Latest / Skin Anarchy / Kamala Kirk and Lizzy Sherman, co-founders of Spa and Beauty Today

Transcript

Kamala Kirk and Lizzy Sherman, co-founders of Spa and Beauty Today · Skin Anarchy

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Hi guys, welcome back to Skincare Anarchy.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: This is your host, Ekta, and today I have very special guests with me.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I am very, very fond of both of them and their publications.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to the co-founders of um Spa and Beauty Today, which is a phenomenal publication.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I have with me Kamala Kirk and Lizzie Sherman.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: So welcome to the show, guys.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited you're here.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_02: Really excited to join you.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it's such an honor hosting you both.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I would love to get started about, you know, with just your backgrounds.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Kamala, I want you to get us started about, you know, um just everything in your career and what led up to, you know, this amazing publication that you've created.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, well, I graduated from uh the University of Southern California back in 2011.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I pretty much since then have worked as an editor and journalist.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: I've, you know, I've worked in entertainment, uh, beauty, travel, done a variety of different topics, and kind of was just kind of going along with my career, taking each opportunity that came my way.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then probably for the past six or seven years or more, I've been working primarily in beauty and wellness.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: And Lizzie and I met working at working in the industry.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: We were at different publications and we would always see each other at events.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then we eventually were working for the same company, and we bonded over our love of spas and wellness and kind of started talking about ideas that we had for our own type of publication because we we we didn't see a lot of consumer stuff focused on spas out there.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: And we we put our heads together and we're like, hey, let's create something, um kind of a resource where people could look up spas and read about them.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: So that was sort of kind of how my path to where I am now.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, that's brilliant because I'm whenever I like travel, I'm like like Googling and just you know trying to find the best spa.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I it's brilliant.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: It really is.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: So Lizzie, I want you to um tell us about your background and um how you, you know, you and Kamanola kind of came together for this.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_03: So I went to the University of Michigan and I also have a background working in media.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, for me, it was mostly digital media.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_03: I started off in actually the music industry where I was a music journalist and worked for a music television channel, and then I had the opportunity to go work for a beauty company doing their digital media.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_03: It was a publishing company, and I wound up becoming the digital director for seven of their publications, and they were trade beauty publications, and I one of the publications I started working on was on the spa side, and Kamel and I kind of bonded over the fact that there was information for people on the trade side of the spa industry, but not a lot on the consumer side.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_03: So we wanted to provide something that would offer people a little bit of both.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: I I love that.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: So and and you guys have such you know different backgrounds, so that must have been interesting um working together.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Was there were there any hurdles or was it just kind of, you know, um love at first sight, you guys, you know, just meshed really well?
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: I think, you know, Lizzie and I, you know, because we've known each other, gosh, it's probably been at least seven years now.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we met at an event and we kept seeing each other at events and we always liked each other and just got along and you know, we became friends and um it was just kind of a natural progression.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't say there were any hurdles except for, of course, you know, when you run a business or have a publication, there's other challenges you face along the way.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: But Lizzie has been a great partner.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's a lot of fun working with her, and I think we both have different sets of skills that combine really well together.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, like like this would be a really hard thing to do by myself, but with her experience and mine, it's you know, it makes it easier.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, that makes total sense.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I love seeing like strong female partnerships, like it's like my favorite thing in the world to see.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to like really hats off to both of you for being two, you know, very intelligent women coming together and you know, creating this.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is amazing.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's so good.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, go ahead.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: What'd you say?
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I actually want to talk about um how you know it when you started off the publication, you know, what were some of the initial steps?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because I don't know anything about um, you know, in terms of like editorial, what it takes to really start your own magazine, right?
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's just that's huge.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: So what were some of the the first steps?
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I think initially, you know, when Lizzie and I got together, we kind of started planning out like what kind of content do we want to create?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: What do we want to offer?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it started with creating like a listing of spas, uh, creating spa profiles.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, we were like, okay, we want to create like a database where people can go look up a spa by location or where they're going.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we started researching spas across the country.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: We both knew of a lot already, um, and we had a lot of resources, but it was ongoing research and reaching out to spas and spa directors and you know, asking them if we could publish profiles and interview them.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: And we started doing that.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: And then we also wanted to offer beauty and wellness content to supplement it.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: And so we just between us, we would pitch ideas, we'd have editorial meetings and be like, okay, let's let's write this article and this article.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: And we just we initially, before our website went live, we had started to write a lot of different articles, so that way by the time we went live, we had a decent number of articles up already that people could read.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: So it was a lot of content creation initially, I would say.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: What about you, Lizzie?
