Latest / Skin Anarchy / Laura Geller, Beauty Industry Icon and creator of Laura Geller Beauty

Transcript

Laura Geller, Beauty Industry Icon and creator of Laura Geller Beauty · Skin Anarchy

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: This episode is brought to you by Vonit.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Your business needs more than an 800 number.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: With Vonit Voice API, you can provide the call experience your customers expect and get the data your team needs.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: From call analytics and virtual assistance to automatic speech recognition and text-to-spee in multiple languages.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Your customer service team can help more people in more places.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: And with Inapp Voice, your customers can easily contact you the moment they have a question.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Take your calls to the next level with Vonage Voice API.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Learn more at Vonage.com.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_02: Hey guys, so I just wanted to pop in and preface this episode a little bit because I'm not gonna lie, this is the first ever episode in over 20 plus episodes that I've published.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um that I got a little emotional in the end.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I didn't go full blown a ham mode with my with my crying, but I definitely got emotional because Laura Geller is somebody who I've really grown up watching.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: I've always loved watching her on QVC.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, growing up as a young girl um of color and never being really able to identify with my surroundings.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um it was always a really nice treat to see how she was able to make everyone feel so beautiful.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: And so um this was a very uh moving episode for me and it was very touching.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope you guys love it as much as I loved recording.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_02: She is a true icon in this industry, and I think it is the epitome of, you know, or you know, her work is the epitome of how to make someone feel beautiful, not just on the outside, but from the inside, and how to really bring light into your life in a in a beautiful way through, you know, through makeup and things we love to play with.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: So I hope you love it, and I hope that you can relate to my sentiments about Laura.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: I know all of you have heard of her name, and um honestly, yeah, it's a very special episode for me, and I just wanted to mention that Sunday we will be publishing the first ever panel interview, and this is a really great book about what it's called the dirty truth about clean brand, and it's really big, you know, bringing transparency to the idea of clean beauty and all of the being used now and greenwashing and green beauty and sustainability, and it's a really great episode.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: So I really hope you guys uh you know reserve some time on Sunday to listen to that episode and promise you will not be disappointed.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: So now I'm gonna stop ranting and let you get to the episode.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_02: But for this one, definitely let me know what you think, okay?
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_02: Leave some comments, leave some feedback in the comment section.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_02: All right, love you guys, and thank you so much for tuning in.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_02: Hi guys, welcome back to Skincare Anarchy.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: This is your host, Ecta, and wow, do I have a guest for you today?
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I am positive 100% of you have heard of her name.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: She is truly an icon in this industry, and I am just so humbled, so honored, and just so blessed today, on the day of Diwali, that she is on my podcast.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to Laura Geller.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the show, Laura.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for coming on.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's such a pleasure.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: You're doing a great job.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: I I can't get over all the guests you've had and in your lineup.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm really impressed.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm thrilled to be here with you.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: And that really genuinely, like from the bottom of my heart, means the world to me to hear that from you because you really are an icon in this industry.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I, you know, never in a million years thought I'd get to speak to, you know, people like you, yourself, and that have inspired me.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, just being a woman of color, like just trying to figure my way out, you know what I mean, in the beauty world.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_02: So um, I'm not gonna rant about myself.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted to focus on you.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_02: So can you start us off with how everything began for you, you know, um, beauty, your interest in it, everything?
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's funny when when people say, Oh, you're an icon, I'm like, I guess if somebody's around long enough, they can be called an icon.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: But that's that's really what it is with me because I have been in this industry for decades.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I have I'm 63.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: I started right out of high school.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my journey really took me in a lot of different areas, and then I sort of found my footing later in life.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: And basically what happened was I was all set to go off to college.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: I was going like everybody else was, and I ran into a friend who was just smarty pants.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: She was so brilliant.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: I said, What school are you going to?
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: And she said, I'm going to beauty school.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: I want to be a hairstylist.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, What?
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: And she said, Oh, yeah.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: She said, and I know you love makeup.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: Why don't you join me?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: They, you know, you can get your license.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: And you in those days you needed a cosmetology license in order to be able to be a makeup artist.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Today it's different.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need that.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so I thought, how could I go to beauty school and not go to college?
