Latest / Skin Anarchy / Melissa Sansone, Vice President of SEEN Group

Transcript

Melissa Sansone, Vice President of SEEN Group · Skin Anarchy

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_02: Hi guys, welcome back to Second Care Anarchy.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_02: This is your host, Epica, and I have an awesome guest with me today.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_02: She is the vice president of Theme Group.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I'm just so glad she had the time to come onto our show.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_02: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to Melissa Sansone.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the show, Melissa.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_02: Hi, thank you so much for having me.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_02: Thrilled to be here.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_02: It's my honor to host you.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for your time.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_02: I I want to get us started like I always do.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_02: I want to know all about you.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_02: So could you tell us how you got into this part of the beauty industry?
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_02: Like what was intriguing about it and just the whole journey.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sure, absolutely.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's a long journey.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I've been in the industry about 14 years now, but my uh official career at post-college, um I dove into beauty actually well before that.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: In high school and college, I was always a huge product junkie, shot the, you know, Isles of Sephora, Ulta.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I actually worked as a receptionist in a hair salon for seven years through high school and through college.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: So kind of got my feet wet even before I graduated and was introduced to the wild world of hairstyling and products and you know, learning the ins and outs.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it started from probably when I got my working papers at 14 years old, which is wild to think back now.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: That's crazy.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_02: So you were like always surrounded by beauty.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_02: That's really cool.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I was.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: I feel really lucky.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when you know, when I was growing up, I had crazy curly, kinky hair and Puerto Rican.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like big and thick and coarse.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I was always trying to figure out how to straighten it and eliminate the frizz.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: And then I got this, you know, job as a receptionist, and I got all like the insider trip to like tricks and tips from the really cool collective of women and men I got to work with from you know, a very early age.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I've mastered the uh the flat ironing right from an early age.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: I will say that.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I know it was uh tricky back then, you know, for us.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_02: Like we had to really maneuver the flat iron.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, oh yeah.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Lots of practice, lots of mistakes, lots of different hairstyles between the 90s and the 2000s.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'll say that.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I agreed.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_02: So so what led you?
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so you you were around a lot of um hair stuff, and that's really cool.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_02: Like that that was your first, you know, big experience of beauty because I feel like nobody talks about hair anymore, which I hate.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: But um, so what happened next?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: So, I mean, I think it really sort of set the tone of me wanting to be around creatives and have that, you know, limitless expression, right?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like having being surrounded by really cool men and women who were expressing themselves through the work they did in the salon and you know, exploration around products, like how do products work?
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: What is formulations and how do those work and what's good for which hair type, and sort of getting my feet wet already and you know, testing different types of products really piqued my interest.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: And once I graduated and went off to college and, you know, I majored in communication.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I always knew that while I wasn't the most creative human and I didn't necessarily want to do anything, you know, in terms of um hairstyling or makeup artistry because I'm not so talented with you know the art side of it and working with my hands.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: I knew that I loved writing and I really wanted to do something to kind of shout out the rooftops about all these amazing, you know, talented people that I had worked with and come across.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, you see the legends in the industry, um, like the Gucci Westmans and the Pat McGraths, and you're just kind of fascinated by their career and their craftsmanship.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so PR felt like the best fit to merge the worlds of what I knew I loved, but what I knew I was probably a little bit better at and being behind the scenes.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I actually majored in PR when I was at school and um also did English as well as journalism.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought for a really long time I was going to go into journalism, in fact.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I interned at Vogue, I interned at Lucky Magazine.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: R I think.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_02: Oh wow.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_02: That's you're like, wait, can I just like slow down for a minute?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_02: Like, how many different things do you do at once?