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_03: So luckily we both had a strong background in working for publications, so we kind of had an idea of what it took to get a publication off the ground.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_03: I have worked at publications since their launch, so I on the digital side.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_03: So um launching some a publication from the beginning was something I kind of had a little bit of an idea of how to do, but I had never done it by myself.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: And Kamala was the perfect person to partner with because we had a very similar vision, so that helped a lot as well.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so you know, one one thing that we wanted to make sure that we did was have a website that was easy to use and um clean navigation so that people could find what they were looking for.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I think once we had that and knew what type of content we wanted to offer, we kind of went from there and hit the ground running.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_03: And we also had a lot of the contacts that we needed in the industry, which also helped a lot as well.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, Lizzy, I want to ask you because I'm so curious about the digital side of um of editorial and publications, because I, you know, I'm not gonna lie, you know, I I'm very confused how that transition um has been from paper to like, you know, now everything is blogs or you know, digital um magazines.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, what are some of the things that um, you know, when you were first seeing this transition happen um in the industry that kind of like really caught your attention, like some some things that were hard to adapt to, I guess.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it was interesting because I kind of started out on the digital side from the very beginning when a lot of people weren't really taking it so seriously.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_03: Everyone was at that time was very focused on print.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_03: So I I kind of got into it and saw things as they changed, and it's it's a constantly changing medium and it changes so fast.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um one thing that I learned a lot about and got into early in my career was SEO, which I think when you're doing an online or digital publication is important to do some research on and know a little about.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_03: What is SEO if you don't mind my own?
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_03: So sure.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_03: So SEO is search engine optimization.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_03: And um when you're an online publication, you want people to be able to find you easily.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: So it's good to know, especially in Google, right?
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_03: Because a lot of people are looking for things in Google, so or you know, other search engines.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_03: So you want So what is that?
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Is that like through keywords and stuff?
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: Or like how does that so there's a lot that goes into it, but keywords is one of it, you know.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_03: If someone's looking up a specific topic, you want your site to show up, you know, towards the top.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_03: So interesting.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so keyword keywords having the right keywords that are actually you know what people would be looking for if they wanted to find you is one of the important aspects of it.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_03: There's a lot of other things so much, and it's constantly changing as well.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, it's very interesting to me.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna have to do my own homework after this episode because that's that's really intriguing.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now, Kamala, I have a question for you because you know, your content, you know, you guys have such amazing content, like it's zero fluff, you know, and it's just stories like when I go through, especially the beauty section, like I feel like you know, what you're covering is is very different.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's not the standard like everyday article where I'm like, okay, yeah, 15 other people covered that.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: So like like I love that.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to talk to you about what, like how you find stories that you guys really love and like what's your vetting process like?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's a great question.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I mean, I feel like, you know, throughout my career as a uh writer, you know, you always have to come up with ideas.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: I've been to so many pitch meetings and you know, editorial meetings, all the publications I work for, you always have to keep coming up with new ideas.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I think like I've just throughout my career, I've always had different articles I wanted to write.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of times previous, you know, publishers or editors have said no to some ideas, and but I've always kept those ideas with me.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so then when we launched our publication, it was kind of like, okay, let's publish what we want.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um sometimes I'll be inspired by something, or you know, if I love a certain type of ingredient, you know, like pineapples.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a big fan of pineapples, so I'll like I'm working on a pineapple-themed product story right now.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just always we just kind of come up with all these different ideas.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: Inspiration comes from all over, or sometimes we'll read about something that's trending and think of a way that we can make it into an article.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: And also we get a lot of people who message us and we'll be like, you know, they they want a specific topic, they'll be like, Can you write about this?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so we take into account what our readers want as well.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: I really love that.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that you're like so involved, you know what I mean, in your stories.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like I feel like, you know, if you work for a really big publication, and correct me if I'm if I'm wrong, ladies, but like, you know, I always think like there might be stories that come across, you know, at editors' desks that aren't really something you really wholeheartedly want to write about.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: So there that must be really nice, right?
