Latest / Skin Anarchy / Leila Kashani Manshoory, Founder & CEO of alleyoop Beauty

Transcript

Leila Kashani Manshoory, Founder & CEO of alleyoop Beauty · Skin Anarchy

• 0:31
  SPEAKER_03: Hey guys, so I think you're really gonna love this episode.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's a phenomenal line.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_03: It's uh really essential if we all need to wear our makeup in a very uh cool way in terms of like you know, everything like the packaging, the color, um collection, the ways, the formula supply.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's just a really cool line.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's a lot of you know great products that are beauty centered, not just you know, makeup or skincare, but they're really truly beauty centered and um very, very efficient.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_03: And it's a truly align uh that I can say it's been created with keeping that you know efficiency, deliverability of exactly what stewards need, like they've really cut that apart.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_03: So they've been very kind to us and they've offered a discount code for our listeners.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_03: So if you are interested in a line, which I highly suggest, uh definitely go to www.me.com.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_03: And all words I checked out your order.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_03: I hope you guys really check it out.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_03: It's a great time to try to reload our favorites, but favorites.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_03: So I hope to show the code.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh just like always, we don't make any kind of commissions off these codes, we just like providing um whatever brands are kind enough to offer us to our genuinely.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: Can you tell you guys enough?
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um you know I'm gonna go on my rants by talking, but since I think we recently got that um you know ranked within the top 100 uh beauty and fashion podcasts on podcasts.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_03: It's just been so thrilling and seeing our numbers on Spotify, and it's been a really fantastic event this year.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_03: So um we're definitely on cloud nine and we're so excited to share all of the content we bring to you.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: So, anyways, Randover into Hi guys, welcome back to Feature Anarchy with Besta.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_03: And today I have with you a lovely guest who is the founder of a beautiful, beautiful line.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: I love all of their products.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: It's such a cool, like, you know, take on makeup.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm super excited for this interview.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_03: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to uh Leela Kushani, who is the founder of Ali Oop.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: So welcome to the show, Leela.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so excited you're here.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's so great to be here.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, it's my honor to host you.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_03: I absolutely adore your products.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_03: I think they're the coolest thing in the beauty space right now.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, like, you know, there I'm I'm gonna dive into that later, but I want to get started um with your journey and your background and how you really got into the beauty space and came up with this uh wonderful concept.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's crazy.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: I it was a complete accident.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I don't have a beauty background.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: I had you know a little interest in beauty.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I was more focused on making it efficient than I was of being obsessed with it.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: I created, I was working for a toy company, um, and in one of my presentations, we were presenting to Target, and midway through presentation, um, I realized the buyer was not paying attention to me.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: She was completely distracted by my underarm.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I looked over and I saw.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I know, right.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, when you hear the rest of the story, you might be like, oh, okay, now it makes sense.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so I looked down and realized I had what she was looking at was just that I had shaved just one armpit, um, not both.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I think, I think had I left both, she probably wouldn't have been, you know, thought anything of it.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: She'd be like, okay, that's her style.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: But no, it was that one was completely shaved and the other one was neglected for a way too long.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, this is my dominant moment.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_03: Literally.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: If I didn't turn red and I could have thought quick enough, I probably would have been said something funny, like, yeah, I'm just trying to braid this one.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's I just looked down and I'm and she's like, I'm like, I don't know how that happened.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: I guess I'm in the shower.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: I got one armpit and got distracted and then forgot the other one.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: I was in a rush this morning.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: I had time to make it to the blow dry bar, but somehow I didn't make it to the finish line of both armpits.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I realized that that was a turning point for me because before working at the toy company, I was working for a marketing agency that did all the marketing for Nike, Columbia Sports, where all the most incredible brands in the world, just traveling and living out of a suitcase, doing all of their event marketing.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I had to get really efficient while I was traveling.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I'd be gone for 30 days at a time.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: And if I had a break in between one of my trap one of my work trips, instead of coming home to, you know, unpack, wash my clothes, or anything like that, I was like, let me explore the next city I'm going to so I don't have to work the whole time there.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: That makes you really want to make your, you know, your bags lighter.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: It really wants you to make everything more efficient.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt like that was weighing me down.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I decided to stop working in that crazy life of, you know, traveling all the time and move over to this toy company.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, wait a minute, I still need efficiency, I still need to figure out how to get my time back.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: And then I decided at that point, I'm gonna make a portable razor for missed spots and touch-ups, so this never happens to me again.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I just it was a passion project, and then I gave a couple of prototypes out to friends, and one of my prototypes, um, you know, I don't know, one thing to know about me is April 1st is my favorite day of the year.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um it is all April Fool's, yes.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it's also my half birthday, so it's not my fault, it's someone else's.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: So on April 1st, I get an email from Alta saying, we're we got your prototype and we're obsessed with it, and we want to take this product nationwide.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Well, of course, I knew that I had people out to get me for the pranks that I've done to them over the years, you know?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I did not believe it to be Ulta.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: I went onto LinkedIn and I was like, who does this buyer know that knows one of my friends that I must have pranked really bad who's trying to get me back this year?
