Latest / Skin Anarchy / Krista Bennett DeMaio, Top Freelance Writer and Founder of LI Beauty Scene

Transcript

Krista Bennett DeMaio, Top Freelance Writer and Founder of LI Beauty Scene · Skin Anarchy

• 0:00
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• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: Hi guys.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: So this is a very special episode for me because today is my birthday and I'm very, very honored to be hosting this guest.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: She is truly someone I look up to.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: I admire.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: I love her work.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: Just a very genuine person in the editorial space.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm really excited for you guys to listen.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: But first I wanted to tell you guys.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to tell you guys what it's like.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know about you guys, but uh you know, I'm sorry.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: I really, really, really like there, and then you know, just ingredients.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I know we did amazing channel um about being able to really use my ocean.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: That really stands out when I think of the I mean generally, you know, it's something I've used because of very you know.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: So again, Ocean's uh pure fine closing job is my coach closer.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: I absolutely love it.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, Ocean is very high, and it offered us just 20% off discount code for just.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: So if you want to check out any of their products, you can go onto their website and type in W into your NRE.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: W plus the name of the podcast into NRE is all one word and you will get 20% off your first code.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: I really hope to check it out again.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: The place I'm referring to is called purifying channels.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I need to check it out.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's truly straight.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I hope you love it.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you love the finger, I hope you love the episode coming up.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I hope you loved the video channel because it was truly um fun and so thank you so much to everyone that's listening in and continuing to listen in.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um this yeah, this birthday has been very special for me already so far, and I can't wait to share this uh episode with you.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks guys.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, a follow-up episode, uh just kind of like an anniversary episode.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So um I want to reintroduce you guys to Krista Bennett Demeo, who is one of the top freelance writers in the beauty space, and she is also the founder of LI Beauty Scene.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: So welcome to the show, Krista.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_02: Again, thank you so much for having me back.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: Happy birthday.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: I'm pretty sure it was around your birthday last year that we did this too.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was, it was.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited um that you know you have the time for this.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: I I want to actually, you know, ask you about LI and just really what you've been up to for the last you know year and whatnot and how things have progressed for you and what you think about the beauty space now, you know.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think some things have changed.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I've I've it's been a busy year.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: I um I'm still doing my regular freelance work and um writing for a lot of the same outlets, including OQarterly and Oberdaily.com and Health Central.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I kind of felt I've lived on Long Island all my life.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I've always felt like there was um a missed market here because there really isn't anything that is big that's just for beauty on Long Island.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_02: There's um it's covered in some various publications in small ways.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um but I wanted to dedicate something just to Long Island beauty and sort of use my experience as a beauty editor um to help promote and elevate um a lot of the the makeup artists and the hairstylists and the dermatologists and the um aestheticians out here that maybe don't have a budget for PR.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um so it's it's actually been amazing.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_02: I'm only a month into it.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I also have a concierge service where I can help pair up people with the right expert uh depending on their needs and budget.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love that.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's so cool because you're right.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: I think right now, you know, especially with all the small brands and like the small spas and stuff that are coming out and like just beauty, it's really important to have like, you know, just ways to like help entrepreneurs, right?
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: Because like there's there's there's so many, I know there's so many brands that reach out to us and they're like, well, we don't have five thousand dollars for a PR agency, you know.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like, yeah.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: I mean any kind of beauty junkie loves um finding, you know, indie products.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I think that there's a lot out here that I wasn't even aware of.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um and that now I'm learning, oh, this person has their online.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: There's you know, this amazing botanical shop in Long Beach.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I'm learning the market too, but I I think it's it's great to discover these brands and and help other people discover them.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think that that that's the interesting part about, especially like with skincare and stuff too, because it's like, you know, I think some of my favorite products end up being like the brand that has like 200 followers and they've got that one product, you know what I mean?
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: But damn, they make that product really well, you know.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: So it's uh it's so cool.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: But no, I want to ask you though, like what are um you know, what what's been like something that's really been on your radar?
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: I know that LI has probably kept you really busy, but in terms of the beauty scene, have you like what have you really kind of noticed in the past year or so?
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: I know that there's been a lot of talk around like clean beauty and sustainability and all that stuff.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: So um how's that you know?
