Latest / Skin Anarchy / April Franzino, Beauty Director for Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, and Prevention Magazines

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April Franzino, Beauty Director for Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, and Prevention Magazines · Skin Anarchy

• 0:00
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• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Hi guys, welcome back to another episode of Speaker Anarchy.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm really excited for our guest today, and um I'm glad that she found the time and her schedule to come onto our show.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: So without further ado, I want to introduce April Franzino.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: She is the beauty director for three top publications, including Good Housekeeping, Prevention Magazine, and Women's Day.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much for joining us, April.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: I would love it if you could dive into your background and tell us all about your career journey.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: My career um began, I guess, when before I was in college, um, when everybody, you know, you start to think about what you might want to be when you grow up.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_02: And everybody always says to do what you should do what you love.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_02: And so I thought about what I loved doing as a teenager and growing up, and I always loved to read and write.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: And so I thought, and I loved reading magazines, books, anything I could get my hands on.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: And so I thought to myself, well, gee, I would love to work in a magazine.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I had a journalism class in high school that really had a special teacher that we had for just that semester, um, who was a writer at the Washington Post.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: And she was just so cosmopolitan and smart and sophisticated.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I thought to myself, wow, I want to be like her.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_02: She was really inspiring to me.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: And at that point, I decided I wanted to go to journalism school.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_02: And so I researched in NYU, um, which is my alma mater, was one of the best journalism schools, especially in this area, if not the country.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: And so I set my sights on there and I ended up getting in and majoring in print journalism.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so during my time at NYU, I learned everything from basic newswriting to writing magazine articles and had amazing professors there.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: And I had a lot of opportunities to intern because I was located in New York City.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: So I took advantage of that as best as I could.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: I had no connections to the industry at all.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I kind of just started from scratch.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: I picked up all the magazines that I loved at a newsstand, wrote down assistants' names and figured out the email formats and cold emailed the assistant editors at all sorts of different publications that I loved.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I heard back from one of those editors who, to this day I know who's the beauty director of Pop Sugar, and she at the time was the beauty assistant at Lucky Magazine, and she gave me a shot and she said they weren't looking for interns, um, but that I could come in and chat with her.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_02: So I did, and I ended up becoming the intern in her department, which was the beauty department by chance.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: And from there, it wasn't some it wasn't the department that I would have thought that I would end up in.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: I always liked beauty, and I had worked at a hair salon as a receptionist that my aunt had my aunt was a stylist at when I was growing up, and I had some experience in beauty, but I wasn't a you know a beauty um aficionado to say the least.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: So I kind of took a try in the beauty department at Lucky, and I was I ended up falling in love with it kind of unexpectedly.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um I just loved that I could see even from an early stage of your career, there was a lot of opportunity for writing and beauty and researching, and there was a this mix between art and science that I feel like is unique to the industry and is and is really, you know, it makes it so that there's always something to learn, and there's both sides of the brain are always engaged, and I love that part of it.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_02: And so I ended up really falling in love with beauty and sort of pursued it from there.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_02: And so I ended up parlaying that first internship into other internships, and I tried different departments.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: I tried fashion at a couple different publications and beauty at a couple of other ones too.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I ended up at Jane Magazine Interning, Allure, um, glamour, and then also good housekeeping, where I ended up starting my career.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_02: So through all the different departments I tried, I ended up loving beauty the most for all the reasons I explained.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I ended up getting my first job as beauty assistant at Good Housekeeping, where I had been an intern, and now I'm the beauty director.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_02: So full circle.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_02: And in the interim, I spent a couple of years at GH as the beauty assistant and then assistant beauty editor.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_02: And I spent two years at fitness as the associate beauty editor, two years at Self Magazine as the beauty editor, and then I've been at Good Housekeeping as beauty director for more than six years now, and for the past couple of years, also beauty director of Good of Good Housekeeping Women's Day and Prevention as part of the women's lifestyle group at Hearst.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_02: So wow.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I needless to say, love my job.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I love that I'm I learn something new every day.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_02: There's always advances and technology, you know, launching in at every moment in the beauty industry.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I feel like I'm learning from the greatest minds in the business, and it never gets boring, that's for sure.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, especially now, right?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Because there's so much involvement of science and beauty now.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's so it's so awesome to see that.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like I love seeing dermatologists get involved and chemists and you know, all that good nitty-gritty stuff.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to ask you, how do you um when you know, when you're trying to think of something you really want to talk about in beauty, how do you incorporate that into your work, um, the science aspect of everything?
