Birth control was approved. We marched and made some noise; some of us burned bras and set fire to the world in the process. Females now outpace males in college enrollment. And we have more women of color in the Senate than ever before. We changed history. We made history.

It’s because we care. We care about our future and the future of generations to come. We care about the world and how we move within it. We care about ourselves and each other.

And for over 60 years, Dove has been providing the same great superior care and championing real beauty for generations of women. Your grandmother who never thought she’d vote for a female president. Your own mom who fought the stigma of being a working mother. And now you. You’re part of a generation that is redefining everything, especially beauty standards.  

When it comes to beauty over the last 60 years, just about everything has changed. Trends have come and gone (so long 1980 and everything you brought), hairstyles coiffed, curled, and then chopped, but some beauty essentials are as relevant now as they were half a century ago. This month, Dove is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its iconic Dove Beauty Bar, which has remained unchanged since its launch in 1957.

To commemorate this milestone, Dove released a new video showing a retrospective of iconic beauty moments and the Dove brand’s heritage of featuring real women in its ads and caring for their skin.  Women have redefined beauty, built confidence, and challenged stereotypes, and it is the brand’s honor to have been by their side since 1957, caring for them every step of the way, and making way for a new norm to be established: one that focuses on redefining beauty.

We are excited to have partnered with Dove to not only bring you a list of 10 groundbreaking women in the beauty industry, but to celebrate their 60 years of superior care. For a limited time in January and February, 2017, the Dove Beauty Bar will be engraved with the word ‘care.’

It’s one of the most important words when it comes to beauty. Self-care. Carefree. It also just so happens to be the first four letters of one of our favorite words as well: career. Coincidence? We think not.

Together, we can keep redefining beauty for the next 60 years. Share how you will continue to redefine beauty and #RaiseTheBeautyBar on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. And click here to read the list of our 10 amazing Create & Cultivate 100 Beauty honorees who have been catalysts for change and inspiration.

Beauty: Jackie Aina

This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with Dove, you can view the full Beauty List Here. 

The glow get 'em goddess. 

Beauty Youtube star Jackie Aina’s mission is to encourage those “often overlooked on social media.” As a woman of color, she was invigorated to start her YouTube channel in 2009 after looking for both a creative outlet and online community to “learn about new makeup techniques for darker skin.” 

She says it was challenging to “get people engaged in my content as a darker skin-toned woman.” Explaining that “Most people naturally just assumed I only do makeup tutorials for African American women, not realizing that we come in so many different shades and you don't have to necessarily look exactly like someone to learn a new tip.”

However, her followers and subscribers quickly loved the message she was sharing. Now Jackie’s turned her “hobby and side-hustle” into her “baby and passion,” boasting over a million subscribers. 

“You don't have to look exactly like someone to learn a new tip.”

Tweet this. 

The woman is also hilarious (her Twitter bio lists her as "Le Bronze James), unafraid to go barefaced, and often addresses the diversity issue the cosmetic industry faces, calling out brands that are “the worst EVER for POC.” Saying as a beauty vlogger it’s her job to side-eye what’s not working. 

Her fans are constantly championing Jackie to have a line of her own, something that she’s set as a career goal for herself. 

She’s weathered the troll storm on social media a couple of times, recounting a particularly dark time in her life. While in trade school, one of Jackie’s best friends and roommate was killed in a car accident. “Since she lived with me at the time and we shared rent, I had to figure out how I was going to afford rent for the month while being on unemployment and collecting limited earnings from YouTube,” she shares. “I mustered the courage to start a GoFundMe account to get support outside of my closest friends and family and the support my followers was tremendous, but the hate was too.” She says people accused her of using both her friend’s death and her schooling as a way to exploit money from her followers. Both of which were “grossly untrue.” 

“I was used to troll comments, but that was on a different level and it was very hard to not to take it really personal. Not only did I lose my friend, but to also be accused of it for personal gain was really hard to deal with at the same time. I think that was the first and last time I got a real taste of just how ugly people on social media really could be, but it made me tougher and I got through it! Luckily the support and encouragement of my real supporters kept me going and I will never forget the way they all rallied together to help support me.”