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_02: I I I wrote a story for Oprah last winter about that.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you know, clean is I know you just covered it too.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's a very complicated area.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's a better, it's a well-intentioned area.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: I think that um it probably could use a better name because it just insinuates that everything else is dirty.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I think, you know, anyone who's seen the science on ingredients and products could say that that's not true.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um but I do think that yes, we should be uh pushing for transparency in what's in our products, and we should be urging the FDA to take a second look at some of these uh potentially harmful things.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_02: So I totally understand the movement.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think we just have to be careful about labeling.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_02: And there's a lot of misconceptions and there's a lot of fear-mongering, and there's a lot of pseudoscience, and I'm sure as a scientist, uh, you know that too.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I think that's a great point.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, you know, especially as an editor, I I wanted to get your view on it because I think that there's a lot of, you know, yeah, there's a lot of people asking about it now, but it's also about like relaying that information, right?
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: So that's why it's like I, you know, I think I was talking to someone else in the editorial space and they were like, well, this whole clean beauty thing is blowing up right now, so I have to really focus on this.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, oh wow, you know, it must be like really big in the uh publication scene right now, you know.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: So Yeah, I and I think it's about, you know, and and our job as editors and writers has always been to relay truthful information to to the reader so they can make informed decisions about what they're spending their money on.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: So I just think it's important to sort of cut cut through the clutter and the marketing speak and and and be truthful about what these products can do and what they can't do.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: No, I I completely agree.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, Krista, I actually want to ask you because I have a few people that have reached out to me because you know, I you know, I've tried to make this make this podcast a little bit also about like career guidance and stuff.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: And there's been there have been some like young writers that have reached out to us and they've asked, like, you know, I want to do freelance writing, I want to do something where like I have a little bit more control over, you know, what I write and who I write for.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I want you to give some advice because like I don't think people know how to navigate this space of freelance and I I'm really confused about it.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, is there any like guidance you have for like the younger editors or like just writers in general?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how do you how do you go about like getting a story and stuff?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, do magazines reach out to you?
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, obviously, I'm sure they reach out to you because you're so yeah.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I I have to say I'm I'm a little lazy about pitching because um I'm just busy and I kind of wait for work to come to me and it's kind of worked out that way.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um for someone just starting out, I think pitching is obviously crucial and knowing your audience.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, you don't want to pitch a story about anti-aging, even though uh I don't like the term anti-aging, but I'm gonna use it here.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um I you don't want to pitch an anti-aging story to someone who's talking to, you know, an 18-year-old reader, obviously.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so you want that.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's in terms of um having some ownership, I think that's where things like Substack and you know having your own blog help because you know you can take a stance on something.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm even learning with myself, like I still with Long Island Beauty scene, I still want to take an editorial approach and sort of explore the many sides of a story and again let the reader make their decision because at the end of the day, Clean Beauty is a choice and buying an anti-aging product is a choice.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just here to relay the information.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: But I can't, I don't I don't have the pressure of advertisers.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I don't have like when I'm writing for a magazine, I have to speak in their voice, not my voice.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_02: So now it's finally a chance that I can use my voice.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_02: So if somebody really wants to take that role and maybe establish themselves as more as an expert, then I think sort of self-publishing is the way to go.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, you're gonna work your booty off to get noticed and then you know make a career out of it that's to to where you're monetizing it.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's actually, yeah, that's that's what I wanted to ask you because I'm like, well, you know, they reach out to me and I'm like, I have no idea.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like I I don't know.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just you know, because they're like, yeah, well, I wanna, I wanna be able to write, you know, what I want to write.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, I think that's kind of the story of every true journalist, right?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, you know, being true to yourself and staying true to like what you really believe is is good reporting.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, you know, unfortunately, um that's why a lot of big name journalists are going the self-published route at this moment because it's unedited and it's you know not subjected to advertising pressure.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and there's some really great ones out there, even in the beauty space.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: I read Valerie Munro's uh Val Munro, who was the former beauty director at Oprah, and she's a brilliant writer and has a way of putting beauty speak into words that's amazing.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I do think that's a way to go as far as making money off of it.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_02: I think you know that's gonna take a little bit of work.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanna, you know, I actually want to ask you about like what your opinion is, because I know on the first episode we were both like talking about how much we loved magazines, you know, growing up and just like the physical aspect of having holding a magazine.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what is your opinion now that you've launched, you know, your own, like, you know, your own thing, and it's like it like the whole digital space versus like physical, like print magazines.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how do you feel about that now?