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: Like, talk about multiple topics.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: I have like been on the go, go, go.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm I'm a hustler, and and I think that's certainly telling being a publicist.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's absolutely something you know you need to kind of have in the blood.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: And my mother literally says to me probably every week, you're going to burn the candle at both ends.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's so true, but I think it's it's just something that's ingrained in me.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's something that I think I take after my dad as well as my mom.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: I my mom was actually um, she works at random house, so a bit of publishing.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, wow.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think I just had it in the genes, but I was doing the internships while I was at school.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that was something while the school workload can be tremendous, and there's so many responsibilities and fun at college.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, let's let's be honest, like I had a really great time as well.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: I knew every summer, and we had a winter session at the school that I went to, I had to get an internship.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: I just had to get my feet wet and get in the door and learn from people who had either just graduated or, you know, I was lucky enough to cross paths with Aniva Chen and a Jane Lark at a very, very young age.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and to be able to intern under, you know, industry veterans at this point.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so you have to have the hustle and you have to have that desire and don't take no for an answer.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it wasn't as though I got these internships the first time I applied, it was a few years before I got recognized.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I also did a lot of work when I was at school.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: We had a fashion magazine, and I was one of the founding members, and it was about giving the time.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I didn't get paid to do any of this, but it was about being able to start building my resume at a really early age.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I think now internships are something that's a requirement, but and again, I'm gonna age myself here back in the early 2000s.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't something that was an absolute.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um I remember that being the case.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: I remember that.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: It wasn't like it is now.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_02: No, you're absolutely right, and that's an excellent point because internships.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_02: See, here's the thing I feel like when we were in school, college still had like a lot of weight in it, you know what I mean?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_02: And now I look at college and I'm like, yeah, I'm I'm pretty sure if you don't have experience, like you're not gonna get hired because everyone has a degree.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone's got one now.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_02: So it wasn't like that when we were going to school though.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_02: So I I know what you mean.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's definitely changed.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: The landscape's definitely changed, it's really competitive now.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I think when you're going into anything, you know, beauty, fashion, lifestyle, interior design, like it is still super competitive.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to have that hustle and you have to have that, you know, don't take no for an answer kind of attitude.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: And when I was looking for an internship, I remember that I had the pleasure of uh sitting down with the CEO of Omnicom, who's actually a dear family friend of ours, and he was like, you need to be politely persistent.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that's probably the best advice I've ever gotten.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, from someone who's incredibly talented and totally driven in every sense of the word, but it really does light that fire.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you want from me, you've just got to go after it.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that experience is gonna get you to the next X job.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the other thing is every job I've had, I've sort of thought about well, is it setting me up for the next, next job?
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, I mean, I love that you had that mindset though from the get-go.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_02: Not many people think like that.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I feel like it's it's such a like we live in such a you know instant sat like satisfaction kind of world.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I've noticed like in the industry, you know, in any industry, it's like with with school or college or even beyond, you know, postgraduate years of your career, people are just like, well, why haven't I landed that big client yet?
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_02: Or why haven't I done this yet?
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_02: And it's like you have to put in years, you know, of like really just consistent hard work.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_02: So wow, I mean, I'm I'm really like, you know, just mind blown.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you know, hats off.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: It is, it's hard work, it's not all glamour and Samantha Jones behind the scenes at PR, but it's totally rewarding on so many levels.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um grab.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: I have a question.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I have a question real fast for you though.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_02: I want to ask because you did mention the the PR, you know, for PR, you have to be very fast-paced.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I am I am definitely noticing that, you know, since starting this podcast and just interacting with PR executives, I've noticed how this is a trait that runs in the, you know, that niche of the beauty industry.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: You guys are all so fast-paced and so on it.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, how does that work?
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's gotta be stressful, right?
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like the how does that work day to day for you?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I mean, completely agree.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's totally stressful.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think I read once that being a publicist ranks among the top 10 most stressful jobs behind like a brain surgeon and an air aircraft control officer, which is really wild when you think about it.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: And we always joke, you know, it's PR, it's not ER, and there's such a high level of pressure.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I agree with you.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: We're we're sort of wired the same way.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: I think when you meet other publicists, you just sort of get it and you see that drive and that that fuel and that passion.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: And PR can be incredibly rewarding.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I've had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing men and women along my journey and just working with brands that have blossomed into powerhouses.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, you know, it's also been incredibly stressful and it can be incredibly thankless because you are behind the scenes at the same time.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: But you have to, you know, you have to be passionate about what you do.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think you have to have that day in and day out um obsession with communications and telling those brand stories and feeling like you can apply your creativity and your thought leadership and your trend insight because you do have your finger on the pulse of all the different things that are going on within the industry and across all different categories too.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: So, yes, is it stressful?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: A hundred percent.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Could you do it if you don't love it?