Now she advises to use prayer and positive affirmations to hoof it (with the help of God) through the hard times. “Do not go out of your way to read negativity about you,” she says. “Block out negative energy as best you can. The people who truly love you are there to criticize you when need be, not random trolls on the internet.”

“Block out negative energy as best you can."

Tweet this. 

That experience likely shaped how she feels about female empowerment: “It means uplifting one another before we assume the worse about each other; having each other’s backs!”

She also says that nine times out of 10 she would support a female-owned business before a male-owned business. “Women are just easier to work with and get the job done!” she says. “And we're so used to being pre-judged we are rarely ever given a chance to prove our worth.”

Adding, “I love and value myself a lot more to ever go back to where I was when I first started my channel. I was so, indecisive, easily triggered by things, and not as confident in my career as I am now!”

Styling provided by Reservoir LA. Hair and makeup provided by Glamsquad. Photography courtesy of Light Lab and Woodnote Photography.

Beauty: Kristin Ess

This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with Dove, you can view the full Beauty List Here. 

The hair whisperer. 

Kristin Ess has been doing hair for more than half of her life. Since she was 15, the hairstylist whose roster includes fellow C&C nominee Lauren Conrad, Lucy Hale, and Halle Berry, has said “yes to anything and everything” that came her way. The stylist and her trademark vibrant redhead has done the salon thing, the editorial jobs, the freelance route, as well as assisting hairdressers she admired for free “a lot.” In 2011 she launched The Beauty Department, aimed at bridging the divide between the glam squad and the every-girl, work she has continued as founder of Kristin Ess Hair. 

Taking on the role of founder it’s only natural that her workload has gotten “more intense,” as there is now “more to see, more to create,” as well as “more to dream up.” But don’t expect her to start slacking as a result. With a new Target collab, she's only getting started.  

“I try to be as original as possible,” says the mane guru. “I don't go on Pinterest and just copy whatever pretty visuals I see. I don't creep other hairdressers and copy what they do. I do my research and try to bring something inspiring to the table.”

Despite her superhuman hair prowess and boss ass hair flips (see: above photo), the mane goddess is mortal. A month ago (over the holidays) Kristin says she was walking about her house crying, wondering if she would ever sleep again. Between The Beauty Department relaunch, Kristin Ess Hair coming out, the steady stream of content creator, travel, and being down two assistants, she had averaged between three to four hours a night for four days. “I actually googled, ‘Can you die from exhaustion?’” 

She didn’t. 

The hairstylist doesn’t set goals, something she says may be “a big no no according to some, but so far it’s worked for me.” She also doesn’t have habits or routine. “The one and only habit I have is brushing my teeth.” 

As for her relationship to herself and career she’s keeping it real. “I think I've started to judge myself a little bit more in the last five years,” Kristin openly shares, “which I never did before. I thought I would have launched my line sooner, I thought I would have traveled more, I thought I would have lost weight, I thought I'd be more organized, I thought I would have a bigger team. I never would have thought those things about myself 10 years ago. But you get into your 30s and you start being a little harder on yourself. I catch myself in the moment, almost every time. I stop, mentally step back and look at what I am/do/have experienced and I remember I'm doing fucking great.” 

When her clients feel good, she feels good. And her number one takeaway for them when they leave her chair is that “That they've been heard. That I get what they want and that I can deliver on what they've asked for.” It’s simple, but powerful and is in harmony with what she sees as one of the next big trends in beauty. “We're breaking down the walls of overpriced beauty!” she exclaims.  

In an industry not known for being soft, rather one that Kristin says “can be very competitive and sometimes nasty,” she’s focused on a positive future. Encouraging “women, both friends and people I haven't met, via social media and throwing down all the YAS KWEENS I can. We’re all in this together and no one woman is better than the rest.” 

While it may seem that the follicular feminist's career is on fire ('cause it is), Kristin remembers a past and “very wise” client who told her, "You never want to be on fire. Fires burn out. You always want to be smoking." 

"You never want to be on fire. Fires burn out. You always want to be smoking." 

Tweet this. 