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: My parents will kill me, my counselors will kill me.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: And they the counselors at school were all against it, but my parents kind of knew that maybe that was the right direction.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: They were like, we support whatever you want to do.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I went to beauty school in this small town that I grew up in outside of New York City.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: And the truth be told, I didn't learn a darn thing about beauty.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: I learned about hairstyling.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I was so frustrated.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: I almost became, for lack of a better term, a beauty school dropout.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I, you know, the owner of the school felt very compelled to help me because he really liked me, took me under his wing, had told me from the beginning, you know, you'll be successful because you're not shy and you've got a great gift of Gab.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: So he went on a search to find makeup schools or anywhere that he could, you know, find a place for me in New York City.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: And he found a course of theater and film makeup at the School of Visual Arts.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I drove in from the suburbs into the city and I took this course, and it was not at all what I expected.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: I thought I was going to learn about like pretty colored shadows and blush and lipstick.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And instead, it was the anatomy of a face and understanding bone structure and put them putting a bald cap on or using a blood cap.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, wait a minute, what am I doing here?
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: And if it wasn't for truthfully my naivety, I probably would not have stayed in the class, but I was so desperate for any learnings to do with makeup that I stuck with it.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I thank my lucky stars I did because I really did learn the art of makeup in a very unique way.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it set me on a path that set me apart too.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I just want to say this because honestly, I remember seeing your products on QVC, right?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: And I remember just like watching and thinking to myself, because you know, I was always like every girl, I was into makeup, but it for me it was like I always wanted something that was natural looking and like, you know what I mean, would really just make me feel like more comfortable in my skin.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_02: And I remember um I would watch QVC and I would be like, mom, like I need to save up like my allowance.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_02: Like I really want, you know, and it was just this like this amazing, like I have such amazing memories of just how authentic you came across to me, even, you know, when I was like just getting introduced to makeup and stuff.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I just I I love that, you know, you've retained that, you know.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's where my next question really is for you is is what is your view of this industry now that you that you look at it and and see all these brands everywhere?
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I it's it's amazing because it's a crowded space.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: But I do think that there's room for everybody as long as you are authentic and you're doing it for the right reasons, and that you appeal to whomever the audience is that you're trying to appeal to.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think that, you know, if you have good product and good marketing skills, you know, you will be successful.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: I just think that the space is crowded and it's hard for the consumer because, you know, she's being flooded with information that, you know, it's like, well, who, you know, who do I listen to?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, I feel lucky that I've had the QBC platform just because uh they get, like you said, to relate to me in a way that I don't think a lot of people have that platform.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I think anybody that's on QBC in any category that's been successful is very, very lucky because you can really tell the brand story and speak to the benefits of your product that's hard to do at point of purchase.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: No, I completely agree.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, honestly, no no joke, like for me, like this podcast was genuinely like that was a little bit of the inspiration behind it because it was like QVC for me, like whenever I would watch, was like almost like having a conversation with like a girlfriend or like you know, someone who's really telling you about something that you know really does work.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: And so I was like, you know, I think we need more of that.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I feel like with your, you know, just your makeup and everything I've ever just encountered that you've created, it's almost as if like you create products that are like like you know what is gonna make women feel comfortable in their skin.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_02: That's the best way I can put it because nothing is like, you know, like with that Instagram makeup that's like super heavy and like caked and all this stuff.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_02: It's not that it's always like this natural beauty that just you've always like kind of I think, you know, told us about.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: And and that's what really, you know, really attracts me to your vision.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow, thank you.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I I love what you just said because I think from well, next year will be when I say this, it really does put me in the icon status.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: A quarter of a century that I'll be on QBC, 25 years.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_02: But that's not that doesn't make you, oh my gosh, that's amazing.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: What are you talking about?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_02: That is a huge accomplishment.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: And whatever it may be, it goes to show though, to your point, that I have never veered from who I was when I launched.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: It was all about natural, and it was never about following a trend.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that sure, you can take my product and make it look dramatic or natural or whatever you want to do with it.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: But I think it was that I stayed true to what I was trying to accomplish on air and with my product, which is that it's about enhancement and it's not about making yourself over.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that's always sort of been my mission.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm glad that you picked that up and understood that early on.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, definitely, because I remember like the before and afters of like seeing, like, you know, when um the product was used and like it was just like skin, but like better.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: Like it was like buffed, you know, right.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_02: So like yeah, like literally, and that's why I was like obsessed because I was like, Mom, I need this, I need this now.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: And she was like, You really like, you know, like why don't you buy all the little like pink makeup that all the other girls are buying?