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: So that's a great question.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I always joke that I got into journalism specifically because I was not very good at science and math naturally.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I ironically spend more time reading clinical studies now than I ever thought I would in my life.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um but um yeah, so especially at Good Housekeeping, science kind of is underlying every single thing that we do.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: So for the people who aren't familiar at Good Housekeeping, which is located in the Hearst Tower in New York City, there's a whole floor of the Good Housekeeping Institute.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's we have labs for basically everything that we test in the magazine, um, from textiles to cleaning products to a test kitchen, um, technology, and there's a lab just for health, beauty, and environmental sciences.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: And so each lab is staffed by its own team of scientists and chemists, and the GH Beauty Lab is headed by a PhD and two chemists who conduct product testing um for our editorial pages and for and also evaluations for the good housekeeping seal.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: So I have the great fortune of being able to pick their brains and for every story and everything that I work on all the time.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I'm always learning what's behind products, what really works, and the thorough testing that they do is really unmatched in this industry.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_02: So everything that we do in the in good housekeeping and also in the other books that I work on is is underwritten by science and specifically the Good Housekeeping Institute.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: So it is part of, and so we I really get to understand why products work, how they work, um, what's worth spending money on and what's not.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: And that's something that we relay to our readers and all of our content, both in book and online.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: So that's awesome.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you have that resource like right at your fingertips to like kind of go in and be like, tell me what's actually going on with this product, or you know, I really, really like that.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason I bring that up is because I know so many, um, you know, there's a lot of debate right now in in the social media community about is science being incorporated into the editorial world, you know, is is there like a like a liaison basically between you know beauty and science and you know, talking to you?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, there is, you know, you guys are really you know taking care of that aspect of it.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I love hearing that.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: It is, it's unlike anything in the else in the industry, truly.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: So tell me about beauty for you growing up.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, where did you get your inspiration growing up for you know, just as teenagers, you know, we play around and try to find our own style and stuff.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, oh, that's a great question.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think I got a lot of cues actually, um, and a lot of my beauty knowledge from my one aunt who was a hairstylist, and she really took me.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: I I'm the oldest of four siblings, and I didn't have any older siblings, and I didn't have an older sister.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_02: So she was sort of like the older sister figure in my life.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I distinctly remember her bringing me to the beauty supply store and helping me shop for products and showing me how to do my hair and my makeup.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I feel like that made such a huge impact on my life growing up, um, especially because I struggled a lot with eczema and different skin conditions and acne.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, it's very difficult to feel, you know, that's in a time in your life where you're kind of developing your sense of self, and it's challenging when you feel like you know, your skin doesn't reflect who you are on the inside necessarily.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_02: So she really helped me to, you know, she helped me realize how beauty can change the way that you feel about yourself and the impact that that can have on your over your life in general.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: So Yeah, I love that.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you you got the inspiration from home, you know what I mean?
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's like I feel like that's like a trend I see in everybody that I speak, I speak to that, you know, I I think we all learn from like either our grandmothers or our mother or our aunts or you know, whoever was there to be our influence.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I I like hearing that.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it kind of goes back to the roots of beauty when I think about it.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like the old school things that work.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um I totally agree.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_02: And and I feel like the impact of everybody has that experience, and the impact of it really is far reaching.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: So right now in the in the beauty industry, um, what do you see as being the next big thing that's coming out?
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I mean, is there some sort of a trend that's coming up that maybe we all don't really know about, or you know, anything that you think is like trending right now?