Sound advice that has stayed with her. “I’ve never desired to be the most famous hairstylist on earth. I never needed to have every single celebrity in my chair. I just want to do my job really well for a long time, and hopefully people will love it whether they're famous or not.”

Styling provided by Reservoir LA. Hair and makeup provided by Glamsquad. Photography courtesy of Light Lab and Woodnote Photography.

Beauty: Deepica Mutyala

This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with Dove, you can view the full Beauty List Here. 

Beauty without borders. 

In her first tutorial upload to YouTube, Indian-American on-air beauty expert Deepica Mutyala takes a friendly and simple approach to contouring. It's not over-the-top. She uses her day-to-day products. The lighting... could be better. It's her barebones, barefaced entry to the world of YouTube. Never in a million years did she think millions of people would tune in. But they did. 

"I grew up in a South Asian community in Texas," shares Deepica, "where two things were always clear to me: my love of beauty and obsession with the Big Apple." Though her father wanted her to be a doctor, Deepica landed a college internship at L'Oreal launching her into the beauty world. She most recently worked as the Senior Manager of Brand & Product Development at Birchbox, where she was exposed to a rolodex of contacts and measurable experience. 

It was at the beauty box brand that Deepica started doing on-camera makeup tutorials, soon realizing there was no reason she shouldn't launch her own channel. Doubt got in her way for a moment, but in January 2015 she faced the camera and launched with the premise of "beauty decoded." After talking about it for years, she finally stopped listening to the voice in her head. The one that told her she didn't have time or that she didn't know where to begin. "When I stopped listening to that voice," she explains, "and just started, my whole life changed."

Her second video "How to Cover Dark Under Eye Circles" went viral, with over 9 million views to date. "What started as a hobby," she says, "quickly turned into much more." 

For Deepica beauty is a universal language, one that speaks to all women. "Since I was 16 years old, I told everyone in my life that I was going to create a global beauty product line catering to women of color. Every year that goes by, my eagerness to do that only escalates. Let’s just say, I won’t stop until I make that 16 year old girl’s dream into a reality."

More from Deepica below. 

What are some of the biggest challenges you've encountered along the way?

My biggest challenge is that I want to do so much - sometimes I find myself taking on too much because of that. I don’t want to say ‘no’ to anything, but I really need to be smart with how I allocate my time. I’m only one person and I need to remember that! It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

What keeps you going?

Emails I get from young women telling me that I’ve inspired them in one way or another.

Who are the people you consider mentors and influences and why?

I have so many mentors/influencers from Jessica Alba (Honest Co.) to Hayley Barna (First Round Capital) to Payal Kadakia (ClassPass). But truthfully, my parents will always be the greatest source of inspiration. They came to this country and established a great life for my sister and me through hard work, will and love.

What is the best piece of real talk advice you've received?

I never take time to celebrate my wins - I’m not sure if it’s because I never want to be complacent or if it’s because my goals are still so much bigger. Either way, I don’t. I remember talking to my friend who is also an entrepreneur and I said “what if this all goes away tomorrow?” He simply said “...but what if it doesn’t?”

That response was not only refreshing but also gave me perspective. He followed up by saying, “Worst case scenario, it does, but everything you’ve achieved so far is more than most people could ever imagine. You should be proud of that.” It was such honest advice and has helped calm my anxiety but also keeps me motivated.

What is your favorite life advice?

Surround yourself with those who want to see you win.

Is there a time in your life when you thought, 'I can't do this anymore?'

Is ‘everyday’ a fair answer? Being an entrepreneur is an emotional roller coaster! You find yourself having the highest of highs and lowest of lows all within a 24-hour period, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It makes up for everything. I will say there was one specific moment pretty recently I remember thinking “is this all worth it?” but when you focus on the purpose of why you’re doing what you do, I made a decision to block out all the other noise and to keep going.

I actually have a folder in my inbox of all the emails I get from young women telling me that I’ve inspired them in one way or another. Those emails really keep me going and remind me that I can’t stop. There’s too much I want to achieve and change in the world for that to even be an option.

"Surround yourself with those who want to see you win."

Tweet this. 

How has your relationship to you career changed in the last five years?