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it actually was Alta emailing me, and it was not a prank.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: One of my prototypes, my friend ended up giving to her boss, and her boss was friends with the buyer at Ulta and was just fascinated with it.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: And so that was the beginning of the first product, which was the world's first portable razor for Miss Boss and Touch Ups.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and you know that razor that you're talking about, it's the one with the it's got the three functions, right?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's like so cool.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like, it's like literally when I first saw it, I was like, what is this?
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_03: And then like I was like exploring, and I was like, this is the coolest thing I think I've ever used, like in beauty.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's the it's like a wheel.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_03: And so yeah, and I I just love it.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's it's brilliant.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so that product, you know, when I originally launched it, it was meant just to be for missed spots and touch-ups.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to make it so that you could take the shaving experience in case you missed it and solve problems on the go.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: And when I first launched a product with Ulta, I started to get customer feedback, and we also had our own website.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: We're launching, launched our own website, had about 10,000 customers, and I started to ask for customer feedback, and I found that people were actually using the razor as a replacement to their home razor.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, Well, I don't want to have to go and get one thing for shaving cream and another thing with water.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: I could just like shave on my bed now, or I could shave in the shower without having to turn on the water.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: I could, you know, it's so much more efficient.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I never thought of it like that.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: I was only using it for touch-ups, and so it made me change to a triple blade from a single blade.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then I got the call from Alta saying, okay, what are you gonna do next?
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: What are you gonna give us?
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: Are you gonna give us wax?
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Are you gonna give us a razor for the home?
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Are you gonna give us shaving cream?
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, wait a minute, I didn't launch this brand to make a whole product of hair care categories.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, that's my biggest pet peeve in the industry is that there is saturation, there's too much of everything.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to make products that solve problems so that we can get back to what matters in our life.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: So how do I make everything more efficient?
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: How do I make everything more multifunctional so that we get to spend time doing the things that we love and bring us joy?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: That means I only need one product in the hair care category.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: I did it.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want to like I think there's it if you really think about the beauty industry, at least in the most recent years, you know, we're pressured to keep up with these 14-step Korean beauty routines and you know, so much stuff.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_03: That yeah, like how many essences can you really have?
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I mean, genuinely, like, no, I I 100% agree with you, and I think that's yeah, I mean, I I could go on around for that for on that for days, you know, it's like toner after toner after toner.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I think I was talking to Laura Geller, and we were talking about that about how you know there's too many primers out there, and there's too many, you know, it's just like redundancy.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_03: So I totally I feel you, you know, it's it's a logical point, yeah.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: And as a consumer, it's really overwhelming.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do I know which one I'm supposed to have?
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: Which one's actually good for me?
