Beauty Is Your Business – cosmetics, beauty, and lifestyle industry podcast

073 – Francesco Clark of Clark Botanicals – Skincare Superman

February 14, 2019producer Leave a Comment

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Turning tragedy into a successful indie natural beauty brand…

Francesco Clark, Founder and CEO of Clark’s Botanicals (natural skin care including anti-aging treatments, cleansers & scrubs, lip treatments, acne treatment, moisturizing creams, anti-aging serum) joins Abby Wallach and guest host Kelly Kovack in the MouthMedia Network studio powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

A horrible accident leaves Francesco paralyzed
The moment when he no longer felt alone or hopeless
Why not believing a surgeon actually created a path for progress
When his skin stopped reacting to temperature or behaving correctly, and he looked much older
Falling into a deep depression
The impact of the death of Christopher Reeve on Francesco
Facing his biggest fear and interacting with strangers post-accident
Experimental stem cell surgery in China helped him regain much function
Looking at tonics was a distraction, in the kitchen working on skin remedies trying to feel good again
Never had an intention of starting a business
His father’s chemotherapy patients and giving it to them for free
A special home-cooked snack
How the indie beauty industry has changed since launching his company
Owning up to who you are with messaging
Looking at partners who can help you have sustained economic growth
Why Francesco actually answers the phone himself and why he has a 98% retention rate
Winning an award
Succeeding despite no financial backing for the brand, his brother and him working out of the basement
What it means to get someone to convert from their moisturizer to his
Revenue has doubled year over year
How a sense of family has extended to the people works with now
The “tight bubble”
The joy of bad karaoke
Why going to the office makes Francesco feel better
The secret ingredient to a successful indie business

072 – Kristy Engels of Beauty Barrage – Secret Store Success Sauce for Brands

January 31, 2019producer Leave a Comment

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Managing sales reps while training, planning, and nurturing in-store retailer relationships…

Kristy Engels, SVP Marketing & Brand Strategy for Beauty Barrage (an outsourced sales force for beauty brand) joins Regina Gwynn, April Franzino, and Abby Wallach in the MouthMedia Network studio powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Over 300 people servicing 3,000 doors, training in-store for brands
People like to understand a product, how to use it, what’s in it for them
A secret sauce for success in store for brands
An unusual start with the company for Kristy
The genesis of the company
Looking at sales data, working as a strategic partner, looking at plan and determining where the best ROI can be in which locations
Sales Analysis
Looking at ROI at store level, with a halo effect
A new way of tackling business
In store education, how they are different
Can help alleviate having to staff internally for this
Cost savings and strategic partner
Kristyn used to produce music and photography in entertainment work such as some Seinfeld images, then worked as chair and makeup agent
Doing a lot of content marketing before it was a buzzword
Really interesting partnerships
Having to get really to creative to get seen
Customer knowledge they are coming in with challenges you to raise your level of education

071 – Rochelle Jacobs of June Jacobs Spa Collection and Naturally Serious Skincare – Natural Beauty

January 26, 2019producer Leave a Comment

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Taking on the big challenges of going au natural with big results, coming from a legacy of spa skincare pioneers, unplugging for beauty, and making natural skincare that really works…

Rochelle Jacobs, Owner/Co-Creator of of June Jacobs Spa Collection and Naturally Serious Skincare, joins April Franzino, Abby Wallach, and Regina Gwynn in the MouthMedia Network studio powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

A family history in beauty

Rochelle’s mother’s experience for over 30 years
Mesmerized by natural skin care products the family made
How the products make you look beautiful, radiant
How the company took the top 6 ingredients from her family’s homemade skincare products and created a patented blend
Why she followed her mother’s footsteps after a corporate finance career start
The most extensive list of banned
Product assortment
The most underestimated product in a regimen
Creating a digital brand first
What sets the products apart
Packaging moving toward sustainability
Working with Sephora
Being able to make quick changes

070 – Rita Hazan – The Business and Technology of Hair Color

January 17, 2019producer Leave a Comment

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Building a hair care line that organically captures the technical and creative skills of a high-end celebrity colorist and actually getting it into a high end retailer…