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Probably not.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, along the way, of all the women I've managed, I've worked mostly with women, and that's why I say that it is a woman-dominated field, which you know I love, but I've also met some really stellar, amazing men in this career.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: But it is, you know, it's it's not emotion-led, but I think when you meet a publicist, you see them put their heart and soul into it.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: So it's hard to not make it personal, right?
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: And when you're a publicist, you're working all the time.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm always on.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think my family's just fascinated by how always on I really am, whether I'm sitting at the beach or I'm about to go to bed.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: If that client calls.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Blackberry in hand at all.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, all the time.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but at the end of the day, when you land that big story in, you know, T magazine or Wall Street Journal or Allure or L, it's like that's kind of when the reward comes around and you're really excited for the brands that you work with and you collaborate with.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're lucky enough to have clients that are just as passionate as you and kind and and um thankful, it makes it all worth it at the end of the day.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: But it's definitely the way we're wired.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of us are cut from the same cloth.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: No, I definitely, I definitely see that.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_02: Now, I want to ask you um, in terms of PR, because you know, I have such an appreciation for PR.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_02: Like I genuinely do, because I look at it as almost a very technical field in a lot of ways, blended with like writing and journalism and basically everything, like you know, management, like it's just it's crazy to me.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: And it really kind of blows my mind because there's so many facets to you know the roles in the in that area.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: So now I want you to tell us like, you know, how does PR work in terms of like the big like the fundamental steps?
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, is it branding or is it like after a brand is completely formed and then you're like, you know what I mean, like working with that already formed concept?
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_02: That's something I never understood.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, I I have to say that since I started out in PR in 2008, the field has changed tremendously.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's no longer just PR.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you hit it on the head.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's it is branding, it's creative writing, it's thought leadership, it's trend insight, it's it's communications.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, the clients that we represent at Scene are not just looking for standard traditional press office anymore.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: They want influencer marketing, they want to talk about pipeline and product innovation and what are our thoughts on the name of this product versus the name of this product?
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: And how do we work with retailers?
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, what is that brand channel strategy and that distribution model at a global scale?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: And what does that mean for where they sit amongst their competitors and their share of voice?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: So day in and day out, it's it's no longer a world of pitch these outlets, get the coverage.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's still a hundred percent part of it.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: And it's something that allows you to apply creativity and interesting angles and work with, you know, really cool writers and super intelligent journalists.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I think PR now from what it was, you know, 15 years ago, it's totally different beast.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's just taken on the shape of a branding expert, a marketer, a retailer expert, a creative, a writer.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think every day I'm doing something totally different.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, I know.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: And that's why I asked you because it's just so it's like almost like this like when I look at it, it's like a web, you know what I mean?
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_02: When I look at the PR field.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_02: So, but um, you know, I want to ask you, and this is kind of a random question, but what's your most like beloved story um in your career in in the PR sector?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I really want to know, like, what's was it a brand you worked with or a moment you had where you were like, yeah, like this is my career, and I'm really happy I chose this.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, this is such a good question.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: Whoa, uh, it's a big question.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: It's a very big question, but I I want to know.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: There's there have I have to say, and there have been a lot of really big moments.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: I've been really lucky and I really try to be present.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard, right, in such a fast-paced profession to be present.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's something that I work on every day.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: But I really remember this one moment, I think it was probably in 2011, maybe 2012.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: I I actually started my professional career at Paul Wilmot Communications, which is a fashion and lifestyle and beauty agency.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: And even though I was on the beauty team, we did backstage at Fashion Week.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we always used to handle the Oscar De Laurente show.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_02: And that was don't tell me that.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_02: That's my favorite complaint of all.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: Oh wow.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's magical.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's one of those where like you just really can't believe like you're standing at the runway show of this iconic, you know, master craftsman, right?