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, no, because this is professional, like yeah, no, it's true, it's really true.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: I remember when QVC switched over to HD, everything was gonna be HD.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I all of my makeup artists, all the models, all the hosts, we were all in panic mode because we were like, you know, oh my God, if it wasn't scary enough when you zoom in close on us, now we're gonna be in HD.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: And the truth was that like we had nothing to worry about.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we sometimes when I go on air, I'll be like, I double dare the camera people to come in tight right now because I want you to see what we're doing close up.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there is no smoke and mirrors here.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: We're doing it's the product that's doing the heavy lifting, and you get the ease of use.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: That's what we are known for.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_02: No, that's actually a point I really wanted to talk to you about because I think you're absolutely brilliant for your approach to makeup.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: Because I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I have a lot of respect for the professional makeup artists out there and that are, you know, really creating these like very precise looks and the, you know, the tiny brushes and the all that.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_02: But I'm gonna be very real with you.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: I can't do any of that.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I I really value how you've created, you know, this this you know, aura in the beauty like industry of just makeup should be easy, but it should be it look, it should look beautiful.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_02: And I want you to talk to us about that because I think, especially this day and age, most of us, I'm 35, you know, and I don't have time to sit in front of my mirror and before I go to the hospital and be like, okay, is my contour working?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: Or you know what I mean?
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: Those kind of things.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: I love easy and like, but it works.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: So I want you to talk to us about that.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what does that mean to you?
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: Like easy makeup, but you know, good makeup.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, it's funny, you know, it's funny you say that when I started in the business, just as a quick digress for a moment, I remember there was a famous makeup man named Jerome Alexander.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: Some of you who may be listening right now may go, oh, I remember him, but I'm talking a long time ago.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: So before almost before my time, but he stuck around for a long time.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember he sold his products on Home Shopping Network and he had brushes, and they were all different sizes and all different shapes.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember thinking, that's very daunting.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: I can't imagine what you would do with all those brushes.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, looking back at what I've created, I never went down that road either, because it was daunting to me and I was already in the business, and I should have known, but it, you know, I wanted to make it simple and goofproof.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: And because here's why.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: I worked on celebrities like you can't imagine in in Hollywood, late greats from Woodry Hepburn to Ginger Rogers to Brooke Shields and Christine Berenski, and I mean, all different ages, all different people.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I will tell you that there was a running theme with everybody I worked on.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: And here was the running theme.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: How can I recreate what you did?
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: I don't get to have you all the time.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: You've got to teach me what you did because I need to be able to recreate this when I'm in a pinch.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so it wasn't just real woman, it was real women everywhere, celebrities included, who needed that help.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: And it was that aha moment that I realized I've got to be able to educate so that my message, and I'm a good edge educator, that I'm a good educator, and that my message is clear enough for somebody to redo it or to feel compelled to say, oh, that I can do.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Let me pick up that product because that doesn't look daunting.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it was that.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that is what my mission was was that I don't want people laboring over their makeup.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care if you're a doctor like yourself who needs to get to the hospital, or you are somebody who enjoys the time to put your makeup on.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: You want things that are going to do it for you fast and give you the ease of use.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: And so multifunctional products, great formula, um, you know, products that have color correction in them so that you don't have to worry about am I a warm, am I a neutral, am I a cool tone, you know, that kind of thing.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: It was like everything I created was to think about like, oh my gosh, this has to work on people with from all ages, all races, all sizes, all socioeconomic groups, all, you know, careers, stay-at-home peep moms, you know.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: And that is how my thought process worked when I created product.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: That's true inclusivity.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: You've always been ahead of your time.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, honestly, it's that's so brilliant.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_02: No, I mean that.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, and you know, I'm I'm gonna say this as a woman of color, you know, I never felt like I couldn't relate to what I saw on QVC or what you were selling because it never crossed my mind that, oh, my shade's not there, or I don't feel like I fit in.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: It was always about, oh my gosh, if I get this, my skin is gonna be beautiful, you know, because like it's like you it's like not only did you simplify makeup, but you simplified the idea of what it takes to be beautiful.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that goes so much deeper than just, you know, appearances or just looking in the mirror and saying, yeah, I like the way I look.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_02: It goes a lot deeper because you know, right now I know in the industry, I'm sure you've seen it, you know, everywhere, everyone's all about you know, be inclusive, be diverse.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: Everything needs 70 shades.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: And it's like, no, you just need people who can do what they can do really well, you know.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's you know what I mean?