Rita Hazan (hair colorist known for her work with celebrities, and is the owner of the Rita Hazan Salon in NYC) joins Regina Gwynn, Abby Wallach, and April Franzino in the MouthMedia Network studio powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Rita being blessed at young age to know what she wanted to do, and being in NYC to hustle and pursue her dream
Understanding many aspects, the type of water, where you live, other chemicals being used, and each chemical matters
First client Mariah Carey, needed a new look
Creating a look with JLo
Flying across the ocean to work with Madonna
Creating a new product that is magnificent
The biggest question is: what can you do at home in-between coloring, and big corporations didn’t have a solution for it
Her proudest moment in her beauty history
A weekly remedy — technology——manipulated Ph balance, working with hair cuticle
The little can that could
Getting her line into Sephora
Why glossing your hair matters
Girl talk
A hot hair color of the moment
That time Rita created a one-time best hair color ever for Jessica Simpson at a party

069 – Danielle Alvarez of The Bonita Project – Breaking the Beauty Barriers

January 5, 2019producer Leave a Comment

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An insiders look into influencer marketing and the do’s and don’ts of tapping into the multicultural consumer…

Danielle Alvarez, Founder of The Bonita Project (a marketing, public relations, and influencer marketing agency focusing on multicultural), joins Karen Moon and guest hosts Stephanie Flor and Deanna Utroske in the MouthMedia Network studio powered by Sennheiser

In this episode:

From former beauty PR agency, leading multicultural efforts, largely Hispanic
Own business came out of nowhere
Her first client for The Bonita Project

Cater to beauty and speak to both audiences
Hispanic market
Bonita is a compliment
Budget for brands in multicultural
Mailers still hugely used
Being careful of skin tones in ads, diversity important
Influencers, PR in a new world
Staying in touch with people, growing her network, The Wing workspace for women
Deskside – editors desk appointment still important?
Sliding into DM?
Mobile phone habits?
Innovation in other countries as a passion
Influencers in other countries and relevant economics
Peruvian background
Digging and doing research with influencers is crucial

From Danielle’s bio: As a result of gaining a deep understanding of the nuances of the cross-cultural consumer, Danielle decided to aim even higher and launch The Bonita Project where she bridges the gap between general and multicultural markets to build buzz for her brands and create a detailed, creative, and inclusive PR strategy for every client.

068 – Erika Zauner of HealthKick – The Beauty of a Healthy, Happy, Holistic Workforce

December 16, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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Corporate wellness membership that incentivizes and rewards employees’ healthy behavior…

Erika Zauner, Founder/CEO of HealthKick (offering exclusive discounts and experiences for 100+ leading consumer health, fitness and wellness brandHealth kick serve ecosystem for over 150 fitness and wellness brands) joins Karen Moon and Abby Wallach in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Addressing all dimensions of someone’s wellness, on a holistic basis
A consumer-first experience to corporate programs
Helping people discover what’s out there to several lifestyle needs, discounts, special member experiences
Attracting the right talent
Benefitting three different parties
Why sleep matters so much
A benefit strategy as tied to talent acquisition and retention efforts
Working at a company that understands you and your needs
Meditation

HealthKick’s mission is to make healthy living accessible, personal and fun for employees, as a take-home wellness option for on-the-go lifestyles with access to popular and up-and-coming brands.

067 – Nancy Berger of Marie Claire – Storytelling Beauty

December 7, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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A pioneer in the media industry who brings brands to life in a new and fresh way, who is also super fancy, pops up everywhere, and coins words that become part of the fabric of beauty and fashion industry…

Nancy Berger, Publisher of Marie Claire Magazine, joins Abby Wallach and April Franzino in the MouthMedia Network studio, powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

The evolving landscape of beauty brand advertising; telling your story and finding your super fans
Omnichannel advertising as it pertains to Marie Claire; Print, Digital, Social, and Experiential
The importance of experiential marketing and print’s ease of access to sample based advertising
Building trust amongst your audience, thinking about months to moments when connecting channels; a story in the magazine may have video content available only on the website or social media
Stretching the “old” budgets to meet the needs of today
The Global Beauty Awards – Marie Claire’s editorial team from around the world voting for the best products and brands
Partnering with Amore Pacific to create a pop event with influencers
The importance of real tactile experiences in today’s digital age
Partnering with Clarins to create “The Next Big Thing,” a pop up experience in SoHo; next gen retail experiences: smart mirrors, cashless transactions, touch screen window shopping, the future of retail
The Marie Claire Power Trip, and meeting Flower Shop’s owner
Nancy’s history in media and her initial trepidations about the beauty industry
Her surprise about the vastness and nuances of the beauty industry
The pre-Sephora/Ulta world of beauty and the reality of what’s in every woman’s make up bag
Beauty as a life style and inventing words; “Beautitude”
Beauty as part of the pop culture fiber at Alure
Recognizing the white space for beauty at Gourmet; creating events pairing wine and fragrance
Marie Claire’s platform for women’s empowerment, and the emergence of the “professional” market in beauty
The ying and yang of Marie Claire’s Marie Claire Play and Marie Claire Work
The founding of Marie Claire in France, and projecting where the women’s empowerment movement will go
Finding good role models, and “holding the door”
Disruptors in the beauty industry that caught Nancy’s eye
Working with the beauty industry vs. working with automotive or fashion, etc.
The type of person that the beauty industry attracts
The Global Beauty Forum – meeting with Marie Claire editor’s from around the world
Nancy’s favorite destination
Finding fun products in local pharmacies you won’t find at home
What’s currently in Nancy Berger’s make up bag?