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, those two things happened.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: We did the the show and I was backstage, and I was kind of corralling all the photographers in true like red carpet fashion.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, celebrities are arriving and we're doing backstage looks and first looks with the journalists.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so I bumped in quite literally, I bumped into Oscar.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: Oh because I was like humming around the corner with my headset on, like total PR gal, and just smacked right into him.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: And he was the most a kind, humble human.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I was so embarrassed.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, I'm you know an assistant at this point.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, oh my gosh, you know, my boss is gonna find out.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm totally gonna be like in the hot seat, whatever.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it was all fine, it was all good, but I just sort of took that moment to be like, oh my gosh, I just literally smacked ran into Oscar De Lorenta.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how many people can say that?
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Not many people can say that.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: And that was one of those surreal moments where I'm like, oh my gosh, I was moving it a mile a minute.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then fast forward like 10 minutes later, of course, again, like I'm backstage and I'm just hustling and I'm trying to get all the photographers and like the editors did get to their seats because we're gonna start the show.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm wearing, you know, minimal makeup because it's like no one's looking at me, right?
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone's looking at the models.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: But I had on a red lip, and at the time I was working with this really beautiful brand called Bite Beauty.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure if you've heard of them, they're from Canada.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: I have to do that.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: I launched them.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: I launched them into the US market.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: It was one of the first big projects I ever worked on with the founder Suzanne.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: I I launched them as a senior account executive, and that was a big moment for me.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I so I was rocking the red lip at the show.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and Gucci Westman came up to me and asked what red lipstick I was wearing.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, and I was like, what is today?
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I should go get a lottery ticket, really, because I don't know what's happening right now.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, really, like, what a miss.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: What the heck?
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just like full circle comes around now because I'm Gucci Westman's publicist.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: Holy crap! Yeah, wow.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: Well, what a yeah, very cool.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: Small world, and that's amazing.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I'm over here like living vicariously through you.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I would imagine all this, and I'm like, oh my gosh, that's phenomenal.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: And that must have been so like, so how did that you see?
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_02: Here's what I get, I get very, very like interested, and I'm so geeky about it.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_02: Is like, so now when you look back, like I mean, you must have met like almost everybody at this point, right?
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you've probably met all the celebrities and stuff.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: Is it like desensitize it at any point or a little bit?
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you you do get a little jaded, I won't lie.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when I was starting out, I remember I worked on uh the I Am King campaign with Sean Combs, and I had to like hold his jacket at a press junket, and I thought it was the coolest girl in the room.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: And now, you know, it's just like totally wild to see uh where I was and where I've come.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I I have I've been really lucky to have met so many cool designers and artists and industry talent and photographers and been backstage at shoots.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you do have to remain humble though, like you really have to be present because there are those moments still, you know, we represent Revlon at scene, for example, like walking into the Revlon building and being at the top of the tower looking at the Statue of Liberty, it's like, whoa, it's like where am I right now?
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like you you do have to remember and have that perspective.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think it keeps you honest.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it kind of it really like gives you a good sense check.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, at the end of the day, like I'm just a normal chick from Brooklyn.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I'm you know, I work really hard and I love what I do, and I feel really blessed and lucky that the hustle has paid off and I'm surrounded by incredible people and talent on my team that allows me to.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, Melissa, if you're a normal girl from Brooklyn, then I don't want to see someone who's super powered from Brooklyn because that's a superhero level, and that's like, you know, I'm honestly like this is incredible.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_02: And and what you've done is like no small feat.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's for me, it's so amazing to meet women like this because I, you know, like no one really takes the time for us to like sit there and appreciate how much work and hard work goes into this.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I feel like women especially are so amazing at multitasking, and we have certain things that we're just you know really, really good at, you know, when compared to the opposite sex, it's just the truth, you know.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, hey, we're pretty badass.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: I agree.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we're pretty badass.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I feel like PR is such a great place for women.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I mean, the multitasking aspect, everything you just described, it's it's you know, it's great.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: So I I love that, and I'm glad that you shared all that with us.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you have to be a jack of all trades, and and you, you know, everyone's not great at everything, but you know, you really latch on to what you're good at and you're able to apply it in a few different ways.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I think in terms of PR, for example, you've you've got to be social and you've got to be creative at the same time, and you have to uh enjoy chatting with people and learning about you know their craft and their brand and their formulations, and you know, especially when it comes to beauty or what their designs are like when it comes to fashion.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I think there's just certain aspects again of being a woman and being curious that really you know apply to the job of PR and being totally meticulous because that's the other thing, right?