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and I I I think you're right, but uh in fairness, listen, we're not gonna appeal to every single person in the world.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: There are gonna be people who find something in my brand that they like, and there are gonna be people who say, you know what, you don't have something from me.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why the space is wide open, and that's why there is an opportunity to go elsewhere.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: So, I mean, I understand that.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: I the truth is we listen.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: So if we don't have something and enough people ask for something, whatever it might be, whether it's a product or a color, we will add it to our line.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: We are very aware of what's missing and what we do well and what we can't do well.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and that's I think I'm oh, I mean, that just goes to add to what I was saying about you.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_02: You're just ahead of your time and just brilliant.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: You're just brilliant.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I want to ask you though, you know, Laura, I want to ask you about what is really um what attracted you to the idea of like baked formulas?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: Like what what was it that really attracted you to that?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: So this is such a great story.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: I I had in my vanity drawer a product that I was putting on my face, I promise you, it must have been two years, and it would never like go down.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like, like in other words, it was like still new after like two years.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't I would use it as a bronzer on my face.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: And it was this multidimensional product, this compact that had lots of different colors in it.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: And when you're a vendor on QVC, one of the mandates is that you come up with new product development all the time.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: By the way, any brand would have to do that, even if you're in store, you know, you just they you have to keep coming up with new innovation.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: And it's one of the hardest parts of having a brand, whether it's skincare or anything else or makeup.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember thinking, oh geez, I don't know what else I can do.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I opened up my drawer one morning to put on this bronzer, and I looked at it and I thought, I lit, I wear this every day.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: What is this?
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even know where I got it from.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: There was like scribbly writing on it.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought, I know that this is something that someone sent me as a submission or pro my product development team gave me years ago to try.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I started searching for where I got it from.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I found the distributor who distributed this product.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I I, after a long search, and I called them and I said, What is this bronzer?
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_01: Can you tell me?
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: They were like, It's not a bronzer.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, What?
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: They were like, That is foundation for women of color.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, Oh, okay.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: I've been using it as a bronzer.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: They were like, great idea.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, but what is it?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it's amazing.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: It goes on beautifully, it's imperceptible, it's lightweight.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: And he was like, I could never explain this product to you.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's made in Italy, it's something that they call baked.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: The only way I can explain it is if we go to the factory in Italy and I show you.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, wait a minute.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: Because he knew that if it was something that was groundbreaking, I would get it for QVC.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: And ultimately he would do well as well.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so we did this journey to Italy.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I I went to the factory, and in my amazement, I will tell you that I have never in all the years I've been doing makeup saw anything like this before and how it was made.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was taken completely.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: I just could not believe the artisan way things were made and handmade and the formulations and the pigments and so much went into it.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like it was so laborious.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: But then that's why it was so easy to use.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I brought that product to QVC probably two decades ago and launched it as a bronzer, not as a foundation.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: The way I used it, and that was the first great baked product I ever launched on QVC.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I just thought it would be a one and done, meaning, you know, a flash in the pan and Oh no, the orders kept coming in.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: They were like, Well, what else do you have that's baked?
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, I don't know, I don't know.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: I I would have to find out.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, like, what do you want me to make?
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean, it it became such a thing that like we even made baked lipstick.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, and we won an award for it because we had done this beautiful shape, the shape of a lip.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: It was baked lipstick.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: You used a brush with it, and it had a little olive oil extract to do to put on top to give it a, you know, the shine and the texture.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: But so I've I think anything that could be baked, I have figured out already.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that's how the whole line has sort of come to be.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: I really love that.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I love that you have such a, you know, like you've had such an impact, I think, you know, in terms of all the brands that have come out.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, when I look at things like, for example, Bare Minerals or, you know, uh Physicians Formula or all these brands, I'm I I think of you.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think, you know what I mean?
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: Because you're a pioneer.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_02: Like I've I'd never seen that before.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: I saw it, you know, when I saw you on QVC.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that that's it's just such a huge milestone for the beauty industry because, you know, being able to not only like for me, like looking at it, you know, now that I'm older, like looking at it, not it's not just important to be able to do people's makeup well, but it's it's another thing to create something that's brand new and really revolutionizes, you know what I mean?