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like you guys get to write about stuff that you really love.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_03: And there's so much interesting stuff happening in the industry right now, so it's really not hard to find inspiring people to write about or interesting topics, and there's just so much going on that the biggest problem is not having enough time to write about everything that we want to write about.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_03: So I was gonna say that, Lizzie.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's there aren't enough hours in the day, like and I have so many articles I that I always need to write.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: So that's kind of the the main thing.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I bet it's uh it's really busy.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'm glad it's busy, you know.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you guys have a such a great publication.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: So, but I want to okay, so I want to shift gears a little bit because obviously, you know, the publication is also very dedicated to dedicated to spa um stuff.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I and I love spas.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm I'm one of those people that like when I travel, like that's the first thing I look for in a resort is like, do you have a nice spa?
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, I I just want to know like the process, like how do you get your tips?
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: And like, you know, if there's like a really cool like spa in some random part of the world, like how do you get your tips?
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: Is it your your you know, readers or um yeah, where does the information come from?
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit of everything.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, for me, you know, I'm always reading, like I love reading about spas.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm always Googling and seeing what's out there.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I I've been fortunate enough to have traveled a lot uh for a lot of my life.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: When I grew up, I lived in different countries.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, like I knew that because I used to live in Thailand, so Thailand has amazing spas.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: So that I mean Yes.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my God, I love Thailand.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I love, you know, friends are great resources, people in the industry.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: So and now we get a lot of pitches too.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll get emails from publicists or spas in different places that want to be featured, which is so cool because the you know, they put themselves on our radar, and then of course we want to write about them because our goal is to educate um our readers and share as many spas as we can.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: There are just so many out there, and there's always new ones opening, and there's there's all kinds, so it's it's really interesting.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's so cool.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like you know, spas aren't just spas, they're like almost like cultural pieces in countries, you know what I mean?
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like a cultural place in a way, like you you go and you experience like the beauty culture of that place, and it's it's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I love that.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: I really love that.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, I don't know, Kamala, did you tell Lizzie about uh Teresia that I sent you the resort?
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: Not yet.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't had the chance to, um, but I'm definitely gonna mention it to her.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um made a spa recommendation, so I I was definitely Lizzie.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: You have to check it out.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: There's this little island on like off of Sicily, it's called Volcano, and the spa is just they just it's just a beautiful resort.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I want you to let me know when you look it up.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: But um go on.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_03: I've been looking, I I've been looking at some of these Italian spas, and oh, I've been looking at some of these Italian spas, and I was also watching that um that what was that show called that was just done about um dining in Italy.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_03: What did you can't do?
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: I forget.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_03: I know Gianli Tucci, the that show.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and it it just really made me want to go to Italy.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_03: So I'll you'll have to tell us.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: We're kind of on a Qatar kick right now.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: We've been doing, um, we've been profiling several spas in Qatar.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: So like I just profiled this one.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's called Al Masila Spa, and it's I think it's the largest spa in the Doha region, and they have like women's quarters that are divided into four worlds that are themed.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it is so fascinating.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'll send you the link.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: We just profiled it, but I love when spas incorporate the local culture or local ingredients that are native to the region or find other ways so you have a unique experience that will that that that is like exclusive to that place.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I actually wanted to tell both of you this because I think it's an amazing point after what you said, Kamala, about how you grew up in different countries and you know, you've really experienced the world.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that is so apparent in your publication because there's no like, you know, I love that you guys don't have this like crazy marketing feel to your site, you know what I mean, where it's like, oh, I'm being sold something.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's really like like everyone listening out there, when you go to spa, you know, when you go to their their um website, it's like you learn about these places, like it's the the photography and the way it's presented, it's just beautiful.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I love how you guys have done that, you know.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: We we just like sharing content that we find interesting with our readers.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's it.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: We're like, you know, I if I think this spa is cool, I want to share it with my friends and other people.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we want to be like that publication that's kind of like your friend, like you reach out to your friend and ask them for a spa recommendation, you know, very just organic and natural and just kind of fun.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's like a little, it's like a little um, you know, a hidden gem.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's that's how it feels.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, when you're looking, you're like, I just want like a list of all the good places, you know, like that's that's what I it reminds me of.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: But anyways, um, I want to shift gear into obviously, you know, the podcast about beauty and skincare.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to ask you guys more about your beauty section and how that is.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, in terms of, I know I'm sure brands reach out to you all the time.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're probably bombarded.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to beauty and wellness and skincare, um, what are some of the things that you guys look for um that really match your ethos for your publication?