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: When you're a publicist, the attention to detail is just day in and day out.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: It it's anal to a certain point.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_02: Honestly, I've worked okay.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: So honestly, the the publicists I've you know I've had the uh opportunity and privilege to you know connect with, they are so on top of it.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: They're like, actually, wait, wait, wait, you didn't you have extra space right here?
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, holy crap, you have like eagle eyes.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_02: Like, how did you oh my gosh?
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's so true.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: It's so true.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: My team is like, wait, how did you see that typo?
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I don't know.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, it's a curse sometimes, and I'm gonna blame it on my mom because she's an editor, but at the same time, like it's probably just my own fault too.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: But it's totally the case.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_02: But I have a question for you.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: So you represent some very, very big brands, and I am very curious how that is in terms of keeping up with the creativity aspect of the PR, you know, I I mean a lot of brands, like you mentioned Revlon, you know, Revlon is an iconic, beyond iconic brand.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody knows about Revlon.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_02: I think all of us know what they stand for, you know, that kind of thing.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: But so how do you keep up with like coming out with like new and like, you know, I guess interesting information about such legacy brands, you know, like how does that work?
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm I think one of the things that's seen and and one of the reasons I came back to agency life, um, because uh I had been in the agency world for about eight years, went on brand side, corporate side at Cody, and then came back to agency.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the things with being at scene that really sets us apart from other agencies, I think is the Division that we have called SceneWorks, which is all rooted in insights and strategy.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: We have a collective of amazingly talented women who literally specialize in trend insights, analytics, social listening, creative writing, branding, and strategy.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so their work and their collaboration with the account teams is what informs a lot of the strategy and execution that we put forward for our clients.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, as you said, we rep a lot of heritage brands, brands who have had their story told.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: But how do we, you know, think about it from a different perspective and really push them and push the boundaries of storytelling to mine, well, what hasn't been said?
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe this isn't said, but then how does it relate to the bigger cultural conversation and the bigger category conversation?
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's a lot of ways to talk about red lipstick, but how do you talk about red lipstick during a pandemic, for example?
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the things we've been talking about, Scooshi has a beautiful red lip, and we just started working with Virato as well.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, they have beautiful red lipsticks, but people aren't wearing lipstick right now.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: So what do you do?
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: And our insights team is talking about how, you know, now that the world is hopefully opening back up again, there's going to be this huge big lipstick energy movement, right?
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: Where like people are going to just want to rock that red lip and feel empowered and excited.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it's going to be this kind of symbol of the roaring 20s, right?
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: Slap it on.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's go, let's go out, let's start celebrating again.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: Or on the flip side, for those who aren't about to go out and you know roar their way back into the normal society, they're wearing it around the house or they're wearing it on their Zoom because it does give them the sense of it.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: It seems like walking my red lip around the house every day.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's not about where you're wearing it as much as like it makes you feel empowered.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the story that we want to tell because Gucci Westman might have launched her red lipstick, you know, her red lip suede like a year and a half ago.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, people are still reaching for it and purchasing it because it makes them feel a certain way.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's like the best possible thing with beauty is it's really is about how you feel.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's how your skin feels, how your makeup feels, how your hair feels, but it's also like so much more of an emotive uh connection when you're using products.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it is about really tapping into the heritage of a brand, but also again, like it's just got to relate back to the bigger cultural conversation that's going on.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like skin sensitivity is another one of them.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we work with Thai skincare, and it's like everyone has sensitive skin now because we're either not going outside or we're wearing our masks all the time, or people are just feeling a bit more stressed and it comes out in the skin.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do we tell that story as it's part of a bigger conversation?
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just about products.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and that's where the brilliance comes in.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it truly it's like, you know, I I really wonder sometimes because, you know, for me, brand story is honestly most of it.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_02: If I believe in a brand, I'll purchase their products because I want to support.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I remember being like 17 and being like, you know, I'm gonna support this because I believe in what they're doing, even at that age, you know what I mean?