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: Do I actually need this?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's so much that goes into research that we just don't have the time for, and I really wanted to help people get back to what matters.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: And so when Alta asked me that, I said, I'm so sorry.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have anything else in the hair care category that I want to do.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I decided to turn to my customers.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: So I had 10,000 customers on my email database that I've purchased from my website at the time, and I said, I really want to expand this line to make multifunctional products based off efficiency, but more than that, based off of products you actually use and need more efficiency in, because I don't want to be another brand that comes out with just another regular toner, you know.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: I want to solve problems.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: I want to make it so that you have less steps.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: And if you think this is something that you'd be interested in and would help you and add value to your life, please fill out this survey.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so I sent it to 10,000 customers in 24 hours.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: I got oh 48 hours actually.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: In 48 hours, I got 2,600 people to fill out the application.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: I sat there, you don't even know.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: I sat there and I just kept pushing refresh, refresh, refresh on my computer.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: Cause I was like, what's happening?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: I was shocked.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: I was the most unproductive for the three days after that while it was happening because I was just like doing cartwheels in the office.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, this is amazing.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that is freaking amazing.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_03: That's an incredibly fast turnaround rate.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_03: And that's really, really that means that you know, you really connected too with your consumers.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's a whole different challenge, I feel like for brands, you know.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like if it made, you know, from what I gathered, is that people felt heard.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: There was finally like a brand trying to not, you know, bombard them with products and do things differently.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so I obviously couldn't manage feedback from 2600 people.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I shut the survey after the 48 hours and I did a second survey, narrowing it down to about 300 plus women.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, those women ended up in a Slack channel with me.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they actually started as women, but have now become, you know, all kinds of people.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um I've not gender specific at all in it.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the questions doesn't even relate to that anymore.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: But it started that way because I felt like in my career, now that I've also become a mother, you know, this our new generation of working mothers in the last two decades, it's been so much pressure to keep up with the beauty industry and also have a seat at the table that it feels like we gave ourselves more work instead of figuring out ways to get less work on our plate, you know?
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely, no, absolutely.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: You're absolutely right.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_03: And I think also that goes much deeper, too, because that more work is leading to a lot of you know emotional stress.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_03: It's leading to, you know, like it's like as women, I think we innately have this need to be like somewhat perfectionists or do our very best, right?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: At the least, and and and just this idea of like, you know, having too much on our plate, I think it it exacerbates that.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_03: So I I hear you, yeah.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it's not healthy, and I I can attest for that.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: I recently found out that I've Hajimoto's disease, and it's definitely, you know, it stems up, it makes its arise into your life from stress and things like this.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: And so learning how to manage your stress, learning how to take things off of your plate, and and I felt like because of this movement towards working women, I felt that something needed to be put on hold, and that was the pressure that the beauty industry was putting on us.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like something had to change there, and so it started there, but as I started to grow the business, I started to talk to men who felt the same way.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: The pressure to do the things that they were doing before, and also keep up with the beauty standards that they felt they needed to keep up with, and it was really cross-it was just happening to the beauty industry, was doing it to everybody.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so I really wanted to start creating products that made sense.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I created the Slack channel, 300 people in it, continued, and this is growing, so we have more that come apply every day.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: And we asked questions like, um, you know, show us pictures of your eyeshadow palette, which was just a curious question.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: I was just asking people because I wanted to find out what brands they were using and learn more about, you know, what type of consumer they were and and what was the you know, the type of behaviors that they had in their shopping behaviors.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: And when I saw them send me back pictures, instead of telling me what the brands were, the they showed me the inside of the palettes, and I realized that people were only touching the pan on one or two colors in these palettes of like 12 to 16 colors in them.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yes, yeah.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: Why are we buying that much if we're not even using that much?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_03: I love that you brought that up, Lila.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna honestly tell you like I have this like little story I want to share with you because this is so applicable right now.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I remember in college, I used to get compliments on my eyeshadow, and it was always the same.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_03: It was the same literally for my night look, my day look, my midday look.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: I did not change like, and it was this little tiny Maybelline palette that I had, and I think they stopped making that you know a specific one, but it was perfect because it had like the shades of brown that I needed.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_03: So everything looked good on my skin tone, it looked natural, and that's all I used.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_03: And regardless of how much I love makeup and all the shopping I did and all the extra stuff I bought, I would always go back to that same palette.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_03: So you really hit the nail on the head with that.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_03: That we do, we we have those three or four shades that we're always using.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_03: So I completely agree.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's yeah, I'm glad that you brought that up.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it was such a rude awakening because I thought I was the only one.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: And when I was traveling for work, I would pop out those colors, like I'd literally take tweezers and pull them out and take just that color with me to consolidate my travels.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: When then I saw other people were doing it too, I was like, okay, we have to make this more efficient.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: So we took these pictures of the palettes and we found the seven most frequently used colors across all these people's palettes, and then developed our shadow sticks based off of those colors.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so, one, it's most frequently used, two, it's also the classics.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: One thing that I learned through the process of this Slack channel is that people have their, just like you said, a go-to color that they feel the most confident in.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, maybe you'll walk into Sephora and they'll convince you to buy a purple lipstick and you'll wear it for a week because it's trending, or knee on nail polish at the nail salon.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: But when that trend passes, you always go back to your classics.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm in the I'm literally here to figure out what the classics are.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: So we're never making things that you're never gonna use, we're making things that you're gonna use all the way to the finish line, and you're gonna be excited to use it.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't take up space, it doesn't expire before you finish, which is a big problem in the beauty industry.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's like half the products that you're buying expire in six to 12 months anyway, so you better use them.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, and that's very rarely done.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I don't think there's a single woman out there that can say she's used the entirety of her 15 shadow palette and you know, in the right amount of time.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_03: Like, there's no way there's and you're not, and some of the shades, I'm just looking at brands like when am I going to be able to even use this shade?
