Latest / Skin Anarchy / Victoria Moorhouse, Senior Editor and Freelance Writer

Transcript

Victoria Moorhouse, Senior Editor and Freelance Writer · Skin Anarchy

• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Diablo 4.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Available now, rated and premature.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Tap the banner or visit this episode's page to learn more.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Hi guys, welcome back to another episode of Schoolcare Anarchy.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: This is your host, Ecta, and today I have with me Victor Victoria Morehouse.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: She is a freelance editor and writer, and she was previously at Pop Sugar as their native senior editor.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: So welcome, Victoria.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited you're here with us.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so excited to chat.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for having me.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's truly my pleasure.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited to talk about, you know, just a different spin-on beauty with you today.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I noticed you have a background in writing about health and wellness.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I just want to I want to get there, but I want you to start us off with your career.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like what really got you into this industry and um especially the editorial side?
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I was always interested in, you know, fashion and style.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: And and I was, I think I was always interested in beauty, but wasn't necessarily like conscious, if that makes sense.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like I think I always gravitated towards um the beauty world.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_03: Like I remember one of my birthday parties, I think I was like eight or nine, but it was like beauty salon themed.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_03: So like like the party favors were like a nail polish and a comb.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_03: So I think I was always very um interested in that.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_03: I was always, you know, buying magazines and pulling things out, and I had collages all over my wall.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I also was a competitive swimmer um from age six to about 19.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_03: So as much as I loved like fashion and beauty, it was also very focused on sports and fitness and wellness.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: So um I feel like those were two things that I always kind of kept in mind growing up, and that's the type of thing that I was interested in.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um I've always loved swimmers, by the way.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, all of my friends who were swimmers, like we still stay in touch.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a personality type you guys have.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I love that.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah, I mean, it's it's a great sport, it's a great exercise.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: I I'm so thankful for my years in the pool.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I really feel like, you know, that commitment to that sport really did help me dive into like the wellness world.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um so when I got to high school, um I feel like I really started to be even more interested in fashion and and beauty.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, there was like the teen vogue fashion university, and I would read all about that.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_03: And um I think it was definitely again, still I was more focused on fashion because, like I said, as a swimmer, like, you know, I was die, I was getting in the pool all the time, like hair and makeup wasn't like first priority because I would just, you know, ruin it at practice.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so my senior year, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I was very split between going into a field of science.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I loved science.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_03: I I thought I was pretty good at it, um, or trying to figure out how to get into the fashion industry.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_03: And I am like not an artist by any means.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I knew that I couldn't be like a designer or take that kind of road path um career.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_03: So I just kind of started thinking about it more and I knew that if I went into science full time, I one of like one, I remember one of the things that I really wanted to do was like I wanted to be like an OBGYN or like a geneticist and and like help people who like um you know wanted to get pregnant.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: And I love that.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_03: It was like yeah, it was like really like I was like really into it and and um women's health, like taking that kind of path into into science and medicine.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um but I so I decided that I knew I would be happier in a day-to-day um into the fashion realm.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_03: And I I kind of then started to realize like, oh, people work at magazines, which I think is like something that I've talked to many of my friends and you know peers about.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I don't know if like we necess if that's like necessarily like known when you're flipping through.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_03: Like you're like, oh, that's right, like people work to put this together.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I I was interested in that.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: And um, so I actually when I was trying to figure out like where I was gonna go to school, I um and I this is kind of going off the path, but I promise it, like it does.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_03: No, please continue.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'm gonna know.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so what when I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go to school, um I really struggled with do I want to go away?