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: So we have a couple regular columns that we highlight on our site.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, one is our beauty boss column, which combo does a lot.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we also have a sustainable spotlight where we highlight sustainable brands.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_03: So a lot of times we're looking for brands for those columns.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um we're, you know, we're always looking for brands that are doing new and innovative things, new launches, favorites, you know, classic favorites that are coming out with new products.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: But when it comes to like pitches and products that come our way, you know, I I look at every pitch that I get and I'm like, is this something that I would want to try?
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then when I try it, is this something that I would recommend?
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: Do I feel comfortable sharing this with other people?
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that's why we like to test a lot of the products and try them out because you know, you don't want to give any kind of false marketing.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um course, yeah.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it goes back to what you were saying, Kamal, about being it's it should be a you know, something that, oh, your friend recommended this.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like that feeling should come.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I I like what you said.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: And and just stuff that's appealing.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I'm always on Instagram, I follow a lot of brands, I love seeing what's out there.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes I could I'll come across something random myself, and I'm like, wow, this is cool.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll reach out to the brand and see if we can do a feature.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of a variety of ways that we find our content.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: But at the end of the day, we just want to find good products that have a good story.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: We love supporting um smaller businesses, especially female-owned skincare and beauty companies.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: We love being a platform um, you know, where these uh different brands can, you know, reach an audience and share more about their products.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that's something that we love doing.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that very, very few people think like you guys, honestly.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like I just know from this experience of launching a business how difficult it is to reach the you know, the right ears.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's very difficult.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like you would think, like as a female founder, like people are more receptive, but it's just not the case right now, you know?
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, I actually um, you know, I I want to talk a little bit about more general stuff, you know.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: I I I don't want to drill you guys too much on the publication.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: I really actually just want to talk fun beauty stuff.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: So, what are some of the things that you've been noticing in the industry that you're both loving, or you know, a trend or a product line that you're really loving right now?
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_03: There's a few trends that I've been noticing right now.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_03: Well, one that's kind of been going on for a while, but it's just continuing to just C BD beauty.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_03: Everyone is coming out with CBD products, and that product that topic just is constantly growing.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_03: And um, another interesting one that I've seen lately is probiotic beauty, but um not topical probiotics.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that one's been interesting too.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_03: Another what about you?
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, sorry.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: Another one I'm seeing is um customized products.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm seeing more of that now where um you know you go on the website and you um, you know, you if you fill out a questionnaire and you know, you talk about your skin type and your hair type, and then they create the product based around your specific needs.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, some of them you can even put your name on it, and I think that's a lot of fun.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we've yeah, yeah.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: I'm actually working on a roundup of personalized um uh products and brands.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll definitely share with you when it's out because I I think that's a lot of fun.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think a lot of people like the chance to sort of be involved in the process of kind of creating or making their product.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, like I had this conversation with I don't remember like when it was, but we had this conversation about how maybe the next step in skincare is to have this like ultra-personalized approach, you know?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like I'm noticing that like companies are really integrating that into their whole like process, and I yeah, I hear you.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a very interesting topic.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, super fun.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you know, I want to actually ask about go ahead.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I was gonna say one more thing, and one other thing I want to mention is I think a lot of brands and Earth Day is coming up, so um, I just thought of it for that too.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, a lot of brands are making conscious decisions to be more sustainable and make more earth-friendly choices, yeah, um and also be more transparent in their ingredients, so yeah, right.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: And where there's sourcing their ingredients and stuff like that, which is interesting.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, no, that's a really like, yeah, you're right.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: There's a really hot spot, and I I'm not gonna lie, every brand I have on here, I'm like drilling them.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, so how are you sustainable?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like how are you really clean?
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: What is clean?
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, could we just ask?
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Can I ask you guys that what your opinion of that whole labeling is?