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I even if I wanted to feel daring and you know brave one day, I don't even think I could utilize this in any way, you know.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, one of my friends is a makeup artist, and she she says, like, you know, we joke, I'm like, this is like Candyland to you, these palettes with all these colors.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: And she's like, Not really.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: I still do makeup for, you know, unless I'm doing costume makeup, I also use the classics.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's interesting, you know, it's fun to play with, and it's definitely a form of art and self-expression.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I de I can I admire people who can do makeup like that, but that the industry is selling makeup for those types of people to everybody.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, exactly.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: And I think, and and that's the thing, like it's you know, as women and as I think just as consumers, like, you know, this really goes back to marketing.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm sure you could validate this, you know, since you are the pro here with that.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I I think a lot of the marketing is around shiny things and pretty new things, you know, and it's like, I mean, you can have a brand be beautiful and still very, very, you know, useful and like actually something that you're going to put in your bag or your purse every single day, you know.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's it doesn't have to be where you're compromising really good packaging or really good aesthetics for um, you know, usable and just efficacious products.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_03: Like it doesn't have to be like that.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: Right, exactly.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny that you say that because it is everything is marketing.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, in the end of March, we did a whole campaign that we were launching the only product you'll ever need in your life, like the best product.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: It'll it clears your skin, it does all these fantastic things.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: There's nothing else out there.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: We are launching it in a few days, and then come April 1st, April 4th, my favorite day of the year.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: We're like, congratulations, it's water and you already have it.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_03: Like, oh my god, that's so cool.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_03: No, I I think I, you know, it's it's funny because your your products, I really wanted to ask you because the packaging is so unique too.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like, you've made such a cool, like, I mean, every by the way, if anyone has not tried um Alioob's products, like every single one of them is like basically this it's uh all the different things into but is one product.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, you know, there's a product called Pen Pal, which I think is my favorite um because it really takes me back to like, you know, like ninth grade and having those um pens that were like the multicolored pens that you could like click down, like the color that you like.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: So I want you to talk to us a little bit about how you came up with this and like you know, what was the process?
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_03: Because the packaging must have been difficult, right?
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's so unique.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we actually have a 10-point checklist for anything that we create, and it has to pass a 10-point checklist.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: Is it creating efficiency?
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: Does it help you save your time and get back to the things that matter?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: Is it taking things and making um multiple things and making them one?
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: Is it something she actually uses?
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: So, all these questions, it has to pass that to get through.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: So the four-in-one pen, we asked our community, what are four items?
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: They didn't know about the design.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: I just loved that pen and I knew that there was efficiency in it.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, if I could put four things in here, I can make this something very efficient for us.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I asked the community, if you can carry four things with you that come in pen form, what would they be?