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_02: Like that, yeah, it's like it's a milestone kind of thing.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_02: And that's yeah, thank you for acknowledging that.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, it's true.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's true, but you'd be a fool not to acknowledge it.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, yeah, and I want to actually ask you about your your primer journey as well, because I know that you're uh truly a pioneer in that aspect as well, uh, with primers.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: So tell us all about that, if you would.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: And primer was born because you know, I tell these stories and I always think, oh gosh, so forgive me for those of you who have heard it before, but these are how these products were birthed.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: And that's, you know, if I had known when I was creating these products, that I was creating categories and things that were, you know, so revolutionary, I don't know what I could have done or would have done to, you know, market it in a way that like really would have brought huge attention to the brand in a big, big way.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: But I did it because I saw the opportunity, I saw that white space.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I worked in television and I worked on a very famous news anchor, beautiful woman.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: And we the there was a running joke that she would have all the time with me when I started doing her makeup.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: And she would say, I hope you have more than makeup in your makeup kit today, because I need some spackle, sister.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I would be like, I get it, I hear ya.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I just thought, that is such a good name for a product.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's a I know it's a spackle for the walls, but how great would it be if I could find something or create something, I should say, because there was nothing out there like it, um, that really helped to kind of resurface the skin and give it a new skin, second skin finish look before you prep the skin with makeup.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, that you prep the skin and then put makeup on.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so I went to a lab that I was working with and I was like, listen, I have an idea.
• 25:32
  unknown: Yeah.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I wasn't the first.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: I don't take credit for being the first to come out with a primer, but I was one of the first before that category exploded.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, What if can you help me create something?
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: Because as a makeup artist, a real true theater, film, television makeup artist, you're taught not to put moisturizer under makeup because a moisture moisturizer will emulsify on the skin and penetrate the skin.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: So if you put makeup on top of that, your makeup's gonna penetrate and emulsify.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: So we were taught to do makeup on matte dry skin so that it would last and not break down.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I just yeah, the problem I had was when I worked on women who had a wrinkle or many wrinkles, it just wasn't sustainable.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: It was like they look drier, you know.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: So the lab came out with um something, a formula, a lot of iterations later.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it had a little bit of a blue undertone, like an opalescent blue, so that it was like light refracting on the skin, and it was like a gel kind of consistency.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: It was in a glass jar.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: I I have to look one of these days and see if I even have one of my olderins.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: But anyway, I we we landed on the formula and fast forward, I launched again because I needed also new innovation.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and spackle was actually one of the first items I ever launched on QBC in the late 90s.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I explained that you do everything you would do in your skincare routine, but you put this on and it's the last step before you put your makeup on.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: It already makes your skin look better, so that your makeup is gonna look so much better than it ever did because it already helps to correct the look of your skin.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's not treatment, it's not going to be like, you know, great skincare that does take some time to, you know, create a difference on your skin.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: This is sort of an immediate fix before you put your makeup on.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that is how Spackle was born.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, I love that.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I love how that you just described what a primer needs to be because I am not kidding.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: Every time I see a new primer come out, I'm like, like, can we just stop?
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like, can let's just let's just stop, you know, like why do we need this?
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, and and it's interesting what you said about the moisturizing thing because there's a lot of products out there.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not gonna name any companies, but that are kind of moisturizer, you know, based quote unquote primer.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_02: So that really makes me think, actually, you know, like what is that really doing if that's not really serving as a primer?
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: No, the and and it's true.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, even with my own product development team, there have been times that they've said, you know, let's do this kind of primer.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I'd say, no, no, no, you're missing the point.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I get why you want to do it, but we can't do things that will penetrate the epidermal surface because we're trying to make it hover on the skin so that it is a barrier from the makeup penetrating.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, light years later, we sure did come out with many different spikles, and we do to this day.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: We may have up to 10 different ones at any given time.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: But and I never thought that could possibly happen.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: Every time I'd sit down with the product development team and they'd go, What about this kind of primer?