Five years ago, I told people I was going to be empowering women and working for myself. Five years before that, I told people I was going to live in NYC and work in the beauty industry. My point being that I’ve spoken everything that’s happened in my career into existence. The more I say it out loud, the more I’ve made others believe my vision, and the more it’s turned into a reality. Five years from now, I know I will be able to say the same. The key to my success in this has always been self-intent - I truly believe that.

International Women’s Day is coming up. It's a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. If you could steer the conversation around International Women’s Day, what would that dialogue be about?

There are so many conversations, but I think the one that hits home to me because of my culture is the importance of women in the workplace. Don’t ever feel like you have to stand behind a man. The strongest men will want you to stand beside them and win as well. You do not to take the back seat for anyone. Your voice is powerful and must be heard in the workplace but also in your personal life. We do not need to make sacrifices with our career for others. There are ways to find compromises and help us all achieve our goals.

What's on your career bucket list?

Create a global beauty product line catering to women of color.

What does female empowerment mean to you?

When I see a woman succeed, I can’t help but have a massive grin on my face. I find genuine happiness in seeing another woman win because I feel like if she wins, I am too. We are in this together. It’s important to remember that. There is room for us all to make it and the more we stick together, the stronger we are. All I want to do with my career is empower other women to go for their dreams and give them the opportunity to do so. What’s the point of having a platform otherwise?

Beauty: Nikisha Brunson

This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with Dove, you can view the full Beauty List Here. 

Fresh-faced, refreshingly honest, and free. 

For Nikisha Brunson — Austin-based blogger and owner of 100% natural skincare line Folie Apothecary — it was a bumpy road to becoming one of the realest health and wellness influencers in the game. But it’s one she wouldn’t trade in for anything. As co-founder of Urban Bush Babes and Pineapple Life, the definitive online destinations for natural hair, fashion, health, lifestyle, music, arts, and culture, Brunson inspires legions of women with daily beauty and wellness tips. While she’s undeniably, and enviably, stylish in that effortless sort of way that feels especially unfair, what really sets this lifestyle guru apart from the throngs of beauty bloggers is how boldly and transparently she’s shared her struggles with depression, abuse, ADHD, suicide attempts, and becoming a mom at the troubled age of 16.

Holding a BA in Psychology and an MA in Childhood Education — the blogger, mama, and skincare goddess has also taught public school in New York and Virginia — Brunson brings a refreshingly real and unaffected perspective to the notoriously curated blogosphere. “My teenage son has ADHD, and I was diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety disorder, and depression in my later years, which has inspired me to share my journey in hopes of helping others going through the same things,” says Brunson, who’s been blogging since 2011, but has recently shifted her focus to her health and wellness journey. She has also been vocal about her personal experience as a rape survivor — proving herself nothing short of a superhero, support system, and beacon of hope for the countless women battling, overcoming, and triumphing in similarly oppressive situations. “My depression and anxiety take every heartbreak and dagger I've felt and elevate it to the next level. I've attempted suicide in the past over heartbreak, over being a single teenage mom in college,” she bravely shares. It’s a rare transparency in a world more concerned with what type of foundation a woman is wearing.

"Life is too magical to put barriers on it."

Tweet this.

For Brunson, there have been scores of barriers to self-acceptance, but her true power is evidenced in the ability to transform these low-points into lessons. She describes the challenge and ultimate victory of letting go of toxic relationships to free up the energy for fulfilling her greater purpose. She also chronicles her ongoing struggle with ADHD and the daily effort to focus and juggle without succumbing to procrastination, burnout, and anxiety. For strength, she turns to her son, husband, and those who’ve previously warred with these demons. “There is nothing more inspiring than to have a person tell me that my vulnerability, transparency, or health information that I've shared has helped them change their life and has inspired them.” For this reason, she cites “anyone who is transparent or vulnerable” as her greatest mentor.

Brunson’s journey to self-care and wellness has undoubtedly been an emotional rollercoaster, which it’s why it’s only fitting that she name her new skincare line “Folie,” after the French word for “madness.” Personally, we wish it was considered far less crazy for a beauty influencer to be as unapologetic and honest as she is. “I'm transparent with my mental health issues and disorders. I teach various ways of staying healthy from the inside out such as exercise, smoothie recipes, and DIYs. I listen a lot and offer help to anyone who reaches out to me for it.” These are just a few of the ways she hopes to move feminism forward.