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I I still I'm still sad, very sad about the state of magazines.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we just lost Shape, which is a magazine that I worked at for a little while and I've also written for many times.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but shape is gone, you know.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: I mean Shape is has folded.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's going into special issues, but the website is remaining.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean, the message is clear that you know, digital is the way things are going.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I think I think we talked about this last time that in order to stay afloat, you really have to, these magazines have to find a way to bridge the two.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: When I was working at Red Book, um, the digital space is still, you know, sound makes me sound like a dinosaur to say that it was fairly new, but we were still figuring that out and it felt very separate from the magazine.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: I think now it can't be separate.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think that, you know, beauty directors of the print magazine have to be involved in what they're doing on the web to sort of tie in stories um and to drive traffic from one to the other.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um so if you're reading the print magazine, it says, you know, check out the website for more, or you know, vice versa.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um now that I have my own, you know, I mean, I would love to have a magazine, but I just I know that's not really feasible feasible.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: So my goal is, I you know, I'm I'm I've kind of have many phases laid out for this.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: And my goal is eventually to sort of have it like a a digital publication um and less of like a blog focused around me.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um I would love you know, Long Island Beauty scene to be and to have writers and to have you know photo shoots and all that fun stuff that but have it live on the in a digital space.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: I love that and I and I hope you end up doing that because I think that it's really important to have you know like experienced editors and writers like such as yourself, like really start these like avenues, you know, that are just focused on a specific area or like a niche or whether it's geographically or whether it's you know an area of beauty, because it's just such a vast space at this point, you know.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: I never I don't know when it got this big.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, like I remember being a teenager and then just being like, you know, growing up into my in college and it just like beauty just became this like really, really giant space that was very hard to navigate all of a sudden.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_02: When I was younger and in college, I always knew I wanted to work in magazines.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't even really realize that a beauty department existed.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um I thought, oh, I'm gonna do fashion, and then I found out very quickly that there were there was no words, if there were no words involved in fashion, it was all steaming clothes at the time at that, you know, at that age.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: But um I had I had interned at YM and I remember seeing the beauty department, which was maybe like two or three people, and um, and I was like, wow, like I want to do that.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_02: I love beauty and I can write about it.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then you're right, it kind of blew up and it's it's major, and you know, and in a lot of cases it carries magazines because that's where a lot of the advertising dollars come from.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I know I I definitely because it's just there's a brand that launches every day.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's it's crazy.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that that's great, you know.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot more uh female entrepreneurs now, so that's a really good thing.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I want to actually talk a little bit more about um, you know, Long Island uh beauty scene because I know that you know, I really enjoy seeing like like you that the fact that you're taking this on and that you're you're doing this in your own voice.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to talk more about like, you know, just like when you were starting this off, was it just something that just naturally came to you or were there hurdles?
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, did you have to have to like kind of cut back on your freelance writing a little bit?
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: Or how did this how did this go in terms of launch?
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I have not cut back on my freelance.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_02: I probably should have, but um, you know, uh this is a right now it's sort of a passion project that I'm trying to grow into a business.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_02: So I've had to keep up with my my freelance work.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um it just, you know, I I always wanted to do something.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I wanted my own blog website, but it again, like you said, it's a very saturated space.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um you kind of have to have a niche.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I was trying to figure out what that looked like.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I did I want to do something big on the national scale, and I I really was like, the best writing advice that I've ever gotten from anyone was write about what you know.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_02: So what do I know?
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: I know beauty and I know Long Island.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_02: So it just kind of became this I it was like an aha moment of like, I'm just gonna do a site about beauty on Long Island.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and it's been um, you know, it took a while to get the site down.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: I worked with an amazing designer um and uh gold toast design.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um she took my pictures.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: It was like, you know, over the summer was when we were really doing the nitty-gritty of the site design and the photo shoot um and then writing the words.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I and I think I'm still sort of figuring it out as I go, which is okay.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um I'm sort of throwing things out there, seeing what works, what people are responding to, you know, finagling the whole beauty concierge aspect because um that's you know a whole new business to me, honestly.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um a very rewarding one because when I find someone, a stylist or a makeup artist that they're happy with, it's it's extremely rewarding on my end.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, yeah.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you know, you think of how many people or there people are always looking for recommendations.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um I'm sort of fighting against the the local Facebook pages, um, like the mom pages, where someone comes on and says, Where can I get my brows done or where can I get my color done?