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_03: And I was paying my own way for college.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_03: So um definitely the cost was pretty uh prohibitive.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_03: And also um, you know, it was something I had to take into mind and into my decision.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, do I want did I want to go away or did I want to, I had a scholarship at the time.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_03: I I'm I grew up in New Jersey, and I'm not sure that they still have this scholarship, but it was basically it was called New Jersey Stars.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: And they, if you went to a community college in your area, um, they paid towards um your associate's degree, and then when you transferred, they paid a certain amount towards you finishing your degree at a four-year grade.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is really good.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_03: I really like that.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_03: It was really, it was, it was really wonderful.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_03: You had to have like a certain grade point average.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I I got the scholarship, and I remember being really upset because I was watching all of my friends go away, and I knew at that point that I wanted to go into magazines, and I thought, like, well, you know, I'm not going to school near New York, I'm not going away, and like, am I gonna be able to do this?
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not, I'm not gonna know anybody.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_03: And um so I so I was definitely nervous, but I knew in terms of like graduating and just like the cost element of paying your own way that this was the smartest financial decision for me.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I I went to my community college.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: I ended up finishing there in three semesters instead of four, and then I transferred to the College of New Jersey where I majored in journalism.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and it was there that I really started to take magazine writing classes and I got internships.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I think that's amazing.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you you did go the longer route because it teaches you more.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: It teaches you more about what you want.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_03: And it and it was it was a good time for me to exactly to like really figure out like how I wanted to break into this industry, what type of magazines did I want to work for?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_03: What was the kind of thing I wanted to cover?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: Now I I mean I I really like that and it stood out to me because you know, I think there's especially nowadays, there's so many like immediate career paths into bam, do this and then you'll be this.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: But I really don't like those because especially something in editorial and journalism.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: I would rather have a writer such as yourself or you know, someone writing with a lot of experience in their life.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: They've you know, they've seen both sides of the coin, and that's really, really important.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: So um I commend you for sticking to it.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah, so it was it was cool when I transferred, that was when I was really able to um, you know, apply for the type of internships that were in New York.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_03: My college was about an hour train ride away.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_03: So um I was able to do like two days in the city.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, my first internship was, I think I was at a magazine called South South Jersey magazine.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: I'm from South Jersey, and it was like a lifestyle magazine.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um then when I got to TCNJ and I was able to commute into the city, I interned at Women's Health.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I was their editorial intern.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_03: And it was most of my tasks there were like a lot, it was a lot of research.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and that's when I really fell in love with what do you mean by research?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like what what what did they have to do?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_03: Like I remember like going through like study databases and looking for like interesting studies that like came out about certain things.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um like researching experts, that type of that type of stuff.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um so that was like when I really kind of like fell into, or that was when I really like sort of love the research element of journalism and and writing.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I was always really, you know, I was never bored at those internships because I felt like I was always learning.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um so that was so I had that internship and then I entered actually at like a magazine called Unique Homes, which was like a luxury homes home magazine.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_03: So I was like, oh, maybe like you know, I'll be interested in decor.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_03: So I went, I did that internship, and then my last internship of college, it was my last semester of my senior year, and I actually interned at um 17.com.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I love 17 magazine, it was like one of my favorites growing up, right?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, it really was.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: It was that and cosmopolitan.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: I was just obsessed.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_03: I know, I know.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_03: It was like so exciting to like peel open a new magazine and just like sit there.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_03: And it was like I always remember like being like, okay, has enough time passed where I can like rip out these sheets and put them on my wall because I could same, same.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then you know, like I used to just like covet the perfume samples, you know what I mean?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like being a low-K, like I can't afford this, but it was the best thing.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: I loved it.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yes.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then tangent, but yeah, please continue.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: Like I could talk about that all day, like certainly like geeked out of magazine, yeah.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so so then that internship I feel like was very pivotal for me for a few reasons.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_03: At the time, I didn't I hadn't even considered working for a website.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_03: I had only wanted to work in print.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like that is all I wanted to do.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_03: I wanted to do that.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Can you explain that to me, Victoria?
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: Because um, I'm really, really confused about how this works, like the whole transition to digital.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like, like I know, you know, I'm used to the 17 and and glamour and all of these like print publications, but I know now everything is like instyle.com, 17.com.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I can you explain that a little bit?
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: What's like what happened with that?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I mean, I think that I think there was always, you know, like print print magazines, and that was the magazine world.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: And then I think it kind of like it's gonna sound like I'm over overly simplifying it, but like I feel like it got to the point in the world where it was like, oh, you know, like we have the internet and we can use this too.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_03: And and I think those, I think publications kind of started like putting more resources behind their website and and realizing they could reach more people.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and and you know, like the there was the rise of like digital advertising.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's interesting because like I remember being in college and like touring magazines with like a college like magazine group or you know, club or something, and being introduced to like different editors, like you know, you're in college and you're like with your little club and you're walking through, and there's this editor, and there's this editor.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_03: And then I remember being introduced to like this is our digital editor, and it was like one editor, like yes that ran like the night's our digital area of like it was like you know, so and so handles the website, and it's so crazy to me.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_03: And that was the website exactly like can you imagine like ha being someone who you know has only ever worked on digital, like to have one person run an entire website, and I'm sure there was like other people helping behind the scenes, yeah.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_03: But the amount of stress levels, like seriously, like yeah, and like I'm sure there was, but like it was you know, it was a person in an office kind of talking about it versus like there's entire like going out and doing the journalism, yeah.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and there's like entire floors, and like you know, there are companies that are only websites, like it's just so I think and that was probably in like 2011.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe that's a little like maybe like 2010.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_03: So I feel like it happened and it happened fast.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_01: That makes sense because I remember it being like print, and then something happened.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: I went to medical school and all that crap, and then bam, no more magazines.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, wait, what?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like, where's my where are my subscriptions?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: Where's my you know what I mean?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: It was just like overnight for me.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think it really did happen fast.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that was another thing was that like it was happening without like someone like me who was like still in college taking classes, not knowing it happened without me knowing that, and not knowing that that was like, you know, an industry that was about to explode, and you know, that was an avenue that was about to explode for for journalism and for women's media.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: And I think um that's why I was so hesitant about it, because I had in my mind, like, you know, the idea of like opening up a magazine each month and and seeing my work or um, you know, reading articles.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_03: And then of course, there's like, you know, the the magazine movies that came out when we were younger that were like, I mean, I feel like that also shaped it a little bit like 13 going on 30 and like yeah, it definitely definitely that world.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_03: And I I was definitely hesitant.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_03: I was like, okay, like this is good.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_03: I remember being like so happy that I got that internship.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_03: Don't get me wrong, like thrilled because it was 17, but thinking like, okay, like this is good experience, like digital.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I'm not sure if like I want to work on a dot com, but like all this is good things for me to learn.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_03: And then and then I got there and it was an incredible internship.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: I got to do so much, you know, they editors really trusted the interns with so much.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_03: I got a ton of writing experience.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: And I I think I learned then that like, oh wow, like I love the fast pace nature of this.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_03: I love to be able to see my work, you know, working on a story maybe for like a few days and then seeing it go live.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: And and I really, then I really that's when I was like, oh, this is something that I think that I would be good at, and this is something that I want to explore.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: No, it makes sense.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's just like, you know, I don't know.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: Digital to me is like I respect, obviously, I respect every editor and every journalist, and you know, um, but yeah, I don't know, just digital magazines and the whole feel, like it takes so much away from the experience of a magazine, you know.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like just the other day I got my Allure magazines back, like my print subscription.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just like, yes, like, you know, like it smells the same, it feels the same.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: I just I you know, so I I hear you.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's a wonderful, that's that's an awesome career.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: You've really been through it then.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and and I think like, you know, there's I you know, I still love print and I love digital.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that they're I think print will always be around.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_03: And I and I, you know, I'm a I'm a subscriber and I buy magazines at the grocery store every week.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_03: And right, I I think that like it's just it's a different experience, um, and and they need each other, right?
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_03: Like they're symbiotic, they need each other.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so yeah, and so I had so that was, you know, kind of like my pivot into um beauty, into into beauty, exactly.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_03: So um that's at 17.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_03: I really started covering, like, you know, at editors' requests, I would cover like product launches or you know, reviews of something.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like I would test, I would be able to take a product home and test it.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_03: And I I remember like feeling like uh it just it was so exciting to like open a product and like use it for a few weeks and then like feel good about it.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_03: And I I kind of feel like that's when I really kind of met again my love for for beauty.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so yeah, so I graduated in December of 2012 and I, you know, I didn't have a job, um, but I had made relationships um with editors at 17.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_03: And um one editor had recently um started a job at okmagazine.com and then she need like she was hiring an assistant, and so I interviewed and um I I got that job and it was really like really great timing.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like it always happens at the right time.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: The universe always brings what it needs to.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: So it it was it was really good timing, and you know, I think I was I think I graduated college at the end of December, and I think I started that job in the beginning of February.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: So it was like a month later, and I was like really diving into it.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um so yeah, so I covered a lot of like beauty and and fashion celebrity news there.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, and it was it was a really great first job and you know, very cross-pace exactly.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to talk about how um you pursued the the categories of health and wellness, um, and then really tied them into the beauty um, you know, side of the editorial because I think that, you know, obviously uh your body wellness, your mental wellness, and your, you know, just be like I guess things that fall in the beauty category, like skincare, it's obviously all tied together, as I'm sure you know.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I would love to see, you know, I would love to hear about how you how you went about that.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so I think I think for me, even though at many of my jobs, my main responsibility was, you know, formal beauty content.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean that as like skincare, makeup, hair care, like that was the bulk of my responsibilities.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: But whenever there was an opportunity to cover uh, you know, a workout class or a, you know, something about like women's health, um, whether it was like birth control or, you know, um or you know, seasonal affective disorder or things like that were a little bit more, you know, health focused versus traditional beauty, beauty focused.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_03: I always really jumped at those opportunities.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I think it kind of goes back for me personally again, back to the fact that like I was always surrounded by like the fitness world and the fact that I was competitive competitively swimming and um and those were things that I was always keeping in in my mind on a regular basis.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I think in terms of like how I you know, how I cover that in those in that realm, I think it depends on like the place that how you how you cover those topics as it relates to beauty totally depends on the place that you work, right?
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: Like there are some outlets that have like very formal health and fitness protocols and and that's fit health and that's fitness.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_03: And then there are other outlets that have, you know, that don't cover health as um as formally, but they will cover things like um, you know, meditation as it relates to wellness, um relates to skincare, right?
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: Stress and how it relates to skincare is like a really good example of how health and wellness kind of intersects with the beauty world, right?
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_03: Because like stress is linked to so many different issues with your skin acne, eczema, um.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: So there's I think that that's like a really good example of how it intersected and how again I figured out like that's really something that I want to concentrate on.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um so those were like kind of the moments um where I knew I wanted to like pivot into that.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that another good example is also just like fitness in general.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_03: There are so many, you know, quote unquote beauty benefits to to exercise.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: To exercising, yeah.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's like the blood flow, and you know, it it just helps everything, every organ in your body benefits.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and I I love that.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you actually were doing this from the get-go where you were mixing wellness and and health with beauty, because now I think the you know, the beauty industry is shifting where, especially in since in skincare, everyone's focusing on the health side, I it seems like you know, there's a lot more clinical skincare products, there's a lot more, um, I guess you could say, numbers behind the marketing, um, in terms of, you know, well, this works for this reason, or you know, and I'm saying with the research, like they're trying to put research behind it.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: So So it's interesting that now it's finally kind of catching up with what you just described, where it's like it's really turning into beauty slash health and wellness.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_03: Totally.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_03: And I think too, like to your point about like clinicals and and you know the research, like it's you know, all you're talking about like ingredients and and and studies and and how is it conducted?
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like that at the core is you know how like science and and health functions.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_03: It's yes, like it's behind every making of every product.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_03: So um I think also like understanding those things really like sets you up really well to be able to write about health and wellness because you know that like okay, there's this ingredient and this ingredient, and this is what this ingredient does to the body.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_03: Sure, a lot of the times in terms of skincare, you're talking about like the layers of the skin, but like uh having an understanding of those things really does help kind of you get into that, into that.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I'm not gonna lie to you, you know, I'm really into skincare, as I'm sure you can tell.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but you know, I am waiting for the day where every single person knows the actual molecular structure of vitamin C.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: You can look at it from an organic chemistry standpoint and understand how the you know the atoms are positioned so that when you talk about something like oxidization, you know on that level, on the on the atomic level, what's really going on.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: What really is oxidization?
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like I feel like people are throwing these words out there and they're really wanting to understand.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: But if you really want to understand, then you got to go to the science books, you know what I'm saying?
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm really waiting for that point where it's like, and I think journalism is where that's gonna start coming about because I, you know, we have the medical side, which is medical journals, and we publish that stuff all day.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: But then, you know, in the beauty sector and in the in the more mainstream editorial, I just don't understand why you don't, we know we don't bring in things like images of certain molecules or images of or or graphs, you know what I'm saying?
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like um you you know what I'm trying to say, right?
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like the research, like the real nitty-gritty.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_03: Totally.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that having an understanding of those things, I mean, like I I think for me, that helps me make a more conscious decision on what I want to use.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_03: Because, like, okay, to your point, like, is the molecule size of this ingredient even going to penetrate my skin to do what it's supposed to do?
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I think that, you know, I'm not saying like everybody that we all need to like understand like the super specific functioning of all those things, but I do think it does help you make your your your conscious decisions to know, like, okay, if this this ingredient usually it counteracts this ingredient.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_03: So if I'm gonna put it on my face, it's probably not gonna do anything.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_03: Like things like that are like so important to know, um, to help you make like better decisions on and on what you're buying, and also like having a good understanding of like how your skin functions, you as an individual, um we can help you buy things that are actually gonna work for you.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's like people talk about things like, you know, I yeah, from my end, I always look at it like, you know, the industry always gets saturated with these marketing words.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I know the marketing words are coming from one a source, which is actual scientific research, but it's like, you know, for example, when people say, You remember how everybody started talking about how skin pH is a big thing to look out for?
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like you want acidic products, right?
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Why why did no one ever explain um the pH scale, you know what I mean, to to the general consumer and explain what it takes to move from a pH of seven down to a pH of six?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know what I mean?
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like the science of it.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I think um if we start to look at that, not only is it going to be helpful in our understanding, but I think it's really gonna foster this environment of creating better, uh, better products that are cheaper, you know?
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: Totally, totally, yeah.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so okay, I I want to talk about clean beauty a little bit because you mentioned that you really, really love clean beauty, and I want to uh get your idea of what you think clean beauty is, like in your mind when you think of it.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I love clean beauty, but like a caveat.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: I I would say I have like a love equally for clean beauty as I do for dermatological recommended and tested products.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: And I think the clean beauty, you know, passion of mine is that that's just I like the idea of you know an ingredient list that is totally natural, um, you know, safe.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_03: I like that idea, but I also know that that doesn't a clean beauty product doesn't necessarily mean that it's you know sustainable, because there are you know naturals that maybe aren't it's not as sustainable to to use them as it is to use a synthetic.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: Or, you know, I feel like every dermatologist, uh not every dermatologist, but I've talked to so many dermatologists, and one of the things I I've heard from so many different derms is like poison ivy is natural, like you're never gonna put that on your skin.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_03: There, you know, like there are naturals that like you don't that are horrible for your skin.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_03: There are certain essential oils that are incredibly irritating.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_03: So I I I feel like I love Clean Beauty in terms of I think that there's like a lot of potential and I love finding an amazing clean beauty product, but I also know that like it it's not the answer to every problem.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I think that's where my passion for it comes in.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um for me, you know, I think clean beauty for me is you know, it's products that are free of ingredients that are potentially problematic.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I say potentially because I know a lot of ingredient research is pretty scarce and they're not a lot of um, you know, definites, but we have potentially, or I the word I I feel like many people use is controversial ingredients.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um and also, you know, I think clean beauty also needs to be taken in into mindset of is like sustainably sourced.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_03: Like I think that that's also something that needs to be like equally invested into um the the definition of clean beauty.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I I I feel like I'm like a cheerleader for clear clean beauty.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm like, I also honestly I asked you your um your own, you know, uh idea of what clean beauty means to you because it means so much to different people, right?
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm here's here's my problem.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I I'm also a huge advocate for clean beauty.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: I I think it's a beautiful movement, and I think there's so many potential things that are good that can come from this, you know.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm I'm always curious why um things that with the word clean or like vegan or cruelty, they just blow up into this whole thing.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, for example, like veganism, right?
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: From a health standpoint, it makes sense.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: You know, someone might be vegan because they have some sort of allergies to things.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: They have, you know, like uh there are multiple health-related reasons, okay?
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: And same with clean beauty, I think for skincare, I think, you know, maybe somebody's allergic to certain ingredients, like certain um, you know, preservatives or whatever, and that's why they would rather not use something on their skin like that.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_01: But when it comes to the the idea of just using ingredients that are considered clean versus not, I don't understand that.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like from the standpoint of what purpose that's serving.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because, you know, it is easy to say something like, for like, for example, people have eczema, they need specific eczema-related products.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: Why?
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: Because their skin is, you know, very irritable.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, from a medical standpoint, it makes sense.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: But when someone says, I only buy clean beauty, my biggest question is why and and for what reason.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_03: You know, yeah, and I think that that's I think that's like the thing when it comes to like there's so many ingredients that are controversial, but there's not sound studies on like if if you know any claims are true.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_03: I think that that's where it kind of, I don't want to say I'm a conflict, but that's where I'm like, hmm, I I can go clean, but I can also not, I'm interested in learning more.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_03: I think I like for me personally, I always like what it means for me is like, or how I approach it in my own like day-to-day use, is like if I can use a clean product that's going to work for me, give me the results that I want without any types of any type of irritation or issues, then I'm gonna use it.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_03: If it if it's clean just to be clean and I'm not getting the results that I need, and it's not good for my particular skin type, then I'm not gonna go clean.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_03: Like where I can use clean and it makes sense, like I I will.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I like follow my dermatologist's advice like to a T.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um and you know, recently I actually it's it's kind of funny because over, I feel like over the summer I was on a on a kick where I was like, you know what?
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like I love clean beauty, like I want to give it like a full shot.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_03: So I replaced so many products, um, which was just like as like a beauty editor, like I, it's like one of those moments where like, Victoria, what were you like, why did you do that?
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_03: You know that that's not good.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_03: But I was like, you know, I'm gonna replace this, I'm gonna replace this, like I wanna go clean.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_03: And for a while it was fine, but then my skin started freaking, freaking out, like yeah, like it was not good.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_03: And so, you know, I went to the dermatologist because when I'm, you know, in those situations, like I feel like I'm like, you know best, you tell me what to do.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_03: And she was like, you know, why did you why did you switch?
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, I don't know, like I just wanted to see.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_03: And she was like, This, like, these things aren't good for your skin, these just aren't good for you.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, you know what?
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like, that's true.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_03: Like that other people might be able to do that, but for me, I can't.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like, it just doesn't work for me.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's uh, and I agree, I'm the same way.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, for me, I just don't understand the hype.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's one, it's one thing, you know, it I'm not gonna reiterate everything I just ranted about, but yeah, I hear you.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's if it's not good for your skin, then there's no purpose in you know, doing clean beauty.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_01: And also, my biggest question for people who are like super freaks about clean beauty is why don't you just make everything at home?