Currently, Brunson is focused on what’s directly in front of her. As far as five year goals, she says that “life is too magical to put barriers on it,” but that she isn’t afraid to reinvent herself and go wherever life leads. In the meantime, you can find her listening to music in the morning, making smoothies and ceramics, and dancing. “My only goal is to stay true to myself and never stop exploring.”

Beauty: Tati Westbook

This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with Dove, you can view the full Beauty List Here. 

Livin' that glam guru life. 

From hobby to full time job, Tati Westbrook, AKA the GlamLifeGuru, joined YouTube in November 2010 to teach women about makeup. But, while the channel started as a side hustle, Tati's intention was always to use the platform to build a career. 

Since her first videos, the makeup obsessed YouTube star has built a following of over 2.5 million subscribers, amassing over 400 million views. With those kind of numbers it’s not shocking that brand dollars came calling. However, after some initial bad experiences with sponsors, Tati has since chosen to turn down a lot of opportunities. It’s not only about the money. It's about her community, and she says she would rather promote products that she can truly get behind. This approach allows her to upload unbiased products reviews, sharing that her business strategy has always been to “work hard and keep my promises.” In fact, the digital beauty darling says she’s turned down a lot of money that could have made a big difference for her and her family. That's not to say she's not making beauty bank, but most of it is made from pre-roll ads. Proving that you can stay totally authentic and make money. 

In the beginning, her videos were met with some hate— those who claimed the 34-year-old was “too old,” to be making beauty videos. But she persevered and plans to keep uploading beauty videos for years to come. It takes beauty and brains to ignore the haters. The guru also recently branched out of the YouTube. She shares: "For the last year I've been a weekly beauty corespondent for Amazon's hit show Style Code Live and recently my own show was green-lit to go into production this spring."

We can't wait to see more from the beauty expert who says, "Women have the power to change the world." 

Styling provided by Reservoir LA. Hair and makeup provided by Glamsquad. Photography courtesy of Light Lab and Woodnote Photography.

Beauty: Streicher Sisters

This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with Dove, you can view the full Beauty List Here. 

Triple threat. 

Kristie Streicher, the middle of the beauty industry trio known as The Streicher Sisters, has been trying to convince her clients to lean in to a fuller brow since 2001. It’s a more natural approach to beauty favored by all three, who co-own STRIIIKE Salon in Los Angeles, focusing on their individual strengths and talents, while managing the challenge of working alongside siblings. (Which includes therapy sessions.)  

Ashley is the hair guru. Kristie, the eyebrow genius. And Jenn, the mom and makeup maven. 

All three got their start young. Jenn manned the Estee Lauder counter straight out of high school in Northern California. Kristie began selling cosmetics at a Clinique Counter “pretty much straight out of high school,” where she enjoyed engaging with women, educating them on skincare and makeup. It was this experience that inspired her to become an esthetician, officially making it her career choice. Ashley, who says she “will forever be the ‘little sister,’ skipped the counter and hopped on a flight to NYC instead, where her older sisters were living and launching their careers. 

While working with Warren Tricomi, Kristie received a “Best Of” award for eyebrows by New York Magazine. She went from an average of five clients per day to 35. “I made it my duty,” she says, “to break the habit and trend of the over-contrived, over-waxed eyebrow style.” 

This non-industry approach is in part shaped by their youth. “I grew up in a very small town that is very opposite of LA or any big city for that matter,” shares Ashley. “I did not grow up thinking that people were beautiful or not; I’m so happy for this. I have always known that everyone has beauty… god that sounds so cheesy but it’s really true. I think that everyone has features and attributes that really work for them, sometimes it’s just finding them and accentuating them.”

“I think we are all the same on a basic, human level,” says Kristie. “We tend to compare ourselves to one another or think that someone else has it better than us, when really, we all are struggling with one thing or another.” There's no need to compete with other women, sisters included. 