066 – Sabeen Mian of Ipsy – Valuable Samples

November 29, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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Monthly makeup and beauty subscription box amplified by tutorials and extensive community, with valuable feedback and data for brands, and an influencer network…

Sabeen Mian, Head of Brand Partnerships & Merchandising at ipsy, joins Karen Moon, and guest hosts Stephanie Flor [Episode 17] and Deanna Utroske [Episode 14] in the MouthMedia Network studio powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Addressing the need of beauty junkies
Inspiring people to express their unique beauty
Embracing changes in the beauty industry, working with influencers
Democratization, driving content-driven commerce
3 Million beauty obsessed people receive a monthly “glambag” that is personalized
A marketplace for 3 Million members with access to exclusive brand deals
Engagement with community pages for ipsy without ipsy’s direct involvement
Ipsy Gen Beauty
Working with brands when they want them to help create content and build brand awareness, help wth conversion, sampling program
Many reviews result in signficant data for brands
Patterns of keys to success
Becoming a part of the family—hard for small brands to invest in reaching a lot of people, so ipsy is a strategic partner to brands
A network effect with influencers
Sabeen’s own subscriptions, personal escapes, SoulCycle, and sheet masks on long flights to stay moisturized

065 – Romain Daumont of MemoMi – Memory Mirror

November 23, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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A high-end digital mirror for a new generation shopping experience…

Romain Daumont, General Manager of MemoMi Memory Mirror (a mirror for fashion and beauty — using simple body gestures, on the mobile app you can control the MemoryMirror™ to see 360-degree back and side views in new outfits) joins Karen Moon, Regina Gwynn, and Abby Wallach on location at NRF Big Show 2018.

In this episode:

MemoMi – digitizing mirror, experiences through digital mirrors
How MemoMi created three experiences — fashion, eyewear, cosmetic tutorial
Trying to reproduce beauty methods at home – working with a makeup artist – every step recorded – quality video via link in the mirror
Augmented reality, animation possible
Video recorded — comes with an angled camera, computer – process the image to make it look like a mirror in real time
At NRF, working with Intel
Two sided mirror, two experiences at same time
Beauty is about training, i.e. master class
Ability to run ads, and drive intention
Creating unique products allow creativity of brands explode and explore
Studies of people trying colors they wouldn’t have otherwise
Working with Sephora
Finding something immersive, an interesting experience
Capturing data on trends, can translate data very early, predict likely hot products
Ability to opt in and receive video library of all try-ons and tutorials and share
The customer feedback so far, monitoring multiple devices in a single store
A way to engage people in a store, a nice and fun experience, icebreaker
The ability to customize for the retailer client

064 – Essence Gant of BuzzFeed – Beauty Buzz

November 16, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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What it takes for beauty brands to grab the attention of BuzzFeed, what kind of posts perform best (and when they fall flat), diversity as a priority, the choice to use real people instead of models, a new lifestyle platform, and the journey from social work to BuzzFeed…

Essence Gant, Senior Beauty Editor for BuzzFeed (an Internet media and news company based in New York with a focus on digital media) joins Regina Gwynn, Abby Wallach, and April Franzino in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Making sure all diverse voices are heard in beauty narrative
Diversity as a priority from the beginning has been part of success
Videos a big part of communication—don’t really use models—they use each other
Real beauty, real people, real talk
Trying to be funny
Anything that they really love and lives up the hype—performs well
Stories vs. tips doing well, products do well, consumer audience
The journey from social work to buzzfeed
Launched womens lifestyle platform in March
“As Is”
More thoughtful conversation about beauty
What gets attention with products to cover
Whats special about brand, sticks out from the rest
Why BuzzFeed will cover super indie brands
The impact of giving attention to small brands, and how it can transform their business
When content falls flat
Depends on what’s going on in world at moment, timing
You know beauty when you seeit, finding beauty at Afropunk
Instagram is pretty, and insane nails from Cardi B’s nail artist
Why reflection is so important to success