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'd be like, Oh my god, we're killing this category.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: Enough, like you said, enough.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_01: Enough.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_02: You know, now we're well, not enough from you though, Laura, honestly.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you we we are all gonna benefit with as many products as possible coming from you because you actually know, you know, you you know, you know, you are the guru here, you know, and that's uh something that you know anyone listening, like we have to but see.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_02: My father told me a long time ago, if you don't tell the people who are great that they're great, then there's no purpose opening your mouth, you know, and it's it's flattery will get you everywhere, my friend.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean it's not just flattery, though, it's honesty.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, really, I it's just that you know, I think that there's just so much saturation of the industry right now that it's very important to highlight the people who are really trust you you can trust and the products you can trust.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: And that's really like where I'm getting at is that you know, if you go and you buy, you know, a primer from your your line, like you know that this is the this is a person who's been through it, she knows what a primer is supposed to do, you know.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: That's that kind of point.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, and it's true.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I I look at, you know, I look to my right and left.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm always aware, and that's one of my tips for entrepreneurs, you better know what's happening in your space.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you want to be around for a long time and eventually called an icon.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, it the truth is there are many very reputable brands as we know out there that I would trust to recommend.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's very rare that you find a founder around 25 years later that still cares and is still trying to make sure that you know they that my fingerprint is on everything and that if I'm going to stand up and say this is okay, it better be okay because I won't do it if it's not, you know.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I care to that, to that point.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes it's tough, it's not easy because, you know, not everything um can you get, you know, that's a you know, that's perfect.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: You sometimes, you know, you launch something and it may have one ingredient that some people think, oh, I won't use that on my face.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_01: But the truth is it's approved by the FDA, but that's part of the confusion in the space is that, you know, one brand will come out and they will tout themselves as we do not contain this.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_01: There's nothing wrong with that ingredient, but now they've said it so much that they've killed it from many other brands who have it in there, you know.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, 100%, 100%.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, you really just touched on a topic that is very for me.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I I try to explain this to even my colleagues.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm like, listen to me when I tell you that the FDA go, they have their own process, okay?
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_02: That doesn't mean that like everything, it's it's not that it's going to cause you cancer as soon as you put it.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_02: Like people are saying sunscreen causes cancer.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, are you insane?
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: I like it so you know it's very hard.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: And listen, if you more power to you, if you found a product that suits your needs, I am so happy for you.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_01: And it works and it's successful.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: But I refuse, I remember, listen, I remember when going green and sustainable and clean became a thing.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_01: And the question around the round table in my company was, you know, can we, should we?
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, no, we can't.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_01: And and everybody agreed, it's not who we are as a brand.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: We are careful about what we put in our ingredient deck, but we would have to be across the board.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: And there are some things that I want to create that you can't be sustainable with or green with.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not putting that down.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's brilliant if you can do it across the board, but we can't because we wouldn't be able to have all the different SKUs that we have and everything.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so I can't, you know, I can't follow those trends.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I always say when I started in the business, I sold Max Factor pancake and pant stick to theater and film people and ordinary, everyday women who wore it on their face.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody really passed away from using it on their face.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, see, okay, thank you.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I'm so glad that you said that.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_02: And honestly, the sneak peek for everyone listening is I'm actually about to do, uh Laura, I hope you tune in for this if you have time, but I'm doing a clean beauty panel discussion to really talk about this topic because you yeah, and you brought up a point that I think is so extraordinarily brilliant because it's something that we have to talk about, is that when you talk about clean beauty, let's be real.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_02: As a scientist, I can honestly tell you, if you have five products in your collection, right?
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_02: And you're using those five products till the very end, you're practicing more clean beauty than you are buying a 15 different brands that are saying they're clean.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_02: Why?
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_02: Because you're you're not polluting the planet, you're using the whole product.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: You're, you know what I mean?
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_02: You're using the same ingredients on your face.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: So your skin is adapting to that.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_02: It's you, it's not being like shocked by all these new ingredients.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_02: So, like people need to really understand that the word clean beauty, it goes a lot further than what we're, you know, kind of greenwashing things and all that, you know.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: So I just wanted to give you a little sneak peek, but I really hope you tune in when I do that panel because I what you just said I will.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_01: I will.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I want to just, you know, just to close, Laura, I I want to ask you, and I know it's a very big umbrella question, but genuinely like advice, you know, for every woman, every entrepreneur, makeup artist, um, anyone who's ever been inspired by, you know, everything you've done, everything you've created, any advice you have about, you know, life or career or anything.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's so much I could say about that.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_01: The first piece of advice I like to give, and I give often, uh, is my dog is by the way, kissing me everywhere right now.