Kristie is wearing Keds' Kickstart Mono.

Jenn has her own beauty routine nailed down to five minutes and rocks her grays. Which we see as both a polite middle finger to beauty standards and a big hug to women everywhere that says beauty can be anything and you don’t need to cover up what others perceive as flaws. “What angers me the most,” says the makeup artist, “is that grey hair on a man is ‘handsome and distinguishable’ but on women it makes them look ‘old.’ I think that is just shit! We just never see women with their natural color.  I also think sitting in a salon for hours at a time every six weeks is shit too!” She didn’t grow up with makeup, despite her chosen career, and believes it’s helped her approach of focusing on accentuating her clients' natural beauty.  “I think we have just grown accustom of feeling like we are not ‘put together’ without a full face of makeup,” she adds, but notes women like Alicia Keys and Gwyneth Paltrow who are going barefaced and deepening the convo. 

All three see industry standards changing, but Kristie says that “People have different ideas on what looks beautiful,” mentioning that she sees it “almost like religious or political beliefs,” with “one not more right than the other.” Whether it’s a natural look or a heavily-contoured faced, Kristie thinks “both focuses will become more extreme.” Her focus now is to “bring back the uni-brow!” 

Jenn is the only sister with a child, and because the STRIIIKE also serves as a creative space (where they host wine tastings with Helen Johannessen of helen's), she says “Fuck yes,” balancing it all is “always a challenge.” She swears by her ZIIP and done in a flash beauty routine. Kristie, who with sister Ashley witnesses the firsthand battle of being mom and business woman, says it’s surprising how everything always works out. “There’s never a ‘good’ time to start a family” and while she’s “acutely aware that it’s a major game changer,” she believes everything falls into place as it should be. This approach matches her favorite life advice: “This too shall pass.” 

What’s not passing is their success. With their individual focuses and STRIIIKE, it’s funny to know that dear old dad told his bunch to not go into business together. Kristie, Jenn, and Ashley are proof that sometimes sisters know best.

Styling provided by Reservoir LA. Hair and makeup provided by Glamsquad. Photography courtesy of Light Lab and Woodnote Photography.

It Must Be in the H20+: How This Beauty Company Is Building a Strong Future for Girls

2016 marked the kickoff off year of H2O+ Beauty’s Making Waves Initiative.  

The international beauty company that believes that water and hydration are the foundation of true beauty and great skin, made it their goal to directly support organizations whose social missions align with their own.

They partnered with Girls Inc. of Alameda County, a non-profit organization on a mission to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. It was a natural pairing.

H2O+ knows that strong, empowered girls bolstered by encouragement from their community make for even stronger, empowered women. Beauty comes from within, so does the courage to believe in yourself. But none of us do it alone.

"Beauty comes from within, so does the courage to believe in yourself."

Tweet this. 

In 2013, Girls Inc. opened its new headquarters in Alameda County, becoming the first and only resource center for girls in the area. They provide year-round academic achievement and skills-building programs to underserved girls as well as counseling services to over 8,000 girls and families.

When Cindy Melk founded H2O+ Beauty in 1989 she had the goal to put beauty back into the hands of the consumer. She was only 27 years old when she had the idea, but coming from an entrepreneurial background, she had the support of her father, John Melk, the name behind successful ventures like Blockbuster, and her mother, the founder of a successful spa in Chicago. She pitched her father on her business plan, proved her plan viable, and received a small amount of seed funding to get the company up and running for about 6 months. While the rest was up to her, she had the foundation and the support from her family, something that H2O+ recognizes as crucial to success and a bright future.

H2O+ believes that, “progress is forged when communities support, challenge, and inspire women. In our work, we are inspired by the courage of our own founder in her quest to define beauty on her own terms.”

They fulfilled the 2016 mission by sharing the proceeds of their best-selling Oasis Hydrating Treatment with a $10,000 donation to Girls Inc of Alameda County. Moreover, H2O+ Beauty employees supported girls in their local community by volunteering more than 40 hours of their time in workshops and mentoring sessions at the Girls Inc. of Alameda County Simpson Center for Girls.