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_02: So like it's kind of stuck with me my whole life.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_02: And I, you know, that's why I think I have such a I have such an appreciation for PR because you guys are able to focus on the story.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I, you know, I want to know like some advice from you for all these small brands out there.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_02: I know skincare right now is blowing up, as I'm sure you know, you know, much better than I do.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_02: And and there's a lot of new entrepreneurs.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_02: So is there some like basic advice you can give our listeners that, you know, might be wanting to start their own business or maybe get the name their name out a little bit more, like a basic thing they can do from a PR perspective?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean, I think there are a few different things, and I I think the most important is really having a clear voice and knowing who you are and and what you want to say.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we always speak with brands about their purpose, their products, um, you know, what's their ultimate goal and who are they talking to?
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: You know, who do they want to tap into?
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: And are they willing to take on consumer feedback and listen to the clients and listen to what's going on in the in the bigger cultural conversation?
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: So are they filling a gap and a need in the market?
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's so many beauty brands out there.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: So it's really important to have that brand DNA that really sets them apart from others and they stay true to it.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, along the way, they'll, you know, have feedback and they might have criticism and they may have lots of opinions flying at them.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: But it's really important that if they truly believe in what they're they're selling and you know what they brought to market and that the formula works, you know, it says what it does, but that's really important.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, the in terms of consumer purchase behavior, you know that when you have a really strong story, that is one part of it, right?
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: You want to buy into a brand you believe in, you want that authenticity.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: But there's also the element of, but does it work?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I think from where we sit as publicists, that's often the question we get asked by editors all the time.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what does it do?
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: What's the benefit?
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how is this gonna help my readers solve their eczema or their dry lips?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what is that purpose of bringing this to market when there are so many amazing and competitive brands out there?
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I think there definitely has to be a clear story and and the tried and true formulation that says that does what the product says it's going to do.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I have I I have to ask you because this is something I've always been curious about is a lot of the uh brands that you know I love very personally, you know, they will publish, like, for example, numbers and they'll say, you know, 97% of women with wrinkles, you know, saw a difference.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_02: Now, is that a decision on the PR side or is that a decision on the brand side to say to publish that kind of stuff?
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_02: Like, how does that work?
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_02: Because like I I just want to know, like, who who's the decision makers around like putting that aspect into a brand?
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I think a lot of the decision to conduct um both consumer and clinical trials and and is very much left up to the brand.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: And it is something that is used not just in publicity, but of course in marketing, in internal presentations as it relates to uh brand development, innovation pipeline, retailer strategy, et cetera.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it's used at a number of different touch points, but it's largely it's led by the brand.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: When we are told by our brands, oh, we do have a clinical claim, or we have this, you know, we conducted a consumer trial.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think depending on the results, we'll take a look at it.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: And does it make sense?
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: And does it make sense to publicize it based on the outlet that we're also pitching it to?
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because it really is important to have the brands understand where it makes most sense for that information to live.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: And unless you are launching into the market, let's say with a really intricate and um unheard of ingredient, you may want to have that data to back it up to really land that credibility and that authority to say, yep, this was clinically tested by X, you know, over the X number of months, by X number of experts.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know, to have that, those claims available to you gives you that clout when you are trying to cut through the clutter and you maybe didn't have a name for yourself yet.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: So that's where we do see it come into play when you want that expertise.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: That makes sense.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_02: That makes sense.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I actually want to also know because you mentioned so, you know, I know you guys have such big brands you work with, and it's a very international endeavor, you know, I can imagine.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_02: So, how does that translate for you in your job, like, you know, in your in your role, um working with international brands and kind of like pitching to different, not only different um, you know, kinds of people and cultures, but different markets?