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing else can come with you but these pen four things.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: And they came back with a highlight, a brow filler, a liner, and a lip product.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so each one of these compartments has that product in it.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: So you can fill your brows, put on your eyeliner, put on your lip product, and highlight your brows and you know, get that glow on your eye with all just one product.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's really meant to be for those, like, uh-oh, I didn't do my makeup, need to go somewhere really quick moments.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's meant to be a quick fix, or you take it in your bag on you know at a wedding for touch-ups on the go.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's not meant to replace this particular product, it's just meant to be there for you know that moment that I was in when you shaved one armpit and you need that extra.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, that's so that's brilliant because honestly, the colors I just want to mention, like for everyone listening, like the colors are very compatible with the shades that we use.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_03: So it's not like you're like, you know, the one that I'm holding right now, like, you know, you've got your black eyeliner, you've got, you know, a beautiful brown for you know.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: the what do you call the liner, you know, the lip liner.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_03: And like it's it's just like it's very versatile.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's in the sense that like it goes very well with the products you already have.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_03: So you're not like you're not going to have to switch over your entire makeup line to Aliu.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_03: You're gonna end up having these products as like, you know, this is enhancing what you already have in your makeup bag.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's really is you know so I think yeah it's funny that you say that because like the pen pal for me was just like an you know keeping my bag for extra but all of my mom friends anyone who I know who is in college like all my cousins who are in college like this is their favorite product.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: They use it every day they're constantly asking me for more I'm like K it's like I'm like Santa Claus to all these people because some people this is it for them this is all that they need you know the my cousin who's like that I like exactly what you imagine a soccer mom to be she is that woman and she's like this is my everyday go-to product so you find you can find that product my particular favorite is Stack the Odds and the um four in one brush of multitasker those two products because of the fact that they're one multifunctional they really enhance your natural beauty but they're based off of so much research you know um four in one brush I asked the community if you had four things you know if you look at your vanity many of us at a point in our life had way more brushes than we knew what to do with the difference between the brow brush and an eyeliner brush is so slim that the average consumer doesn't know the difference but a makeup artist might or someone who's a makeup connoisseur like I learned that afterwards okay one's a little bit harder than the other but if you want like a softer eye look you can use a softer one.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: So there is some flexibility there.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_03: And so when I asked the community what are the four things you use to apply makeup most frequently they came back with the sponge and the three other brushes you see in multitasker so multitasker is the one that has two brushes on a sponge and a brush on the end and then you untwist it and there's two underneath it like like the babushka dolls I think they're called so I love it I was obsessed with them as a kid but no I know it's beautiful it's got an eyeshadow brush right there like a stippling like you know what they call it like all the YouTube gurus like they call this one like the this is what you pack on your eyeshadow with that's what they always but it's that brush for everyone listening you know just to give you a visual and it's absolutely like the bristles are so soft.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like yeah that's one of the ones that it's a smaller one and the other one is like the really nice like angled but like really skinny like you know it's got like that angle.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah you're right it's like an eyeliner slash you know brow slash whatever you need to use something like a smaller brush for you know so and I actually this brush it's I'm I'm glad you brought it up it's just the other day I was um just showing off like my favorite products on my personal Instagram and I uh took a picture of this with the Tower 28 uh uh foundation because I am obsessed with this brush I think it's brilliant so yeah thank you thank you yeah so that's actually that's the whole point is like we did research found out what you're really using trying to help you declutter simplify your life make things more efficient lighten your makeup bag in so many ways but also your vanity and also the pressure that you need all these other brushes like all four of these fit tools can give you a full face you do not need the three different types of brow you know eye liner brushes this one will do for all three of those things and of course if you're doing you know a full glam look and you need to go a little bit elaborate then for those moments you might want to flex outward but really I do a full face with just that brush even for TV or anything like that.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_03: So it's meant to simplify and get you back to things with matter by decluttering and also being way more efficient than what you were doing before right yeah and like not losing quality right like that's the biggest thing that I love about your brand is like you know when I first saw it I was like this is so multifunctional but I was very curious before I tried anything I was like I wonder how they did the quality of all of these and every single product is like absolutely beautiful.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_03: It looks really nice and it's it's just something that you can tell that a lot of thought has been put into the colors a lot of thought has been put into like the inclusivity aspect of like the people that can use these like I for example there's a product um it's like three in one of like just like lip shades right but they're all like it's like all the reds for example like I'm looking at the one that has all the reds and it's got a gloss that's red it's got a matte um color that's also red and then it's got a creamy kind of formula uh for red but all three of them you can use them together or one each and they look beautiful and I can I can see you putting this on no matter what skin shade you are no matter what your color so it's like you know that aspect I want you to really talk about because it must have taken you a long time to really get these colors.