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um that's another great question.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: I think that um we're at an interesting point in beauty innovation where we're seeing a lot of different types of delivery systems and um technologies that as opposed to the types of products that we're used to, which are you know, creams and lotions and serums that come out of packaging and you apply on your own skin, we're seeing a lot more different types of delivery systems where things are applied in mists or they're applied, you know, in unique ways that are supposed to help them penetrate better and you know get directly into the skin without the contact that we're used to and the del and the vehicles that we're used to.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm curious to see if those types of things take off and if there's any efficacy behind them.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_02: And that's something that is super new and exciting um to me.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: So, and and that also goes for hair.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_02: I've seen these types of products for hair, skin, um, and even makeup now too.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_02: So that's an interesting category of technology that we're seeing.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: The technology in general, I feel like that's such a great point.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I don't know if you've heard of the brand Droplet, but like I always like to talk about them because I just like I've never seen something like it.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I love seeing these new ways of doing, like, you know, um, it's like a very, very science-heavy approach to something that we consider a self-care.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's such a beautiful, you know what I mean, like a merger kind of thing of beauty and technology.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: So tell me more about um, I know you brought up eczema, and I think eczema is one of those um, you know, situations or conditions that a lot of people suffer from, you know, and it's very, very hard to find products that are very eczema friendly.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: I know there's the whole, you know, you can have the like I know Tatcha's indigo cream, for example, is amazing for eczema.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: So do you have any products that are your favorites for that?
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like, especially now that we're in winter.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so eczema is such a tough, um, such a tough issue for anybody who suffered from it, they know that.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I honestly have I have the most success with prescription creams than I get from a dermatologist just because if you have a really serious breakout of it, you kind of need something a little bit more heavy duty.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: But also the key thing with eczema is not exacerbating it and keeping your skin really moisturized.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: So I look for products that have no fragrance generally that are really thick and rich that help my skin hold on to moisture.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um so anything that's like a rich cream or a balm texture, or I'll sometimes layer an oil on top of those types of things.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um super basic skincare products.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, not to say I don't also use ones without active ingredients, but the basic ones um help keep things kind of under control a little bit more.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: So right, right.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, you know, I I think with uh skin conditions like eczema, I often wonder if skincare is the best way to go or if we should be more focused on like the dermatological approach, like you just mentioned, you know what I mean?
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because I know there's a lot of products out there that are geared towards, you know, like they'll claim like, well, we're we're very good for eczema or we're very good for like you know, psoriasis or something.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: I I of I don't know, I I I'm kind of skeptical with all that, you know what I mean?
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: So like how do you feel about that?
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think it should be more of a dermatology thing or just you know, do what works best for you kind of thing?
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_02: I think usually you kind of need a combination of those two things, but generally when it comes to something like eczema, less is more.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you'll know I mean, even water can irritate a skin that's having an eczema breakout.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_02: So you just want to keep it as simple as possible in terms of your over-the-counter skincare.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: And then if you're having a real issue, you know, you might have to visit a dermatologist to get a prescription topical that will help that.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm curious, I want to shift focus a little bit because I want to talk more about your role as an editor, because I think there's such a huge disconnect between brands and like um, you know, understanding the editorial world in terms of just, you know, everyday conversations.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: So um, do you like when you look for a brand that you want to feature, you really want to, you know, give some highlights to, what do you look for?
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: I I know you mentioned technology, but um, do you what else, what are some other criteria that you look for in a good good brand?
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: So we'd be so yeah, like you said, we look for research um behind a product.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_02: So clinical studies that have been done on it, um, and then we also look at how the studies have been done, whether they're consumer perception studies or whether they're actual clinical studies.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um and we so and we look at the time period that they're done under, how many people were part of them.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: So we really try to, you know, get as legitimate research behind a product as we can when we're we meaning myself and then also the scientists in the Good Housekeeping Institute beauty lab.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_02: So we're we're looking for proof that something works.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously that doesn't apply to every category.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: So you can't that doesn't apply to fragrance, it doesn't apply to a lot of makeup products, depending on what kind of claims that they make.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_02: But um, but besides the subject more subjective types of beauty products, um, we're really looking for brands to back up their claims with research.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, when when dermatologists recommend products and things like that, what they're looking for.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um they want to know that they can trust what they're recommending to, you know, their patients, just like we do with our readers.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that makes sense.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think that, you know, there needs to be more, there needs to be more clinical trial studies out there because uh, you know, uh skincare is just a billion-dollar industry at this point.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, you know, blindly buying products is it's kind of been a thing.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I've always wondered, like, well, where are all the scientists?
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, where are all the doctors?
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: And why aren't we churning out papers, you know what I mean, to not only help the the um consumers, but also the editors, right?
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: Because like everyone needs that information, everyone needs those like you know, examples and that data to really kind of um find their opinion on.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I I always wonder that.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: I I hope that someone out there is listening and is, you know, like really gonna gun for that clinical trial thing because I I would love to see more of that as well.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for I I feel like people are demanding that more and more now.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, it costs money for brands, which is, you know, a little bit of a a roadblock.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I really feel like when there's so many brands saturating the market, it's a great way to differentiate yourself and it's worth investing in in a lot of cases.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because people really want to know what that what they're spending their money on is worth it.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: Now I want to ask you this because I know that you're one of the the beauty editor for no, I want to make sure that there's like, you know, some sort of a like for male beauty, you know what I mean?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's where I'm getting at, is like I think men are just now coming into the skincare realm and they're coming into the whole idea that skincare is for everybody, you know?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so is there anything that um you know you have like any advice you have for any men listening out there, like, you know, to not be scared of beauty and skincare and to kind of embrace it?
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I feel like you know, men have skin just like women do, and you they want to take care of it.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, the products out there that we recommend for women can work just the same, you know, as well on men for the most part.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_02: And um I think that you know it should be accepted for men to care about their skin and their hair and you know how they look, that they're human beings just like the everybody else.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um we all have skin.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I, you know, I think the most important skincare um tips apply to men too, you know, keeping your skin moisturized, you know wearing sunscreen every day, which is important for everybody, um, keeping it cleansed, exfoliating as much as you, you know, your skin tolerates it, and basically just keeping up a regimen, which is the most important thing of all, is doing the same thing every day and being consistent about it, and that's how you keep your skin healthy and I think that that's pretty universal, no matter you know how you identify yourself.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: So right, right.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: I agree with you, and you know, I think that it's I see a lot of gender neutral lines, which I really love, but it's like I don't know, I have this like mixed opinion.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me if you agree or disagree, but like I don't think it has to go come to that, you know what I mean?
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think we should have to like brand something as like this gender or that gender.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think it should be more focused on well, is it a good product or not?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, like it doesn't matter if it comes in a pink bottle, you know, like it shouldn't matter.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I totally agree.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: So tell me about more about like, okay, when you know, brands, I'm sure brands reach out, right?
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because everybody wants it to be kind of you know noticed and stuff.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: So um just sifting through those, I'm sure you get like hundreds and hundreds of brands that want to, you know, they they pitch to you.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: So um, how do you manage all that?
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how do you really go through all that information and and figure out that this is something I align with and this is something nice?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: Is there any more so than anything, is there any advice you have for all those like new indie brands coming up in that realm?
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so um I do.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_02: I look at every single thing that I get, um, whether it's an email or a package or and I think that the most important thing is making sure the information is accessible and readily available and short and sweet and to the point as much as possible.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, making it clear what the product is, the the key ingredients or what's different about it in succinct, quick eye-catching, you know, terms, yeah, laid out easily.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and that way I'll be able to say, okay, like this sounds really unique.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_02: Like, let me file this away, let me save this, let me see, you know, if we have something that it fits for, or I can say, oh, we're working on this story that this could fit great with, you know.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_02: So just being able to know immediately.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's like when you're shopping, you know, the point of marketing and branding a product is so that it can catch people's eye and they know immediately what they're getting from it.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: So it's the same thing that, you know, the goal should be when you're when brands are reaching out, um, editors, and that, you know, that will drive home your message, what will drive home your message, you know, fast and clearer.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: So with the with the holiday season coming up, what are some of the things that you're seeing or that you want to see?
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: Because I I bet you I I mean, I don't even know, but I'm guessing there's a lot of holiday kits out there right now, and a lot of, you know what I mean, like the you know, the holiday bundles and stuff that a lot of brands do.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: So um is there something you're seeing that's you know different or um you know?
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um sorry, can you repeat that?
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so like, you know, because of the holiday season, like a lot of people do like sales or they'll do like, you know, a holiday bundle with their skincare, you know, or um something where it's like, you know, it's for gift giving kind of thing.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: So like do you this year, especially because of COVID?