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_02: I think the appeal is that I am someone with 20 years in the business.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: I've worked with some of the biggest names in the business, so I'm sort of using that to say, This is a person who does amazing color, I can vouch for that.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: Okay guys, so just a quick break.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to just pop in and tell you a little bit more about some of the products I really love since it's my birthday episode, and I want to share all my favorites with you.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: So, right now, if you, you know, really are looking for a skincare line and you don't know where to start, care with a period after it.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, care skincare is one of the best skincare.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: Good, it works, it's you know, not quite just scripture skin, it's not quite scripture skin.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna make you really all love skincare.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: All carrots products are still crafted and recorded on the powder and before it all of their knowledge um into the light.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: Now my favorite, obviously, I know a lot of you know this, but my favorite products have water um white, girl, white, 31 for eight time, 31 for night time, and um I cannot stop breaking about that.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: I literally I think I've raided about 18 different episodes, but they really aren't that good, and I use them every single day almost.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I keep them in my coat pocket, you know, uh I keep them in my pocket out, and I really need a face, you know.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I really, really urge you guys go check it out.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: Here can care.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's a beautiful brand, beautiful, beautiful story behind it.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: And we actually interviewed the founders.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: So if you want to learn more, go back and uh listen to that episode, but I'll let you get back to this one.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I hope you're loving all of Krista's insights.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: She's truly a rock star, isn't she?
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: So um yeah, uh, thank you guys so much for supporting us.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I'll let you get back to it.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think it might be even more appealing to someone in that has a special event or a wedding that you know they're looking for the best makeup artist they could possibly find.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, no, definitely.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's also important, like, you know, cool, like your neighborhood mom might know, like, you know, the cool little store.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, exactly.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: You have like real editorial experience, and that's very rare to like have that eye being the curation, you know what I mean?
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like that real curated view.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: And also, I want to actually ask you like what your opinion is, because I know a lot of editors have gone this route of becoming almost like influencers on Instagram and stuff.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm actually happy to see that you're not doing that because you're, you know what I mean?
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're what you're doing is just so much more like it's different, it's a niche, it's it's something that's like meaningful in us like for the geography of like where you're located.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: But like a lot of like younger editors I've seen like just become these like influencers, and I'm just kind of like shocked, you know.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: Like I said before, that I'm sort of taking an editorial approach to this.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm still, I still like if I'm gonna give a tip on Facebook, I want it to still come from a dermatologist, I want it to still come from a makeup artist because at the end of the day, like I I I'm a beauty expert because I've been in this industry for 20 years, but I'm still not an you know, I'm not a dermatologist, I'm not a hairstylist, I'm not a colorist.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: And my job again is to get that information from them and relay it to the reader in a way that they can understand.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that that it's like a sort of like a new a new role of an influencer because I don't want to be I don't want to be giving out information that I'm not qualified to give.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I, you know, I think there's a lot of that right now.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I saw something funny yesterday on Instagram about um, you know, maybe you should check the license.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Of your influencer before you try that at home hair removal trip tip, or it was something along those lines.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_02: And it's true.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_02: There is a lot of bad advice, you know, especially on TikTok right now, um with skincare trends and rub this on your face and you know, try this 20% something peel.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like, and people are having, you know, bad reactions to this.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_02: I did another story on that um for Oprah actually, about um, you know, how we all kind of screwed up our faces during the pandemic because we were bored and we were, you know, taking advice from from the internet.
• 22:35
  unknown: Yeah.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I have no interest in in being that, you know.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: I again, I want to get to the truth and I want to um give people, you know, well-vetted information.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: No, and there's a huge difference between what you're doing and what I was referring to.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, you know, because for me, when I think about like, you know, your blog and and you getting into like with like, you know, starting LI and all this, like that for me, I would call that like, you know, um, like editorial curation and like, you know, expert editorial advice.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: That's not the same thing as like TikToker, you know, previous editor for one year turned into a TikToker now, and you know, pretending to be a dermatologist.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's the same thing.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I um I I I you know I I definitely do not want to turn into that.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm trying to hold true to you know what what I've done for the last two decades and and bring that into this space now.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, definitely.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I I know it's gonna be, you know, wildly successful because you're extremely talented.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, everyone listening out there, she is very, very talented.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that, you know, I really like what you're doing.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: I just, you know, for me, I want to ask you though, you know, just in general, like as far as the editorial scene goes, what are some changes, you know, that you've seen that or or you see coming, you know, for editors or young writers, you know, in the future?
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like, do you think that it's going to shift in terms of like how you get jobs or how you get projects versus how it was before?