H2O+ plans to build on the success of their partnership with Girls Inc. with an even bigger and more impactful contribution of time and resources in 2017. We also got wind of a very special event that they’re hosting with Girls Inc. this fall (details are still under wraps), but stay 

To learn more about Girl Inc. of Alameda County, visit here. To learn more about H2O+ Beauty Social Mission visit here.

The Importance of Making Time for Your Skin

photo credit: Laura Dee Photography 

This post is in partnership with Cetaphil. 

Your approach to career is simple: every day you bring enthusiasm and dedication to your work. Two simple and effective practices that streamline your process. 

But can the same be said for your skin? When we get caught up in the hustle of our careers we tend to fall into a couple of bad habits. A great skincare routine isn’t one that should fall by the wayside. No matter how hectic work gets you can achieve great skin with a few gentle yet powerful products from Cetaphil.

Here’s how to get on the good side of great skin. 

THE NIGHT BEFORE IS CRUCIAL

You wouldn’t walk into an AM presentation without preparing. That’s just bad form. 

While your skin doesn’t need a thorough color-coded Keynote, a refreshed looking face starts with night before prep.

Dermatologists have been advising clients for decades that cleansing their face before sleep is one of the best steps to take for health and beauty. Skin has the ability to be replenished while you’re asleep.  

The best-selling, mild, non-irritating Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is designed to work on all skin types, gentle and soothing enough for even the most sensitive skin. It removes the residue that can clog pores without stripping your skin of its natural protective oils.

It’s so simple you have no reason to not opt for healthy and beautiful skin. 

If you’re in a rush, or working on your computer in bed, you can apply a liberal amount and remove excess with a soft cloth. You don’t even need water, it’s that gentle. That’s a skin routine that works for those of you who are constantly working it. 

GET A MOISTURIZER THAT DOES MORE THAN ONE JOB 

If you want a moisturizer that’s pulling double duty like you, Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion is ideal for use on your body and face. It contains a blend of 6 moisturizers plus skin-essential Vitamins B5 and E to provide long-lasting hydration for healthy-looking skin. 

Moisturizing your skin helps keep it looking refreshed and it also helps keep makeup from looking cracked. Look, dryness and irritation can be distracting. You don’t want to waste time worrying about your skin. By incorporating a simple moisturizer into your day-to-day you’ll spend less time looking in the mirror and more time staring straight into your very bright future. 

"Spend less time looking in the mirror and more time staring straight into your very bright future."

Tweet this.  

Don’t underestimate the power of a healthy glow. Confidence is directly correlated to productivity. 

WHEN YOU’RE REALLY ON-THE-GO, WE GOT YOU 

If you’re the sort to squeeze in an AM spin class before hitting your email, or you have a tendency to go straight from the office to after work drinks, it can do a number on your skin.

Take a few moments in between dashing to wipe down the day’s dirt, impurities, and makeup with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths. These ultra-soft and gentle cloths are based on the classic award-winning Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. They're super convenient and will leave skin feeling fresh and clean in all situations-- even when you’re hustling through a 12-hour day. 

We’ve all been there, we know that sometimes the hustle doesn’t sleep, but we also know you can still look good while chasing your dreams. 

MORE FROM OUR BLOG 

Why the VP of a Beauty Company Is Learning to Code

Disruption is part of our business culture. The world’s largest ride-sharing company owns no cars. The world’s largest accommodation service owns no property. And the world's largest social network produces no content. 

The most disruptive businesses are those with an interface; a means of connecting the consumer with the good they desire. So is the case of beGlammed, the first on-demand app that connects hair and makeup artists with the consumer.  

Launched in May 2014 it is now the leading on-demand beauty app. It seems simple enough. Combine two billion dollar businesses-- beauty and the on-demand platform-- and watch it spread like wildfire. On the surface, it is. 

It was an idea so compelling, or a “no-brainer” as VP of Marketing and Business Development Alexandra Amodio says, that it made her rethink the aphorism “Perfect is the enemy of good.”

“I know,” she says, “It’s important not to delay until you have a ‘perfect product’ that can come to market, but at the same time, you need to have perfect branding and perfect service, because that’s how your customers will remember you.” 