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm interested in that because you know, people have a smaller budget, they are, you know what I mean?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like people are really kind of tying like tying the belt with you know, not spending so much money.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: So, in terms of like the holiday gift giving stuff, like is there like something you're seeing more so that's different than the previous years, or is it kind of the same trend where you have these holiday kits and you know, bundles and stuff?
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think um that is definitely a part of it.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think there's a little bit more consciousness about things that give back a little bit now.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_02: I'm supporting smaller brands, so we're seeing a lot of that um where people are using their money in those ways specifically, as opposed to just you know buying a random set of whatever it might be.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_02: But um I think that that's important too, and you know, getting things that are great values um is that's also key for people.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: So looking for things that you're getting more for your money in a in a set or um that you can kind of use throughout the year.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um that's something that you might buy for yourself or not buy for yourself.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: That's a treat.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: So right, right.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: No, I I find it interesting.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: I always find the holiday season to be so like it's it's so much stuff out there, you know what I mean?
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: I always have a hard time picking out what I want.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's like a holiday kit for every brand.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I always wonder like what you know how I should pick from all that that's available.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: So that's why I asked you that.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but okay, so I want to know something because you're clearly a very busy woman and you're beauty editor for three different magazines.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: So how do you juggle all of that?
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's so much.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you kind of you learn how to work really efficiently.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_02: So I try to schedule my days so my meetings are bookended, so either in the beginning of the day or the end of the day, so I have time for work in the middle of the day is I try to do as best as I can, which doesn't always work.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um I also try to be really organized.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_02: So both on my computer and with my materials and my um products and everything that I work with, so that I'm not wasting time, you know, shuffling through things and not able to find what I'm looking for.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_02: That's really important too.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then delegating as much as I can.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um and yeah, just kind of making sure that I'm maximizing my time and getting as much done as I can and keeping prioritizing my deadlines, doing what I have to do first, and then saving the rest of the things I can wait for later.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um how to be a good time manager, which is always a work in progress for sure.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, it's hard.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: Time management is so hard.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: I struggle with it every single day.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I I get it.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I I'm just curious because you know, I know that I'm I'm very, very confused actually about the hierarchy in the editorial world.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna lie to you.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I feel like in medicine it's like, you know, clear cut, you know, you're either a medical student, a resident, or a doctorate.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: So, like um in the editorial world, I know you guys have, you know, you're a beauty director, and then there's editors and you know, writers and stuff.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_01: So um, what is your team like uh how's your team kind of formulated?
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: What kind of um uh professionals do you have on your team that you work with daily?
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I work with an a beauty assistant on my team and then also a freelance beauty editor.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: So between us, we basically produce all of the content um that we're responsible for for both inbook and online.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: And then we also do market appointments.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_02: So um now basically Zoom meetings and events, whereas they used to be in person during non-COVID times, it will be again.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so we split up all of those responsibilities amongst our team.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's really awesome.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm just you know, I I find it so interesting because, you know, there are such there's such a multicultural aspect to, I feel like, beauty, and especially when it comes to, you know, writing about it and you know putting it in a magazine.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I I really wonder how all of that multicultural, you know, um perspective comes into play when a story is being formulated, you know what I mean?
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's like um how how do you how do you uh approach that?
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: Are there some challenges that you deal with when it comes to like writing to an audience that is very diverse, you know, especially here in America, we are a melting pot.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: So um are there some hurdles or you know, challenges that you face?
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um yes.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that one of the skills that we have to have and that we have are constantly honing, is that we speak to a really huge audience.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_02: So in our beauty cover, especially the books that I work on, which are general interest magazines, so they're not specific to beauty or even just beauty and fashion.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we really cover everything from home to health to family, relationships, um, all fashion, all kinds of topics.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_02: So our readers across the three magazines are there, they have distinct angles and distinct interests, but they also are generally people that know something about some things about beauty, but they're not experts about beauty.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_02: There's some people, a very small percentage of them who will be, but most people, you know, are more not the beauty enthusiasts as opposed to um other publications.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_02: So we have to have if we have to offer information that's understandable, digestible, that people can access no matter what level they're coming in at.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_02: And then also something that's exciting and new and different and fresh for other readers who might be more seasoned and more well-versed in beauty.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_02: So we really we have to kind of offer a whole spectrum of information and all of our coverage, um, which is what we need to do.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: I really like that.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that, you know, I've never had any issue.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, growing up, like I have some friends that were like, well, you know, I never owned a magazine.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: I never had a beauty subscription to a magazine.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I look at them like, how?