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I I don't know about the getting job.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_02: I know editors themselves, the the role has changed a lot.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I, you know, was recently with some of my former beauty editor friends who were talking about this that, you know, they they wear so many more hats now.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um they're so busy.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and that's you know, for anyone that is sending those pitches, you be patient if they're not getting back to you right away because I can't even imagine what their inboxes look like.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_02: Because many of them now they don't just cover one magazine, they're covering multiple magazines, or they're, you know, all like I said, they're doing the magazine and the website.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so the role has changed drastically from when I was a beauty editor at Red Book.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I really don't know how they're they're doing it all.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I mean, as far as jobs, I think that there is a bigger emphasis on interactive, um, you know, because they things need to live in the digital space now, which is, you know, supposed to be more interactive or video or um first person or um before and after pictures.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody loves a before and after picture.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_02: I think that um, so there'll be a little bit probably more of that as time goes on.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, again, things that can sort of live in both spaces.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: No, that makes sense.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I I agree with you.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: I think that editors are definitely bombarded.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I know that I've I've, you know, when I started skincare anarchy, it was, I think like even just in that short span of time, like it was easier for me to connect with you guys than it is now.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like it's like now I'm like I reach out and like I, you know, to editors and they're like, yeah, absolutely, I want to come on the show, but wait, I'm super busy for like five months.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean so beauty events are starting up again in person, um, you know, uh smaller groups than they than they were, but they are so again now that's like an an added layer onto an editor schedule.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, definitely.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that, you know, I I don't know, I just have a lot of respect for the space.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: I think editors are, you know, it's a very hard job, and journalism is definitely a very hard area to be in.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that the ones that are there, you know, bravo, you know, and the ones that want to go into the space, good luck, because it's very, very hard.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it is hard.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I think you have to really, just like you know, when you were a journalist in any for uh covering any other field, you you have to know your trade and you have to understand the science and you have to understand trends and um to in order to be successful.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: I agree, I totally agree, and you know, I just want to honestly, Krista, like one of my biggest reasons like I wanted to like really have you back for like my my birthday episode was just because you've been so like such a hallmark for me in terms of when I look back on Sync Create Anarchy, like our actual like um official anniversary of the show is coming up on the 20th, and I was thinking I was like, you know, like for you to have come on that early when we were like just starting off and to like put your face in us, like that means the world to me, you know what I mean?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_02: And it's I've been honored to be your one of your first guests, totally honored.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, it was you were really genuinely one of the first guests, and I remember like just being so thrilled to be talking to an editor, you know, and I was like, wow, like I can't believe that, you know, like someone like her is so receptive and so open-minded.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: And and I just, you know, for everyone listening out there, like just with that, like I just want you guys to understand, like that's just the kind of person Krista is.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_01: And and so, like, you know, please go check out LI Beauty Scene and you know, really just all of her articles because you're just I I just love how you are as a person, and I want to thank you so much because you gave me a chance when like really nobody was, you know what I mean, open to coming on the show or you know, so that really that means a lot to me.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I I again with my mentors, I've I've I've always had people who were very big on paying it forward and paying, you know, because because someone helped them out.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_02: So I had a lot of that in my career too, people helping me out and people still help me out.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_02: So um I believe in paying it forward.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_02: And and and again, that's sort of the goal behind Long Island BD scene and and and the reward I feel from high featuring, you know, a colorist at a small salon on a small town on Long Island, um, they get so excited about it.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_02: And it just makes me feel good that I can do that for somebody.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's a big deal.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's a big deal for people who've, you know, and and I love that you're doing that and that you're bringing like real joy into people's lives that way.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really something that a lot of people don't know how to do.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: And the fact that you're, you know, staying true to yourself and you're staying true to this idea of just being, you know, a positive influence in people's lives, that's huge, you know.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like we don't have that enough in this world.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: We really don't.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, again, like everyone listening, you better go check out LIBE scene, leave some comments, leave some questions.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_02: I'll just say I I try to keep the content that uh if you don't live on Long Island, you can still get something out of it.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_02: I I'll still talk about um trends and uh service stuff that I just use Long Island experts to talk about, but um, we just did something on why curly haircuts cost more than straight haircuts at a lot of salons.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_02: So hopefully anyone could can take something from that.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_02: I just used Long Island experts to explain the information.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's a really cool topic.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, it was born out of my concierge service because my very first client was on a pretty tight budget.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I don't have curly hair, but I do know some names around here who people who are good at it, and I they were so like wildly out of budget for her.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I I was like, okay, so why is that?
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I found two top curly hair experts, and we uh, you know, kind of went through what goes into a curly cut and why, you know, it's more time consuming and and costs more in the end.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: See, that's like the kind of articles like I would read, like genuinely, like can we please have more of that?