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like clean skincare versus non-clean skincare versus medical grade skincare.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what do you guys think about that as editors?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's it's hard, I'll be honest.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like a lot of things aren't labeled um accurately, or you know, the the guidelines like you can be called, you know, organic um if you just meet a minimum criteria.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um so it's it's it's tough.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think you know, you can't always just believe everything you read.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: I I really recommend that people do their research, um do their homework, um, read, you know, look at the ingredients.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's the most important thing.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: Look at the actual ingredients and you know see see if there's chemicals in there that you're not comfortable with, like do the research.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: What about you, Lizzie?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_03: I also think it's kind of your own comfort level.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_03: I think that just because something has certain chemicals in it, there's a lot of research and development that goes into some of these products.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: So you cut out I can't hear you right now.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: I'll backtrack a little bit because something Oh sorry my I guess my internet connection is cutting out a little um you shouldn't necessarily think that just because something has chemicals in it that it is bad or that because something's labeled clean that it's good.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_03: You might want to do your own research on what products and ingredients you're comfortable with.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: There's a lot of research and development that goes into products, you know, different medical products certain ingredients are needed to be effective sometimes and um it doesn't necessarily mean it's dangerous, although you know you probably want to do your own research on what you no I completely agree with you.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's a solid point because you know there is medical research out there and it's like I just wonder like you know we can't keep coming up with marketing terms right like we at one point we have to be like either the science is there or not.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah I don't know it's interesting but thank you for uh sharing your your views on that that I always get confused about that whole labeling thing.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: So totally yeah so um I actually want to ask you guys um one question is how it's been like merging like for example you know obviously like spas and covering spas and then beauty products like how has that been um in terms of like integrating that into your publication is the is that is it challenging or is it does it go hand in hand?
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a seamless easy transition.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: They go together you know I mean typically if you like going to a spa you're into wellness and self-care then you know you also want to invest in your your skincare or use beauty products you know it's it's all about the health on the inside and outside.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I think both go together naturally and you know a lot of spas carry a lot of different beauty and skincare products and um so and we both use a lot of these products.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it just kind of goes together naturally and we like writing about all of it.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: I love that what about and anything from you a lot yeah a lot of spas retail different beauty brands so it's always interesting to hear from the spas to find out what products that they like and what they're using in their treatments and sometimes you can take some of those products home to continue with the cer you know at home um maintenance between services too so right right no I I that's really interesting and I and I feel like you guys are very unique that way because it just it flows really well like the beauty content and then the spa content it just really meshes really well.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I was wondering I'm like I did they work on how many hours did it take to come up with like you know syncing the beauty and the spa pieces together.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: So that's why I was asking totally yeah I think they I think they um they go together naturally and for me it's like you know if you want your makeup and cosmetics to look good you also want to take care of your skin.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: So you need good a good skincare regimen just as you have you know you can't just use good makeup and expect your skin to look flawless if you're not taking care of it and getting facial and doing other things.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly no I totally agree.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now honestly okay I have a very big question for both of you because I love the route that you've taken with your editorial backgrounds and I want to ask you um why you chose this route in terms of like creating something for yourself versus like I see a lot of editors these days who are like kind of like influencers you know they've gone in this route of just you know kind of building up their social medias but I feel like what you guys are doing is just so much more creative and free.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: So like can you tell me about did you guys ever consider that like doing the social media thing um versus not and you know I mean you know we definitely had you know I I've had a few people say oh why didn't you try to become an influencer and I feel like we're kind of in the middle right like we yeah you know we do post a little bit about ourselves and our wellness adventures but you know this platform we really wanted it to be highlighting the brands and the spas and the business owners and um you know we're telling their story and sometimes you know we'll show you from a first person perspective but other times it's through their own words.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah it just it just kind of felt like that was the way we wanted to create it.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: It just I I like doing it that way personally.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: What about you, Lizzie?