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's so cool that we get to work with global brands because there's so many different perspectives and seen as a brand and as an agency, we live in London and in New York, and oftentimes our our worlds collide and we represent the same clients and share across the markets.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, that's really cool because we get to share insights on what's worked in different markets and what hasn't, and maybe a trend that's happening in London that we didn't know about and it's coming to New York and vice versa.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when it comes to brands on a global scale, I think what's really exciting and also helpful as a publicist is to understand how it's both represented in the other markets and how it's perceived by the people who live in those markets, because it does offer a lot of different perspectives outside of just the United States.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, suffice to say, the United States has many different types of demographics and, you know, people on the coastal regions definitely consume products differently than in the Midwest, let's say.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: But having this global visibility as to the way certain brands are adapted and the way that consumers get excited about them for various reasons is really helpful when you're thinking about different pitch angles and different ways to approach a product's positioning when it comes to storytelling.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: What worked in London, you know, or in France for a product may not land in the US.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe something that's done stellar here, like might not do well in Europe or, you know, elsewhere.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: So it it really does give you uh it gleans a lot of insights and and definitely fuels the ideas and the creativity, um, but also kind of keeps you honest too, because not everything is gonna work everywhere.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, it's it that's what that's why I asked you that because I was talking to the um CEO of Reviv Skincare and she was telling me about how Chinese markets are so different because Chinese consumers like with beauty products, that she was telling me how like, you know, if you have like a green jar, they're gonna be like they they give you a nickname.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_02: Like they like, you know, if the consumers really like a a brand or their product, they'll like name it like in a in a way that it's culturally understood, but it's not like what we would understand here, you know what I mean?
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like we wouldn't have no idea.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_02: So that's why I asked because I'm like, that must be really tricky for PR because like how do you keep up with all the little names and you know what I mean?
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_02: That kind of stuff.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_02: So it's interesting.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um it is interesting.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like when I was at um Dr.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: Dennis Gross Skincare, I was doing their in-house PR and I launched the brand into the London market.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I remember one of the biggest hurdles I had to get over was using the word peel.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: And he has his infamous alphabetic peel, which is like true desert island product for me.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for me too.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_02: His like peel pads are like everywhere in all of my balls.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, 100%.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: I literally cannot live without them.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: And this was right, this is the cult product.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: So obviously, I'm leading communications with like this is the gold standard, you must use this peel.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: And the UK editors were just like, What do you mean?
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what is appeal?
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_00: What does that mean?
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: And that word just hadn't, you know, it didn't land there, it wasn't part of their vernacular.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so going over to London at the time, you know, pre-COVID, this is three, four years ago, going over there and doing desk sides and saying, you know, this is what the peel is, and it's just not something that caught on right away.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: Well, why do I need a peel pad?
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like, isn't a peel going to quite literally peel my skin?
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it was a more of a literal translation.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: So even getting over that sort of barrier, that language barrier is something you've got to consider when you're doing PR because it's just not going to be the same.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's not going to translate quite literally, even though we both speak English, obviously, it literally didn't translate in the market.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_02: No, do you mind if I ask what your your um ethnicity is?
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, sure.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: I so I'm half Puerto Rican and I'm half Italian.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, well, that's that explains it because and and I hate to say because I feel like you have to grow up in like a household or an environment where you are open-minded enough to be multicultural to really be able to work on this kind of level.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: That's why I asked you that.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's really it's interesting, you know, and and because people talk about like, you know, it's important to be bilingual.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_02: No, I think it's important to be like multicultural, you know, and well-being.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I agree with that.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I agree with that for sure.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_02: Sorry for the random question.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_02: I was just like thinking, I'm like, you know, she must have some a background in this.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, I I want to ask you uh one more question, and that is uh, you know, what is your favorite skincare right now?
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_02: I have to ask, um, you know, your favorites that you use every night or every morning?
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, how much time do I have?
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: Skincare is far and away my favorite category um when it comes to my own personal routine.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: So uh the Dr.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: Dennis Gross peel pads, I like I talked about, will forever be part of my routine.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I did definitely catch the exfoliating bug, and I was, I think I overdid it at times um in terms of my skin barrier.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: So we use those probably once a week now.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um the Tatcha Dewey Serum.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: So we represent Tatcha, and all of the products are gentle and they're beautifully formulated, and the textures are just like delicious.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm obsessed with Tatcha.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I don't think it's so good.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think I can explain that enough.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like they're one of the best brands, like, yeah.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_02: So that's they really are.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we feel very lucky to be working with them, and Vicky is just such a powerhouse, so really, really proud to have her on our roster.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and their team is just lovely.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: So the brand just launched a dewy serum, um, which is a beautiful hyaluronic serum, and I use that every morning um after I cleanse my face, and it's just totally sinks in and gives you this like dewy hydration, plump amazingness.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's that's a must-have.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: And um, for cleansers, so cleanser is a really hard category.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of people um look for cleansers that like make your fin your skin feel clean, right?