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like I I can't wait to see like like what you really end up like populating the site with because that's really the kind of stuff like I want to see more of instead of just everyone regurgitating like already like read articles.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like I don't need 15 articles on retinols, you guys, like all the writers out there.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like, let's let's be a little creative, you know.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean I and and and I would I would love for this to continue that these topics come from my experience in talking to you know what we used to say in magazines, real women, um, because you know, these are the questions they have.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_02: So this is that's the content that they need.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's like a legit question.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like even not even curly hair, like even for me, like I remember like when my hair would be like below my shoulders, it was like$50 extra.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, just because I had thicker hair, you know what I mean?
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: So it was like a huge problem.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I wonder why it takes it, why why are you charging me so much more?
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, especially with like dyeing your hair and stuff.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, like that's like a whole different topic.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_02: And my assumption would be that it cost you you're using more materials, which costs the style, the colorist more to buy.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, it it's tough tough because it's like on one hand, I'm like, well, that's not fair, you know, that someone's hair, you know, that's curly is gonna cost more.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: But then when I talk to the stylist, it's like a lot of times they book out two time slots because it it just takes longer.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, or there's you know, way more education that goes into it and the products that go into it.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_02: And and then you kind of kind of and the courses that they take to be specialized in curly hair are really expensive.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_02: So then when you hear all that, you're like, oh, okay, I get it.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's still unfortunate, but you know, then there was the takeaway that curly hair can get cut less often.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, it sort of bounces like someone like me goes to the salon every six to eight weeks, but a curly hair person might only go two to six, three times a year.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_02: So it bounces out.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I got a good education out of the story as well.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I just got a good education out of that's crazy cool.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I thought that, yeah, I had no idea it was like that.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: And but you know, that's the thing.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I like I think that's important to understand also for from a business standpoint, right?
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: For salons, because if you're somebody who wants to open a salon and you're trying to figure out your pricing, you know, like here we go.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's that's a really great resource for you to use, is like Crystal's article on it.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_01: Please make more of those, like keep writing them.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_02: As a journalist, I love to learn.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_02: So anytime I learn something new, it's a good thing.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's it's great, it's great for us too, because we're gonna learn as well.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I can't wait.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: I can't wait to see you know LA beauty scene get more populated and you to write more for it because honestly, you know, um, I'm not gonna lie, I see a lot of redundancy in you know, journalism and and beauty journalism these days, like just as a consumer.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that you know, writers like yourself are just very, very um limited, you know, out there right now.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that the more we can see from you guys, the better.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm super excited.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'm super excited that you've launched something that's your own, you know, personal project.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I can't wait to see it like really take off and and get all the success it deserves.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Krista.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for coming back onto the show.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I just wish you all the best.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_01: And um, everyone listening, like I said, you better go check out LIB scene, and I'm going to link everything.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I just I'm so grateful that you came back on.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I would miss this.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_02: This was a great opportunity, and I always enjoy talking to you.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_02: And um, happy birthday, happy anniversary.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_02: I hope that you know skincare anarch continues to do so well.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_02: You've had some amazing guests and you know, lots of people that I know.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I just saw Laura Geller, and I'm like, wow, she's really getting great guests.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: So congrats.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Laura, yeah, Laura was such a hallmark guest for us, and I've been very, very, very uh fortunate and blessed that people have been so receptive to coming on the show.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, you know, that's why that's another reason why I really wanted you to come on, because it's like, you know, with having guests like you, like you came right when um Brian Underwood came onto the show, and it was like you guys really set the bar, you know, and it's like to be able to like look back and then just be like, wow, you know, they like especially with your episode, like we we chatted just like two girlfriends, you know what I mean, about beauty, and it was just such a fun conversation.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_01: And like I think like, you know, that did more for our business than I think, you know, you'll ever realize and I can ever express.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_01: So that's why I was like so thrilled that you have the time for this.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, of course, of course.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_02: But thank you again.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, I can't wait to see what you do in the future.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much, Krista, and everyone listening.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, leave some comments and feedback and let us know what you think.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_01: And if you have any questions for Krista or any topics you'd like to see on LI Beauty Scene, please leave them in the comments or message me.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_01: Or, you know, uh I will pass them along to her, no problem.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, but um, I'll you know, I'll be back next time.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, guys.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, bye.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: Bye.
• 35:35
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• 35:42
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• 35:45
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• 36:42
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