• 35:17
  unknown: So funny.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: I had to pick her up because I saw she was getting restless and all of a sudden she's like kissing me everywhere.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_01: But anyway, the first piece of advice that I would share is that you have to look at where the white space is.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: You can't just get into it because it's sexy to get into.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: You have to be passionate about it.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_01: You have to really do it because you know you'll be making a difference in creating something.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_01: And this goes for anybody in any kind of category.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not just talking about skin or makeup.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, do your homework because I have sat in indie panels before and respectfully have heard the same elevator pitch from numerous people about things and thought I don't know that you did your homework because the person three people down from you just gave me the same elevator pitch about their brand.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so it is hard now that the space is more crowded and saturated to be unique and different.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: I was luckier because I started at a time when it wasn't as crowded and I was able to build a reputation where people trusted me.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I feel lucky because it would be very hard to start right now.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that would be my first piece of advice.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: The other piece of advice is that uh you better really care about people because this business, uh any business, the anything you do has to be because you want to enhance and make people's lives better for one reason or another.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: And that's always been the toughest part of me being in business, is that listen, I remember when we distributed in every single Sephora store, and it was my biggest anxiety-provoking, even though it was so nice to say I was in every Sephora door, it was the most anxiety-provoking thing for me because I couldn't control what the fixture unit looked like.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: Was it clean?
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_01: Was the, you know, was the advice correct that was being given out?
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: And periodically I'd have a client that would write me or contact the brand and say, you know, I was in Las Vegas and your stuff was cracked, and somebody told me that I should use this that way, and you know, and I it was very hard.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to, you know, I don't know, I went, I veered off on a whole nother topic.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: You have to care about the customer.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think those two things alone, and then I think, you know, don't get in over your head, you know, start small, you don't rush the process.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_01: Part of your story one day will be all the things you went through to get to the other side.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it allows you to have a great conversation with somebody like yourself because I have a lot to share about my journey.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_01: If you're looking for a quick, you know, like, okay, you know, they say it on Shark Tank, I'm looking for a quick exit.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna create something and I hope I get a quick exit.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_01: Then did you really care?
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_01: Are you doing it for just money?
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um so it's those few things that would be paramount in creating something.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_02: I love that so much.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_02: And that just shows how like good of a human being you are.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_02: Like I am genuinely like tearing up right now because I discovered your products at a time in my life where I was bullied a lot.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_02: And it was like, I'm sorry, but like it was something for me that helped me a lot, you know.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_02: Oh gosh, that breaks.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_02: I want to just say that like when you make something with love, it shows.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I really respect you because what you said about really caring about people, like, trust me, you've impacted more lives than I could I think you'll ever realize.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm sitting here right now and I'm like remembering, you know, being a teenager and feeling like crap about myself.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I would, you know, something as simple as using your products and making myself feel beautiful, make me keep going.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_02: And just just keep so it matters, it really matters.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope everyone listening, like, you know, it's like it's you're not called an icon for no reason.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_02: There's a real, very real reason for that, and that's because you've really you've touched so many um people's lives.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm so humbled, so honored, so thankful that you made the time for this.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for coming on the show.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for choosing me.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you are on your way, my friend.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_01: You're already there.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're a doctor and you are doing amazing things, and your bandwidth of who you've already got interviewed is just so impressive.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to applaud you and I want to tell you don't give up on your journey because you're doing an amazing job.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you've really set the bar after this interview.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, we're gonna see what happens after this.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_02: But thank you so much and everyone tuning in.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for listening.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_02: I hope uh this interview was, you know, special to you, just like it was for me.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_02: And and leave us some comments, some feedback, ask some questions, and uh let me know what you think.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_02: But thank you, Laura, so much, and everybody, I'll be back next time.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_02: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_02: Please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_02: We are available on so many different platforms.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_02: So wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go hit subscribe.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_02: You will be immediately notified when we publish new episodes.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_02: 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.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_02: 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.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_02: Also, make sure to give us a follow on all of our social media outlets.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_02: We're available on Instagram, TikTok, X, you name it, we're there.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_02: We also have a blog on Medium.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're a reader and you love Medium blogs, check us out on Medium.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_02: We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_02: And it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_02: We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_02: So check us out, leave us a comment, leave us a review, and we'll be back next time with another episode.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.