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: How did you not do that?
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_01: Because for me, you know, growing up, I I had every subscription, you know.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: I had like, you know, 17, cosmopolitan, like I had everything.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I would read them, it was like this beautiful mix of, you know, tips and tricks for for me as well as like other people, um, regardless of skin shade or culture background or anything like that.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I've always really admired um that that work in terms of the multicultural aspect.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why I I brought that up to you because, you know, um, I think there's kind of a disconnect, you know what I mean?
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like I in some communities where they might feel like, well, the magazines aren't geared towards me, where I would disagree with that.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's, you know, you guys are doing an amazing job.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I and the professionals behind this beauty movement are, you know, or the industry are extremely, extremely, you know, educated, like you, and you know, you guys know what you're doing.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one of my messages, honestly, for anyone listening, because um there's a lot of debate right now, I know, in certain communities about that.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, um, April, why don't you tell us a day in your life um as a beauty director?
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how do you how does it start?
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what does your average day look like?
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm sure everybody out there would love to hear that.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_02: So every day is different, which is part of the fun of the job.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I would say a day could involve everything from market appointments, so meetings with brands.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, most days involve those of some kind.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then also writing stories.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_02: So I could be writing for the magazines themselves or for goodhousekeeping.com.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_02: I could be interviewing experts, conducting research for stories, I could be brainstorming ideas, I could also be editing stories for either in book or online.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so there really is never a dull moment and no dull.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_02: It could be any mix of those things.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then I also we also do other projects like TV segments and um special things like that from time to time as well.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_02: So it really is never dull.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it keeps you busy.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_01: Keeps you busy.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's really good.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's pretty cool.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I okay, so one last question for you.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I want to know what your favorite beauty products are right now, especially in skincare.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_01: Is there something you're loving um and using every day?
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, what whatever it is that you're using.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_02: Well, one of the other fun parts of my job is that I'm always trying new products.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_02: So it's very rare that I use anything overrepeatedly just because I need to be trying as many things as I possibly can so I can recommend them or not recommend them appropriately.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I'm trying to think of anything that I really I mean, I generally love like soup because I have very dry skin and eczema, I'm always trying moisturizing products as much as I can.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_02: So especially this time of year, I'm getting, you know, any of the richest like balms and salves and cleansing balms or moisturizers that I can get my hands on or what I'm using right now.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um face oils as a little, you know, sort of to seal in all those other products I use.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um and yeah, I feel like anything for dryness is what I am grabbing.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_01: Is what you go to.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm the same way, especially with winter.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like not used to this winter, the New York winter.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: I've been in like the south, I was in Florida for a long time, so I'm still adjusting, and so is my skin.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: So that's I yeah, I completely relate with you.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you so much, April.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: This was awesome.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: I love talking to you, and you provided so much great insight for all of our listeners.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I really, really appreciate that.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, thank you for thinking of me and for having me.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_02: I really appreciate it.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_02: It's been so wonderful to get to chat.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I'd love to invite you back on if you have time for it in your schedule.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_01: Well, everybody listening out there, um, you know, give us some ratings, follow us on Spotify.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: April, are you on you're on Instagram, right?
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: So do you mind shouting out your handle so everybody can come follow you?
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just at April Franzino, F-R-A-N-Z-I-N-O.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, everybody go follow April and um leave us some feedback on the cover art for this episode.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: Let us know what you think.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: If you have any questions for myself or April, I will pass them along to her.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and just you know, don't forget to rate us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, or any of the seven platforms you're on.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: We really, really love your feedback and your insights.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll talk to you guys next time.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 34:19
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• 34:24
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• 34:26
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• 34:41
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• 34:58
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• 35:02
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• 35:12
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• 35:19
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• 35:24
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.