Alexandra Amodio at Create & Cultivate DLTA, May 2016

The app didn’t exist when the business first launched. In the beginning, for the first two months people would call and book. “We were a technology company and we had this amazing idea at the cross-section of technology and beauty and we didn't have the app yet." BeGlammed now offers services in 20 U.S. cities and one international city. 

“I looked back at records the other day, and I was the first appointment.” 

She was also the first employee and has been with the company before they had investors, which, she says has been a “wild ride.”

In January 2014 she met the Maile Pacheco, the founder, shortly after the idea had been hatched. Pacheco got her start in sales, as a makeup artists for MAC on the floor, but pivoted her way to the corporate side of the business, eventually pioneering her own way and creating a role as the facilitator between MAC’s celebrity clients and the brand sponsorship.

After staying with the MAC for almost a decade, Pacheco had built so many amazing connections within the beauty industry that her own business was a natural next step. She was operating out of Vegas at the time so that’s where beGlammed launched. The next two markets were Dallas and Los Angeles. 

“I remember three years ago, I was going to makeup counters to get my makeup done for events and every time I would buy three products, and I thought— like so many— that was the only way an ‘average’ person could afford to be done up before an event.” 

She was spending more money on products than she would on the beGlammed service— which now comes offered in tiers.

This is one of the major shifts the company has made. In the beginning there was only one pricing option, but now beGlammed offers three pricing options to fit any budget. “We’re making a luxury service affordable for all, no matter your budget, and we’re the only brand doing this. That’s become a big part of our marketing strategy that I didn't foresee in the beginning. You can get a blowout for forty dollars. Or you can get your makeup done by a celebrity makeup artist."

Photo by Arnelle Lozada

Instagram has also been very influential in their business. “We get so many clients who see Gigi Hadid’s makeup from the Met Ball and say, ‘I want that.’” It’s a direction she sees the interface moving.

Creating shoppable looks and creating affiliate partnerships is likewise something she’s passionate about and has performed very well in the fashion space. BeGlammed wants to create the ability for consumers to see a beauty look they love in the afternoon, ‘purchase it’ and have it applied by a professional in their home, office, or hotel that same night. “From a selling standpoint,” Amodio says, “there’s no better opportunity to sell a product than when you’re getting your makeup done. You have a 90-minute one-on-one very organic interface between the consumer and the makeup artist whom you trust.” 

Potentially that means beGlammed product or a bigger partnership with larger beauty brands.

“There are a lot of opportunities within beauty,” she says, while acknowledging that the speed of the on-demand market means there is pressure to keep up with Uber and Airbnb, both of which have “tons of resources and are moving really quickly.”

“You want to keep up and have the ‘Uber-puppies,’ but we always need to keep in mind what our MVP is, why we started, and make sure we are never losing sight of that.”

"We always need to keep in mind what our MVP is, why we started, and make sure we are never losing sight of that.”

Tweet this.

For now beGlammed is focussed on becoming the beauty authority in the space, as well as continually growing their influence.  Says Amodio, “This could mean we spend more energy promoting the artists within our senior tiers, growing our editorial presence— in a way that brands like Who What Wear and Into the Gloss have done a fantastic job at— and delving much more heavily into the beauty tutorial and vlogging space.”

The need to “keep up” is one of the reasons why after ten years in the startup work she’s learning to code. She started with Codeacademy, now receives coding-related news from Hacker News, and is part of the GitHub community.  “The very first computer science class I took was an online CS50X course from Harvard, which was intro to computer science and programming. It’s incredibly empowering to have an idea for the interface and be able to have a conversation with developers. It also gives you a deeper understanding of how feasible something is and how much it will cost.” 

It’s incredibly empowering to have an idea for the interface and be able to have a conversation with developers.

Tweet this.

She quotes the late Steve Jobs in the Lost Interview with Steve Jobs, who said, “I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” 

Thinking she is. When you believe in the service you’re offering, and know that what you’re putting to market a service people will love, “it’s almost too easy,” says Amodio. But what separates the idea people from the success stories, is “cohesive branding, product development, and customer service. Having a completely integrated approach will always be the most important part of any puzzle.”

More from our blog: