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Bringing Creativity Back to the Beauty Industry with Jerrod Blandino · Skin Anarchy

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, welcome back to another amazing episode of Skin Anarchy.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: This is very, very special because we are welcoming back a guest which we had back on the show in 2023.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: He is a true icon.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Many of you might recognize him from the iconic brand he created, Two-Baced Cosmetics.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but now we're gonna be talking about his new brand and his new ventures.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm so excited to welcome back uh Jared Blandino.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Jared.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: Such an honor to host you again.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I am so excited to be here, Ecta.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, thank you for having me.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: I've missed you.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: I missed you.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Are you kidding?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: I was so excited when you agreed to come back because I mean, we were talking before the episode started.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: It is phenomenal what your team has already accomplished with Polite Society.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm a huge fan of the brand.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: I know so many of our listeners are such huge fans.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I kind of want to start by rehashing.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, going back down memory lane and talking about all of the work that you had to do for Too Faced and scaling that brand to what it became and then starting this new project.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, can you kind of walk us down memory lane?
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about Too Faced.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Well, okay.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, building Too Faced over I was there for 24 and a half years, you know, and Jeremy and I owned it, you know, up until the last few years when we sold it to Estee Lauder.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, like Too Faced, Urban Decay, there was a brand called Hard Candy back in the day.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: We kind of paved the road that we're all kind of still on today.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: And even though it's so much more crowded, that road's changed a bit.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: So when we jumped into Polite Society, less than 24 hours after our non-compete was over and and our job was over at Too Faced.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, it's very much the same in a lot of ways.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I forgot how difficult and how much work it was to build a brand and to give a brand life.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: And it's changed in many ways.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I've had to relearn kind of how I do things in in a lot of ways that's been exciting and been challenging for me, but also ultimately, like you were saying, we've achieved so much success so early, and I'm just so grateful because you know, most uh of the lessons I've learned still apply.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I can imagine.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, honestly, like when Too Faced was scaling and growing, I remember being a consumer and just like I was still like I guess organically discovering if that's the right word.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like I'd walk into like a Sephora and walk in and I'd find a new, you know, a launch.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: But now I feel like so much has changed, right?
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: On the on the scene with the beauty industry.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'd love for you to talk about that component.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, launching Polite Society by itself.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: But then did you have that plan in your mind when you were like figuring out how am I gonna, how am I gonna scale this?
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the way I did with Too Faced.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, a lot of it was I I just love this industry so much.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: And the last few years with Lauder were so difficult and so so creatively stifling for me that it it reinvigorated that fire under my ass to be creative again and be rebellious again and to jump back into doing it in the way that I love to do.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: But we made a decision back in the beginning of Too Faced to grow organically and to go directly to our fans' customers and friends and to not hire big celebrities and to not let the brand get absorbed into other people's personalities, but to, like you said, organically meet our customer where she is, where he is, and build that relationship.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we're doing the same thing with polite society.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's like meeting you where you are, and we're building a relationship together, and we're creating a world that I want to live in, frankly.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the real world can be so scary and so depressing and so too much at times that I've almost decided to create like a world that I want to live in and invite you in it.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: And together we can be happy here and be glamorous and feel a little extra every day and express ourselves through the medium of beauty and makeup and inject self-esteem into ourselves through the way we see ourselves in the mirror.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: You know what's really this really got me the first time we spoke because it was in the very early stages of polite society.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember you showed me the packaging and you were like, Ecto, we took this with a phone, like the pictures of the results.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: And you're like, we took this with an actual cell phone, it's not photoshopped, it's no BS.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I love everything about that because even in 2023, that was unheard of.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like you were still seeing the super photoshopped, you know what I mean?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like results, like no one was doing special light.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of trickery is used, inauthentic images or information is out there.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: And you'll, yes, it's not retouched, but if you hire a very expensive Hollywood lightning director, you can make anything look amazing that you're not gonna see in real life.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: So it was like, there's no trickery, it's a formula first approach.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And at my old life, it might have been a theme or a story that led or a package that led.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: In Polite Society, it is formula first and everything evolves around that.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's been a part of our success is that when you pick a product up, it serves and it delivers on its promise.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it might even surprise you as are as like our new eyeshadows.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: I know where this is our new eyeshadow duo, and it's like, how do you reinvent eyeshadow?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like packaging is so important, but when you get in there, the pigments are so rich, the payoff is so beautiful, the blending is like anything, nothing you've ever tried.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: So it surprises you in a way that it delights you.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: So it goes beyond just pretty and it goes beyond just stylish.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, well shit, this this stuff's amazing, you know.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what it's all about.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: No, I mean, that's such an important, important piece.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I would love to expand on that because honestly, there are so many beauty consumers now, but I feel like there's even more beauty entrepreneurs, you know, now than ever before.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that what you just said, I think.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, even looking at the shadows, right?
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: I remember the first product I tried was the lip plumper.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm very sensitive to lip plumpers.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's like jam-packed, it's an amazing product, by the way.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: For anyone listening, you guys have to get your hands on it.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: But I remember when I used it the first time, I was like, I'm gonna play with this and I'm going to make it for me.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't like it.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't like slathering it on and just being like, this is how a makeup artist told me to do it.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_01: I was playing with the brand.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that has been a theme that you've shown time and time again in every brand that you're part of, you know.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: I'd love for you to speak about that because in a world that is so like, you know what I mean?
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like, buy the book, here's the directions for everything.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I mean, speak to us about that in the beauty.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's taking the mystery out of makeup.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: We all don't have four hours to watch YouTube videos or the ability to hire a makeup artist to come in and do our makeup or teach us.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's really the fundamentals of beauty.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: As much as I can, I'll make it easy for you to get that result.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then when you walk out in the world, you feel amazing and you know it's working, and you don't have to worry about did I do this right or did I put it on right?
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: And like you were saying, our lip plumper is our number one selling product, our Big Mouth XL.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's also Ulta's number one selling lip plumper, and it has been for a very long time.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Every single month we're number one, and it's so exciting.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: But it really is about you expressing yourself.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you put a little bit on or you go full on, the actual result is you feel it.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: It is not bells and whistles, it's not a bunch of marketing jergon, or we're not hiring social media stars to tell us what we want you to say.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's real people using it and going, oh, you feel that tingle.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: You feel the heat, but it's all of those ingredients.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: And listen, I'm the guy who kind of created lip plumper that actually pumps back in the day.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I know every bell and whistle, I've pushed science, modern science, clean science to create what I believe is the ultimate lip plumper that will actually give you real lip plumping results that are very, very near or exact to a doctor-injected lip treatment.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: So it isn't about going halfway or about settling.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's about, I want lip injections.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to pay it, I don't want to feel it, I'm afraid of it.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is a way of getting there, and you're not sacrificing a result.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: You're like, dang, it really works, and you feel good.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then you go out in the world and you feel sexy and you feel whatever.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it changes the way you deal with other people, the way you approach your life.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: You stop settling for that dirtbag boyfriend who doesn't appreciate or care for you properly.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: You demand that raise you deserve, whatever it is.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's about like owning your life, owning yourself and feeling great in your skin and walking through the world feeling as much as fabulous as you can with just a little glamour injected every day.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: Be a little extra.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: No, I mean, I think that's that's the thing, right, Jared.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's like the beauty industry has been so saturated.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: And that's not, I'm not saying that in a negative way.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm saying it in a way that's like we've come out with so many options for so many consumers.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: But within that, it's almost like for me as a consumer, I get lost, right?
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: I get like right.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: So, like you need your staples at the end of the day.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's actually there's a lot of great stuff out there, but there's also more crap than there's ever been.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Meaning there are some really disappointing formulas and things out there that you see on TikTok or you see on social media, and they promise you the world, and you get it home and you're like, Is it me?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Am I using this wrong?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Am I not getting something?
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: And there's just a lot of misinformation, I think, especially in the beauty world, it's so crowded.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I think private equity and different parts of the financial world saw an ability to make a lot of money maybe quickly.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: And there isn't as much maybe heart as there was or passion or artistic integrity as there once was.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we kind of have to find our way through that and go, oh, this actually is amazing.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: And that's not.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, and find your way through it.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: So as a consumer, it's more difficult because it is a stack it high, watch-it-fly mentality of like it's too much.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of retailers, in order to continue to make their goals and to continue to grow, have taken an approach of bringing just more stuff in and seeing if it hits, as opposed to a curated, really thoughtful approach of creating a selection of brands that really work with one another, give you opportunity to really explore, you know?
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: And that's you know, that's really what I wanted to discuss with you because it's like, you know, for example, we hear so much about, for example, lip pencils, right?
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like lip liners.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I've I don't know who said this, but somebody on social media was talking about how every lip liner is made at the same manufacturer.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's like that there's three manufacturers or something like that.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I was it got me thinking, and I'm like, you know, when I look at the products and makeup that I use, you can't find them in most brands.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like the lip plumper that we were just talking about, like that is a product I will not find that product through any other makeup brand right now in the industry.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that's the really cool part about what you have done time and time again, in my opinion, because they're not just products, they're staples, they become staple because they're not reproducible.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the goal, you know, and that's the goal.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: And there is an easy way of doing this.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: You can go to labs and they offer you an array of products, and you just buy it, put your name on it, whatever.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then there are other brands and founders like me who develop from the beginning, see it all the way through, own that formula, own that idea.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, but it is trying to think outside the box and create something different.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: And like Apple Computers didn't invent computers, but they they did it differently.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: It integrated into our lives easier, it was more friendly, it was whatever.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: You don't always have to invent it, but you have to put your own spin on it and make it unique to you.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, lip liners is a really is a really interesting because I'm actually working on one.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm bringing a version out in spring.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's really unique, but the temptation is to just go with formulas who have been there.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: And it's funny because you'll you'll see a very expensive one and a very cheap one, and they seem very the same.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: They probably are at times.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: But can you develop from the beginning?
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Can you take the time and the money and the pain and the everything that goes along with that to try to develop something different?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you can.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's just more expensive, takes longer, and it doesn't always align with those, you know, private equity Wall Street-backed brands who want money, who want fast, quick success and don't really want to risk on innovation.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's a really good point.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanted to ask you about this private equity piece and also like the scaling component, right?
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because I mean, Polite Society has grown so quickly and it's beautiful to watch.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: But how was that for you?
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, did you have to really kind of like push uphill again with it?
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Or how did it work this time around with growing the brand?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we we we're 100% self-funded.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Jeremy and I promised ourselves we would never answer to anyone or have that experience again.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: That doesn't mean I had a wonderful uh relationship with some private equity partners that we'd had, and I had some horrible ones.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it really is about maintaining control, artistic integrity, and keeping your vision tight.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: And because we were so blessed to have so much success at Too Faced, we don't have to bring on people, but some people do, and it can be very difficult because if you're lucky, you get a group of people who really get you and are behind you and are excited about the opportunity to develop something new and to create something exciting.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then there are those who want to overpower you, who you're a threat because you are the creative control.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: And with that comes along a lot of power, and there is a lot of egos involved, and so it can go either way.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I've experienced both.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: And when it's good, it's wonderful, and there's so much support and so much, so many resources.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: And when it's bad, it is bad.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can imagine.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: No, I've heard some horror stories, honestly.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: I've I've like new brands, you know, it's like people who didn't have experience being an entrepreneur and they get sucked into this world of private equity, and then there goes the brand and there goes their vision, and you know, it's it's it's scary.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's a scary It's scary.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I at one point in our two-phase journey, um, I I had a private equity executive of a multi-billion dollar company threaten if I didn't do what he wanted, he would destroy me, destroy our company, everything we worked for, he'd fire everyone.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't know enough at the time to know it was a bluff.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, no, you have to live through these things and kind of come through them and go, oh, what just happened?
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought it was true, but it it can get so wildly dramatic, you have no idea.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: When the dollars are that big in my brain, I'm still like fighting my way to the top and trying to get my piece of the pie, you know, even though when you're at the top of the mountain, it's it's just my mindset.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: I always brought 100% of myself, kept fighting to stay on top or to get where I wanted.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that could be threatening to people.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I can imagine.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: I can really imagine.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's a world I watch, but I have no idea, you know, what's going on on the inside.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of us don't.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: But when you root for a brand, you know, I kind of want to come down to this component because I feel like when I am watching Polite Society grow, I'm seeing a lot of the consumers.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: We're voting with our dollars for you guys, you know, we're voting for the brand.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's the most exciting part, right?
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: As a consumer, like you watch your brand grow and scale, and you're like, yeah, you know, go team.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like that, it becomes a whole like thing.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, can you speak to that a little bit in terms of how that's changed now with like TikTok shop around?
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, you know, we've decided to continue to do it the way we do it, which is meet our customer where she is and kind of avoid the pitfalls of the TikTok and the allure of these quick dollar-making things.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: And like I was talking about our eyeshadow with within three weeks, and we only launched five of them, five duos.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: We're the number five eyeshadow brand in the store.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Our new mascara, uh, misbehave, which is about ultra-volumizing.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Have you seen this?
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't seen that one.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: I molded, you see the handle, I molded it to your thumb so I can control where bristles are, give you ultimate control, faster load.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: It is, in my opinion, the most amazing volumizing mascara ever created.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: But in just a few weeks, it sold out and became one of their top mascaras in the store.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: And that isn't because I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars marketing.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't have a launch party.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's the customer saying yes.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that is everything.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's the real woman shopping at Ulta saying yes.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: And it means so much to me that that's authentic success.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't put, we didn't pay for it, we didn't manipulate it.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's organic, and that is how you sustain, build, and grow a brand that will ultimately hopefully live forever.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And that was my hope with Too Faced.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: And when they closed the offices in Orange County, I made a video, you know, it was just heartbroken.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: Everything we did to create Too Faced, I was so excited when Estee Laura bought it.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: I thought we were gonna get wings, not weights.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: And for a while it was wonderful, but ultimately it ended up being not wonderful.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I learned so much, but I loved it so, so much.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: And it took so long to build.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: And all of the girls that grew up with us, it just hurts in a lot of ways.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm putting all that love, all that focus, all of that energy into polite society to try to excite and delight you and bring a little glamour into your life every day and create a world where if you are like me, let's all live in it together and be our best.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: Look for the best in each other and stand up for what you believe in, but allow others to do the same and stop expecting everyone to be exactly like you and love those things that make us different.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's the fun in life, that's the spice in life.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: If everybody thinks like you, votes like you, acts like you, what's the point?
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it's almost like allure the algorithm to live your life in a way where everything's the same or everything's like you, and it's created a lot of intolerance.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's the anti-creative energy.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: That is it's the opposite of music and fashion, you know?
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: I could not agree more.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I I actually want to bring this whole I'm glad you showed the packaging of the mascara because this is one of my biggest questions for you.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: Because I feel like the products you create, like I am coming up on my 40th birthday, and I am a different consumer now than when I was when I bought Two Face, you know, in my 20s.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm I'm a different person.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: The formulas for polite society hit so hard, like they are non-compromising with just delivering results, but it's so fun.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like the it's for anybody, you know?
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's whether you're 18 years old, you're 40 years old, it's it's for you.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I would love for you to speak on this because the thing is, Jared, I've seen so many like brands cater towards teenagers come up in the last two years.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I can't even count them.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I always wonder to myself, I'm like, are we preying on younger, the younger audience with these brands because they're buying these products, they don't really understand what quality is.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: Let's be honest, right?
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: At 18 years old, you don't know what a good mascara or a bad mascara is.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: You're right.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: What I would love your take on this for the industry, you know, for all the entrepreneurs out there, because it's kind of driving me crazy when I look at it, you know.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think, I think again, a lot of Wall Street saw there was a lot of money to be made at with 14-year-olds, and beauty became entertainment for you know, over the last few years.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: You have to decide are you gonna have integrity?
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: Are you gonna create products that are meaningful and that work and that last?
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: And if your mom's cool enough to let you have it at 14, she should be editing that.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: Efficacious formulas are not made for fragile young skin.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_00: So this is mom's your job.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately, you know, at Ulta, we penetrate higher in Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z than I think any other brand in the store.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it is because what you're saying, we want beautiful, exciting products that look amazing, but but they work.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: So we can have both.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just flash, it's not just glam, it's actually efficacy, incredible, amazing formulas that are worth your pennies that you grab again and again because they work, but they also make you feel semi and you feel great when you put it out and you're putting on that mascara and you're reapplying.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's chic.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: It creates an emotional connection.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and we can have both.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: We can have luxury glamour and amazing formulas without sacrificing.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that is the secret to our formula and our success.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's I mean, I I couldn't agree with you more.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I it is because I mean it's the formula has to work at the end of the day.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's where I was like, that's why I asked you that, because I do see a lot of compromise going on in the beauty industry where we're saying, okay, well, we'll we'll get to the formula.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: Let's focus it on the packaging or let's focus on the marketing and the hype and all of this, but then you don't have repurchasing any more happening, right?
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a problem, like it's a real problem for entrepreneurs right now that you're coming out with a brand, you might be scaling it to, I don't know, like seven figures, and then you don't have people buying it again.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: And then they're like, well, and then what do you have?
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then you know, I think with the celebrity brands and social influencer brands, I would I would share with my friends, my founder friends, it can't just be about your name, it can't just be about the hype.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you got great lining, you're you're an amazing makeup artist.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: But when you get it home and you're like, ugh, like I don't, I'm not getting that, you don't feel good, and then you don't trust, and then you're also not gonna grab it because you're kind of like, I don't know why she looks so great and I don't.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's not the way you're gonna win ultimately long term, because you can't just sell a fantasy, you gotta sell results.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: That also leads me to a really big question because you've been really good with the way you've worked with influencers.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I remember back in the YouTube era, like I loved watching the two-faced reviews.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: I loved, you know what I mean?
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: I just love learning about the brand organically through some of my favorite YouTubers.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: And even now, I feel like the way Polite Society shows up on my feed, right?
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: And the way I consume the media around the brand, it's awesome.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's nothing being shoved down my throat.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's not like, you know, being forced to buy a product.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's not produced.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: The strategy is finding incredible creators that fit within our world and that is so vast, and love beauty, look for the best in each other, are positive, are excited, are creative, and meet them and let's let them be our voices because it isn't just about aesthetic, it's about emotion, it's about your point of view, it's about your positivity and your love and your light and what you're trying to create and and reflect out into the world.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's all those things.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that's what the polite society world is about.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's about it's a society of people who love maybe getting dolled up even more than they even like going out, you know, who appreciate just going out with your girls and going to a restaurant, glaming up.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not about finding someone, it's not about trying to be sexy for someone else, it's about doing it for yourself.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: And if they notice great, yeah, you know, it's about celebrating life and having fun again.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: No, I really love that.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's it's just it's organic and it's it's natural and it's just genuine.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's why it comes across.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm telling you as one of your consumers of the brand, you know, like for me, that's it really resonates.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I just don't think dollars can buy that, you know.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I I really feel like entrepreneurs need to understand that.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I know like a lot of people want to launch their own beauty brand.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's a beautiful thing.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you want to go on this journey of entrepreneurship, but it's like that hard lesson, like what you were saying earlier, there are just gonna be certain lessons you have to learn along the way.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I think one of them right now, the when I'm watching this space, it's you gotta find what's genuine.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like you got to find your voice and and stick to that because the consumer notices, you know?
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: I call it the heartbeat.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: Your brand has to have a heartbeat.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: And the heartbeat comes from generally the founder, you, and I have to keep the heartbeat going.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: And if I see something that does not strengthen the heartbeat, it's gotta go.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: You have to cut it off, you have to protect it and continue that growth.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: So the customer, the client, the human being has an experience and feels something real.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: You might like a brand and it might be something you love, but it doesn't have that heartbeat.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: It just maybe has cachet or it has a logo or something.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: But the brands that you really feel the most yourself in and feel a part of have heartbeats.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: No, I mean, I'm just curious like from your, you know, the business side of you.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I want to know, like, in the beauty industry right now, like, where do you think the industry is headed?
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what are some changes that you've noticed over the last like five years where any shifts that you've noticed in the industry?
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think there is going to be a clearing out of noise.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: And you're going to see quality rise and really unique individual, special brands strengthen.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's so crowded and it's so confusing that I think right now we're in a place of and we're not out of it yet.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: People just not understand.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: Products aren't hitting like they used to.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're not having a peach palette happen today because there's so much noise and so much distrust and confusion that it's not sustainable.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: So as things thin out a bit and leave room for real moments to happen, you'll start seeing more energy, more creativity, more color sparks emerge within our industry again that resonate further throughout the world faster.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: That makes sense.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: No, that makes a lot of sense.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think we're really are.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're right.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like, like even as a consumer, like we're at that tipping point, it feels like, of just like, okay, give stop the BS.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like, just give me what works and let me keep buying that over and over and over again.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know?
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'll ask the executives at Ulta, like, what's hitting?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: What's selling?
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: And they're, you know, generally, it's like the thing that's been selling for the last eight years.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like the certain brands that are still on top, a lot of it's not newness, a lot of it's not modern creation.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, why?
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: I have to push through that.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: I have to bring innovation.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: I have to create something different.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: So the experience about applying it is better, is different.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can't just keep coming out with lazy product.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: There is a lot of creativity.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of fabulous things out there.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: They're just mixed into things that maybe aren't as creative or or are more TikTok shop focused.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: And you get it and you're disappointed.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: So then you don't want to go shopping, or maybe discovery isn't as important right now because there's kind of a like there's a lot, but I think we're gonna we're moving through that and slowly you're gonna see wonderful, amazing, cute, and fabulous brands and products emerge that are going to kind of craze more of a reverberation.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: That makes sense.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, one thing like I I really want you to speak on this inclusivity point because one of the biggest things for me, I remember, for example, with Too Faced, when I first discovered Too Faced, my biggest problem as a consumer, and this might sound silly to some people listening, but for me, I could never find mascara that was dark enough for my really, really dark eyelashes.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's not a thing, right?
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: When I did with the Too Faced mascara, I never looked back.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like I was just like I sold.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like you're so good at this whole idea of like you have always built inclusivity into your brands, like it's never an afterthought for you.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I'd like for you to speak about this because it is for so many people an afterthought.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: And then we have you know, influencers calling them out and all this stuff.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: So you know, nobody can be perfect, but what I what we try to do is create products for everyone because we want everyone in.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: I want to invite everyone to the party.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: And our gondolas, our fixtures are only so big, you know, there's a lot of push and pull of reality, but we ultimately have to think about how to serve as many people as you can per product as you can.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it's never gonna be everyone, but as many as you can.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: It is so funny that you say that because when we were creating misbehave, how do you service people who already have dark, beautiful black lashes?
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: They want more.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: And for someone who's got blonde no lashes, I want that, you know.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: So finding pigments that are almost mirror like that, reflect light back and make things look darker.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: I went into the car paint industry.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: Why does black car paint look so rich and so amazing?
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: And there's kind of some technology, there are these mirror pigments that make it feel like it's almost deep, like you can reach your hand in it deep.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, it's looking for other ways of just pushing the boundaries of reality to create something better.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: And ultimately, it's just to invite as many people in to give them the as many great experiences as you can give them.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's so cool.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I mean, honestly, like that black pigment, that's interesting what you just said about finding like the reflection and the pigments that reflect back.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's interesting.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: I've never heard that before.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's cool.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: I was looking at a car and I went, why does that look so black?
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: How do they do that?
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so we worked with our pigment manufacturers and they had to go to the car industry and like figure out how to create a black pigment that almost looked like you could dip your hand in it so black, like black tar.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like dimension to it, and it's actually playing with light was the answer.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's so cool.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: See, that's what I mean.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's like I feel like with the inclusivity conversation, like staying on that, right?
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: We focus so much on like, okay, well, this isn't the right exact shade.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like no one talks about that component of like, no, you got to think outside the box.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to be inclusive, you have to go above and beyond and innovative.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're never gonna serve everyone, and and everyone has to leave room and grace for understanding.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: I am very pale, and there's a lot of brands like it just don't work.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna get angry, I'm just gonna understand that they just didn't hit it right.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so you try to do your best.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, there are brands who don't try, and you can it's all it, but you just have to do your best, and then sometimes there's a push and pull with the retailer, they won't buy 40 foundations anymore, they just won't because they don't sell.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, we're only gonna bring in 28 or whatever.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's not even always your choice.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: You just have to try to do the best you can.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I mean that's that's a big like it's a big uh problem right now, right?
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: Because cancel culture is such a big thing now.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like I feel like everyone's but I do think cancel culture is dying because I think reasonable, rationable people realized why are we doing this?
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: Stop looking for the worst in each other and assuming everyone's doing this on purpose.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: If there's an occasional asshole, let's kick him out.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately, give people room and some grace.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you know what I mean?
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's a world of like, oh, not everyone, everyone's never gonna get it right every time.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: But as long as you're trying, that's all we can ask.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's right.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: I like that you said that.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't agree more.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm a huge non-believer in cancel culture.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think you know what you said is true.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, there's gonna be the occasional asshole, but I think it's we jumped the gun so much now, you know.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's like post-COVID, a pylon mentality that kind of the negative, angry voice was given a platform for a minute, and we all kind of were like this, and then we went, enough of that shit, knock him off.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start having a nice life again.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start leaving room for everyone to, you know, you you got that wrong, buddy.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: Try it again, you know, and let's leave room and some grace for people to get it right into to be kind and polite again.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: If we find an asshole, we're gonna boot him out.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: You get out, you know, but we don't have to want to destroy you.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: We're just gonna, we're gonna move past you.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I don't want to destroy you.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna move past you and leave you behind.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: 100%.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: No, I completely agree.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's a very good point.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I just wanna just wanna round things out, Jared, and get your words of wisdom for all of the, you know, the new entrepreneurs out there, you know, anyone who's wanting to come into the beauty industry, you know, and and make a mark.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like what is some advice that you could offer that they can start with, you know?
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, it's be yourself and bring something to the table that only you can.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: You're special.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: God only created one of you.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: So, what gifts do you have to give?
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're getting into this game and it's not easy, nothing great comes from easy, so we don't need it easy, but it's a lot harder than it used to be.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta bring something special and bring your full self and give me a reason to not only buy in, but to what am I supposed to feel when I do?
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_00: And what is your point of view?
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's almost like the color of a rainbow.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: Which color are you gonna be?
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to be all the colors, you just gotta be one.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: And but what is that gonna be?
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: And be authentic and be brave enough to be you and to bring out products and marketing campaigns that reflect your point of view.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: And when the world's telling you, no, it all has to be this way and everyone's doing it this way, you know, maybe you do it that way, and that's how you change the world.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: I love that so much.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I I really, really applaud you for just like sticking to what is like genuine.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, honestly, I could not like say enough good things about what you've created.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: I love Polite Society, I've loved it since the minute I tried it, you know.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just one of those brands that every time you come out with something, like I can see your passion in it.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of us feel the way that way.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, you guys are killing it at Ulta.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, thank you.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: That means so much to me.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: And our success at Ulta, and you know, so quickly we, you know, we're at the very kind of top percentage of the brands in store.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I am just so grateful.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I I'm working with my team hard every single day.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: I come in every single day.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know, this isn't a part-time thing.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't, I'm not taking it for granted because I did it before.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna, it isn't that.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's like we're trying to create the absolute best products, the best brand for you that will serve you and make you feel a part of something bigger than yourself.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, we're rooting you on and we're here for you.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if if you fall down, we're gonna help you get back up.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: We're all just gonna do this together and feel glamorous and amazing doing it.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: I love it so much.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't thank you enough for coming back on the show and and for everyone listening.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: Check out Polite Society if you haven't already.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, we rave about them all the time on the podcast.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I love it.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_01: But thank you so much.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.