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yes I think we both wanted to provide information that was useful for people and what people were looking for and wanted and rather than focus on ourselves and sometimes we might be in there but it's mostly being able to provide what people are looking for as far as what when they're trying to find a spa or find information about a beauty brand or wellness things that are going on.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: So right right I I like that you know and I come I love what you said about like you know because I think you know there's yeah there's a limit to like being an influencer.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like we have like 50 million influencers in the industry.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: So like you know I would much rather support you know like what you're doing which is like you know a brand new concept it's it's new it's intriguing it's different you know rather than just scroll through Instagram all the time and you know find like lipstick.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: So it's interesting um what you guys are doing.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: But I I want to close off by um asking for some advice for all of our listeners who might be um you know interested in editorial or interested in maybe even starting their own blog or publication.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: Do you guys have any little nuggets of wisdom and knowledge that we can share with them.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely I mean I think the first thing is you know get started.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: Don't be afraid you know I think a lot of people are like stop themselves because they're like well how do I do it or what do I do or maybe I'm not able you know just you have to be confident believe in yourself and just go for it you know and think about what it is that you want to do.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: I recommend picking you know whether it's a topic you want to blog about or a publication you want to start make sure it's a topic or an industry that you're passionate about because then it won't feel like as much work and you'll enjoy it.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I love writing about spas so I I could do it for for hours.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know if you pick something that you think is trendy but you're not as into it, then it's your heart's just not going to be there and I it won't be as authentic.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_01: So pick something you love and are passionate about whether you have experience or you want to learn more.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think as a journalist you know I've become you become somewhat of an expert on different topics because you have to research them and interview people and so for us spas and wellness we love it.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: I could go to spas all day I I miss going to spas and I look for you and me both but it's I'm passionate about it and like I love sharing it with people.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: So that that would be kind of my initial advice yeah I love that what about you Lizzie?
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_03: Any any nuggets I think the hardest part is probably getting started.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of people think about starting thing something and they just are trying to perfect it before they even get started.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_03: I think just do it and find your way as you go and don't worry about what anyone else says or you know if other people are negative about starting it or anything like that.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_03: Because it's hard with social media you know you're you're constantly comparing yourselves to everyone else and seeing what everyone else is doing and everyone's already you might feel like oh other people have are are already ahead of me and have already started just start it be consistent consistency is another important thing um you know consistency goals whether that's every day or every week um and then just keep going and then I love that I love that you you're saying that because honestly I think that is like one of the biggest keys that people miss is the consistency part.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like you have to stay consistent with whatever you're doing.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I love that.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to add to that you know it's success isn't overnight.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we launched this almost three years ago we've come a long way but we still have goals and are growing and we it's you know you have to just stick to it.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know there's days when you're exhausted or burnt out or you feel like you're not making as much progress and that's okay.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: But the point, you know, you just have to kind of stick with it and whether it's writing an article a day or posting on social or whatever it is and every little step that you take will get you a step closer to your goals and have long-term and short term goals so you can celebrate your victories along the way.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah yeah no that's that's huge.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's really huge.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean real talk like you know people do not celebrate you know even if something feels like a small victory sometimes it's a lot bigger than you realize so I hear you there.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's awesome.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much both of you seriously I'm so you know honored to know you both women like you know you're phenomenal women I'm so excited to share you know more information about your amazing publication with my listeners this has been such an amazing show so thank you for your time and your wisdom thank you this has been such an honor and I can't wait to keep listening to more episodes of your podcast as well so awesome to be connected.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much Kamlin thank you so much Lizzie I you know I really yeah it's my pleasure and everyone listening out there if you guys have not checked out Spawn Beauty today you guys have got to go check it out and you know leave some feedback leave some comments if you guys have some questions for Kamala and Lizzie's team um please share them I will pass them along and um leave some feedback for us on Spotify or iTunes or any platform that you're listening to us on.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much and I'll be back next time.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: Hi guys this is Ecta again I just wanted to pop in and say I hope you really enjoy this episode and also just to mention that we are so excited about our new sponsorship package and um we've been getting an immense response from it.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much to everybody who's responded and also if you know anybody or if your brand that is looking to sponsor us please shoot us an email at skincareanarchy at gmail.com thank you so much for listening to the episode and I will be back next time hey guys so I hope you love that episode please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform we are available on so many different platforms so wherever it is that you're tuning in just go hit subscribe you will be immediately notified when we publish new episodes this way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts brand founders industry leaders authors all the wonderful people that we host and that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of.
• 33:02
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• 33:10
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• 33:16
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• 33:26
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• 33:33
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• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you