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: I don't I don't think you can get more clean than that.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, totally, yeah.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: DIY all the way, man.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I it's I think it's you know, I think there are some brands that do it really, really well.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that there are a lot of brands that put like a lot of research into it and and show these the information that they have.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_03: But then I think there are I think it's also like, you know, I think it's a term that's buzzy, and I think it's easy to see something and be like, oh, this is clean.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_03: But that definition of clean is totally different for different for like multiple different brands, you know, like one brand's definition of clean could be because they don't have like pyrbins, by another brand's definition of clean is could be good is could be like that they have like 3,000 ingredients they don't use, like it really does vary so much.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_03: So I think it's important, like if you like for me, like I am interested in clean beauty, or if you know my advice to for people would to be like my advice for people who want to like learn more about cute clean beauty is to just really take the time to like research the brands that they're interested in and and why they classify themselves as clean because it it totally varies, you know.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: And also if you're a clean beauty brand, just an idea.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_01: I hope, like, if I'm gonna buy a brand like that, I hope that you're connected to some meaningful charity.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: Because if you're really advertising yourself and you're going and and you're reaping the the you know the benefits of the buzzwords that marketing has placed in a place where it's really profitable, then you better be using that money to do something very impactful for our planet.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like you know what I'm saying?
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like you're you're literally making millions off of the word clean and and you know, preservative free, but well then okay, well, go help the oceans then because you have the money and you know people are buying into a hype and that's okay, trends are cool, but you better show something for that, you know?
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I think that it's like to to your point about that, it's like, are you being like transparent about all aspects of your business?
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_03: Or you know, like it's not just about if it's if you're gonna talk if you're gonna be transparent about the ingredients and like let's be transparent about everything else too.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yes, 100% regardless.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_03: But I think that it's like that's such a good point to you, is that you made it.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_03: It's like that's not a cover for everything else, like that doesn't make up for for everything else.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, exactly.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_01: And also, like, like, you know, you were touching on the uh the concept of sustainability, and I really like that you brought that up because you know, um, right now is the time to come out.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_01: All brands need to come out right now and say, this is why we're sustainable, this is what sustainability means, this is how we're doing it, and this is how we're helping the planet because of what we're doing, instead of just saying, Hey, I'm sustainable or near no no waste.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: What is it?
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: Zero waste.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that's cool, but I don't know what you mean when you say that.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's like what you said transparency.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_01: Show me the numbers, show me how you're, you know, um, zero waste.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_01: Show me how this is really helping the environment.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_01: Don't just say things and not show us the numbers and the the analysis and the data because we're smart enough as consumers to understand it.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, yeah.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_03: That phrase you you use, like what does that mean?
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_03: Is so it's so funny because it's so simple, but it is it's like so it's so big.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, it's it's such a good example of like these like words that like are used so much that they stop meaning things, like you don't know, like sustainable that, but what is like but to your point, what does that mean?
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's it's so funny because it's like I I think that all the time about so many different things, you know.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I'm like, okay, well, please define that for me.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like there was this, I don't know.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_01: I I this is like totally random.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_01: I was watching a show the other day.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, it was America's next top model, and one of the judges was saying something like, I feel like you're jumping through the clouds on a unicorn, and I was like, that's like I was like, This is what I mean by what do you mean?
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_01: Because some words can be put together and it sounds like it's a sentence, but it's you know, it just yeah, yeah, so yeah, but I mean I think that applies to a lot of different areas, but yeah, I mean, sure.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_01: I you know, transparency, like you said, I'm 100% behind that.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: So, okay, one more question, Victoria.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: I really, really want to get this um from every editor I talk to because this tells me about new products.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_01: So, what are your favorite products right now in skincare specifically?
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_03: So I say I I would say that, like, kind of like I said to you before, like it's it's a pretty even mix between like clean beauty brands and like people.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_03: I don't feel like a shame to say clean beauty now, by the way.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_03: I know, like, but let me tell you what that means.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um so um in you said skincare, yeah, skincare or beauty of anything, really, seriously.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: I actually need a new nude lipstick, so if you know one, tell me.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_03: Let me think.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so for skincare, like I have been using simple missilar water or garnier for like five years, and that's the only thing I use to take my makeup off.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and um in terms of a cleanser, like you know, like a CeraVe, an Eostrata, like I like these, there, these are like recommendations for my dermatologist that I like follow to a T.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um I'm pretty simple when it comes to like moisturizers.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_03: Like I like an event, like it's you know, anything that's like very calming, I have very sensitive skin.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but then on the flip side, like there are like more like you know, naturally focused ink products that I love, like brands-wise, like Vittner's daughter is like it is amazing.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like I have yet to try their line, and I invited them the founder really she said, I'll come on to your show, but I'm like waiting to try her products.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_03: It is like actually amazing.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I feel like I there was for a while that I was like basically only using that in sunscreen, and I feel like the glow is real, like wow.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um I love True Botanical's Radiance Um uh, I think it's radiance oil.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_03: That to me, again, is like another like wonderful, wonderful product.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_03: And um, I love my sunscreen.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_03: I use in Isden's mineral sunscreen, and like it's so thin.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like I it just like like it absorbs really fast.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um I'm just like a huge fan.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_03: But like those are like they're I feel like it's a good mix of like classics and like some naturals that are commonly like raved about, but I really feel like the rave is real.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, rave is real, yeah.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but yeah, that's like pretty it for skincare.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like makeup, I'm kind of I approach it the same way.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_03: Like I love Kosas, Big Lash mascara.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I think I think it's called Big Lash.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um their mascara, I'm obsessed with it.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, anything like Marc Jacobs beauty, I actually really love oh my god, I love Marc Jacobs.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, the bronzer, bronzer, the mascara I think is wonderful.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I'm using their uh concealer right now, and I feel like it's like NARS creamy concealer is like my favorite, but I think it's like a a decent, a decent second.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I love Dior's like eyebrow products, I think they do a really good job.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I feel like I, you know, I I I think I'm definitely more like uh I try to do more naturals when it comes to like some body care, but makeup I'm like let you know, let's break out the makeup forever and and the smashbox and um yeah.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: I really yeah, because like you know, makeup's so fun, you know, and I and I love hearing like um especially for like um working women, like we always have like our favorites, you know what I mean?
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just like it's a go-to.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I always like love collecting that knowledge from all you editors because it helps me a lot.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like they're I feel like the products that I really love, I've really loved for a long time.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that like I weirdly like kind of I kind of like am obsessed with that fact.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like I'm like, wow, that like if I really still love this so much, like yeah, it must be good.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_03: Like I must really love it.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_03: So I think I'm like very I'm a loyalist to the products that I that I really oh my god, can I just like say this right now?
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: And if anyone from Boxam's team is listening, Boxam Victoria made the perfect blush for me.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not even sure, I don't know who crafted this color, but it was it's out like they don't make it anymore, first of all, which is very, very sad.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and also like it's the perfect, like I could wear it with any lipstick shade, I can wear it with any look.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they also did that with a with a lip gloss, and they stopped making that too.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_01: So like I have a huge problem right now with Buxam Cosmetics, like not making this stuff anymore because that's how I am too, what you just said.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm very loyal to you know the few products I use.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_03: Isn't that awful when they stop making when it's like discontinued and you're like, what am I supposed to do now?
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like am I gonna use like three-year-old lip gloss?
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I mean, what am I yeah?
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_03: And then it's like, okay, I guess I'm gonna have to like buy a few more things, and I hope I like them.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like, it's just uh it's a process that's very daunting.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_03: I so hold on to the ones you have left.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_01: I know, right?
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, I want to thank you so much, Victoria.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_01: This has been so awesome, and I would love to have you back on any time that you have any space in your schedule.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_03: I would love that.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for having me.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_03: This is so much fun.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and everyone out there listening, please leave some questions and comments on the cover art for this episode.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_01: If you have any uh questions for Victoria, I will definitely pass them along to her.
• 43:15
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• 43:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll be back next time.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 43:31
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• 43:36
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• 43:38
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• 43:53
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• 44:00
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• 44:03
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• 44:08
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• 44:10
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• 44:14
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• 44:19
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_01: We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets.
• 44:30
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• 44:35
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.