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like it feels like tight and like, oh, I've like gotten all the dirt and the oil off in the day.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I I'm not that, yeah, same.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not on that train.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't want my skin to feel that way.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so I uh was introduced, and this is now a client, but I was introduced a number of years ago to Pi.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: We have this really beautiful gentle cream cleanser, and it comes with like a muslin cloth.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's a little bit feels like more of like a routine.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's super gentle and it takes off makeup and I use that every night.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: Not that I'm wearing makeup every day now at this point, to be honest, but I use that at night before I go to sleep.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um and that is just like again, it smells divine.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_02: I've never heard of it.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_02: I've never heard of that one.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_00: The the Pi Skincare brand, they they're specifically formulated for sensitive skin and they're totally organic.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so a lot of women who have sensitive skin, and I'm talking like acnec skin, rosacea, eczema, not just like your standard redness.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: It it's sensitivity means so many different things, of course.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_00: But they have some beautiful cleansers and beautiful um serums.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_00: One of the other ones that I use that's another kind of desert island product is their rose hip serum.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: It is so potent.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I use it maybe two to three times a week, but you use it before bed and you wake up and you're like truly glowing, and it evens skin tone and it gives you this hydration.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that's that's definitely one of those like miracle.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_00: Don't you love that?
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_00: What a product is like your bottom.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_00: I like instant gratification, of course.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: And for someone who is looking at her screen all the time and always on, I I kind of need that, like that instant roost um for all the zoom calls also all day.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: So um, how am I forgetting?
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, moisturizer, of course.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I'm actually a major fan of Aven skincare.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_00: I've never heard of it.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_00: So they are the French pharmacy brand.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's called Athermount Aven.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_00: And they're oh okay.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_00: You you've definitely heard of the thermal spring water, and it's in every French pharmacy.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: If you saw it, I know you would be like, yes, oh my gosh, I've seen that.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think I know what you're talking about.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: They're an Ulta, and so it's it's a beautiful brand.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's totally medically backed.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_00: They have this beautiful um uh space in Avenue, France, where the thermal spring water is actually sourced.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's called a hydrotherapy center.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: And all of their products are just so effective and so calming.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so during the pandemic, especially, you know, when it's it's stressful and the winter was so harsh with redness, etc., I've been using their amazing tolerance moisturizer and I literally use it twice a day.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_00: I can't get enough of it, and it's just done wonders for calming my skin down.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_02: You know, speaking of PR, I love the word calming.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's my new favorite word.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great word.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's I feel like I need to like tell myself to calm down probably five times a day because it's so high energy all day long.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: I hear yeah, it's it's definitely a good word.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, so yeah, that's amazing.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna have to check out every single one of those products and you know, give it a go because I'm you know, I'm a an addict when it comes to skincare.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_02: I think everyone knows that.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_02: That doesn't work.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_02: Totally.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, yes, you have a podcast named after it.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I would think so.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: But it's it's there's so many amazing brands out there that's like just endless and endless, and there's so many beautiful products.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_00: And once you find what works for you and and you know the the benefits and the problems and solutions you're trying to solve, it it's just so um exciting to have this kind of again, like desert island routine that I've tried to curate over the years.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I've been lucky I've gone to try so many beautiful brands.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but those are just a few.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_00: I could probably go on and on for days um because there are so many incredible skincare products and ingredients out there and total ingredient junky, but um, those are definitely my top, my top shelf.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you're gonna have to come back for part two so we can talk all day.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_02: I'd love to all day.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_02: Anytime.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone listening out there, I hope you loved this episode and you learned as much as I did from Melissa.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, this was such an honor hosting you, Melissa.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you for having me again.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's my pleasure.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um, everyone listening, please, please, please go um check out Scene Group on their social media accounts, um, you know, just to support and just see all the amazing brands that they're working with and leave us some comments, some questions, some feedback so that we can improve our show.
• 40:34
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• 40:36
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• 40:39
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