IF BEAUTY’S next big power duo HAD A FESTIVAL-ERA origin story, IT MIGHT LOOK A LOT LIKE
Aliett Buttelman and Nina LaBruna.
The founders behind Fazit first met through a mutual friend while attending Columbia and NYU, then turned late-night startup experiments and skincare failures into a business opportunity.
Spotting a gap in the patch market, the pair launched the first-ever makeup patch and quickly became a favorite at major cultural moments like Coachella. But behind the viral momentum is an intentional business strategy: staying lean, trusting their instincts, and building the brand on their own terms instead of chasing fast-growth. Buttelman and LaBruna know that the future of beauty isn’t just about products—it’s about creating a brand people want to wear, talk about, and bring everywhere. Read about Aliett Buttelman & Nina LaBruna’s journey in her C&C 100 interview below.
When did you decide you wanted to join forces and build Fazit from the ground up? Were there voids in the market that you saw going unfulfilled?
Nina was at NYU and I was at Columbia when a mutual friend introduced us. Post-modeling, I had started a consulting company for fashion, beauty, and tech startups. Nina was hand-crafting her first skincare line in her dorm. We started working together and launched that line.
From all the failures, learnings, and experience in that first company, we decided to build something together, 50/50. We saw a gap in the beauty patch space — patches could be applied to deliver skincare results, so we took that mechanism and launched the first-ever makeup patch.
We see you as rising stars and entrepreneurs who have accomplished so much in a short time—what hard work and sacrifices have you made over the last year that really paid off?
When everyone goes right, we go left. There's so much outside pressure to do things the same way: raise a ton, spend X amount on marketing, scale really fast at retail. Even after experiencing fast, high growth ourselves, it's been important for us to keep things lean and not overextend out of outside pressure or take on too much prematurely. We've had to stay focused and keep things tight to run a profitable, growing beauty brand.
Did you raise capital for your business—and if so, what surprised you most about the process?
We tried early on, and the biggest blessing in disguise was that institutional money wasn't the fit at that moment. We needed the flexibility to pivot, which we've done multiple times. In the early days, it's important to test and iterate, and having investors who want fast growth and quick exits doesn't give you that luxury or freedom to nurture a brand to maturity. We realized there were other ways to raise capital — friends and family, high-net-worth individuals, angels, accelerator programs, family offices.
“If we've come this far being in tune with ourselves, staying in tune is what will take us to the next level.”
Going after what you deserve in life takes confidence and guts. What has helped you build trust in your own instincts as more opportunities come your way?
We've gotten where we are because of gut and instincts. The reminder we keep coming back to: if we've come this far being in tune with ourselves, staying in tune is what will take us to the next level.
What’s been your “I can’t believe this is my life” moment lately?
Calling Coachella weekend with my team a work trip. Getting to fly and accommodate team members, seeing Fazit in the wild at such a cultural moment, and getting to say "I'm tired because of my work trip to Coachella." I mean pinch me.
When you’re feeling insecure, afraid, or just not up to the task at hand, what gives you strength to push through anyway?
Brain-dumping on my business partner, my husband, and my business coach. You need to get it out of your head and talk through why you feel that way. Internalizing it doesn't let you move past it.
What’s currently on your vision board (literally or mentally)?
The saying "what got us here won't get us there." Leveling up as a leader.
Where do you hope to see your brand five years from now?
The Red Bull of beauty — showing up at every sports, music, and entertainment cultural moment.
Rapid fire POP QUIZ:
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is:
Aliett: ask my husband to bring me a cappuccino in bed.
If I had one more hour in the day, I would:
Aliett: FaceTime all my closest friends.
A song that describes the era I’m in right now is:
Aliett: ”What Dreams Are Made Of" by Hilary Duff.
My current obsession is:
Aliett: Claude Cowork - teaching me everything I want to know and doing everything I don't.
Three words to describe the legacy I want to leave behind:
Aliett: Nothing is impossible.