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean you know yeah like right yeah so first of all we are a stickler for quality here there's been products that we were literally had in the pipeline about to launch and then I'm I pulled a plug because I'm like nope quality's not there and it gets delayed for another six months another year like we had so many things that we wanted to launch in that like for even the this one you're looking at right now like I went through so many different red shades to get it to be the right one and also to be flexible so the finish the texture matters you know the efficacy of the product like we when we pick colors we have to test it with our community it's not just me and three people in the PD room it's these 300 plus people in our Slack channel that get an opportunity to test it with us and tell us like oh it smudged too much okay change that oh it dried down too slow okay change that like anything that they tell us we make the changes for so it takes us so much longer to develop a product because we want them we do not launch anything unless it passes their threshold and our threshold with anything that they vote on has to pass 98%.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: If 98% of the community votes to have it launch the way that it is and thinks it's perfect, then we launch so that these people are sticklers like the sponge that you see on the 4 in one brush I went through 26 versions of that sponge.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_03: Because it's just as good as my you know I don't want to I wanna I don't want to call out any brands here but it the you know the brand's name it starts with a B and it you know it has two B's in the main words you know the one thing the main so anyway but yeah it works just as well just as well if not better.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like I was wondering that too because you know how you get those products like this I mean I'm not gonna lie to you I have it's not the first time I've seen a brush that's got a brush and a sponge at the end right but this is the first time I've seen a brush where the sponge works because most of those brushes the sponge is like useless like it's so hard that you can't do anything with it.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_03: It's not flexible it doesn't you know so this one is really really great and this is I think like you're gonna find yourself using the sponge so much and you're gonna be like oh my gosh like I didn't even realize like I you know like this because a lot of I'm you know what I mean like a lot of people have launched products that look very similar but they're not at all near this quality.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well thank you and that is to think makes me feel like the hard work blood sweat and tears that went into that product it's also gonna be used wet or dry and it also is refillable.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: And so the things that you have to think about when you're launching a product is like how do you make it stick to the the actual part of the brush right so that at some point it was too soft where it would fall off of that really easily so there were so many logistical things that went into that product.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: Same with stack the odds you know stack the odds which is the cream um blush highlight um bronzer contour set that one you the amount of work that went into that formulation to have it blend well but look like you put like you put blush on but natural look and glow and have it be good for you and flexible and bend and then also of course work with many different skin types because as much as I I think that there is a need for a lot more diversity when it comes to complexion but when it comes to like blush and certain other things like eyeshadows you don't a lot of people like black eyeliner right yeah mostly everybody can pull off black eyeliner right you can it it's the same shade for everybody.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: People might like it darker than others you might not like the way it looks on yourself but black is black.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so the same thing goes with blush and contour colors well I'm sorry contour you have a little bit more you have a little bit more um parameters you have to stick with it but with highlights and things like that where there's you can grow but there's only so much until you're overselling.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: So we have to really make sure when we're testing products that we have a diverse group of people testing each color so we see how much flexibility there is in that color.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: So we're never ever going to be at a place where we have you know 14 lipsticks.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: Average people have one or two lipstick colors they go back to and we only create in that space.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: So the lipstick product that you were talking about which is three finishes one color that happened another thing on the Slack channel they were like oh I bought this new color not wearing it that much ended up going back to my my mob and never think I'll let that color go.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_01: And the slack channel went crazy people like me too I always go back to the color I was you know but I could pull it off and mob.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_03: I mean I love it in matte and I love it in cream and I realized that we have a color we feel good in and so get that color in three finishes instead of constantly being you know pressured to push yourself outside of your comfort zone because maybe you don't want to maybe you know what you feel good in you can get use that extra time instead of doing that going on a hike enjoying here's the thing you know uh honestly I'm gonna keep it like 1000% honest um you know the fact that like for me I have like I think all of us have these like parameters that we look at right for good makeup and makeup that really resonates with us um in terms of not just a product but a brand um and when it when we look we're looking at inclusivity or if it's good for our skin tone if they've really kept us in mind when they formulated and I can tell when a company can make a red that goes good with my skin tone.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_03: And your red is like every single like there's three of them but I I layer all of them on and the it is it's the most beautiful bright it's the only lipstick that is a bright red I have in my collection no joke that I can use a bright red lipstick.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_03: Now yeah there's a lot of dark ones and I'm not gonna lie to you I went through college and I went through grad school and all I ever had when it came to red lipstick was that dark deep red because it's the only one that looked good for me, right?
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_03: As like as a brown woman it's the only one that complemented my skin tone.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_03: I could never do that bold beautiful bright red lip that I always saw.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_03: And I just want to commend you because this what you've created here it's liberating for me as a consumer to be able to use this product and the lip color the way it turns out for me it's a beautiful bright and I can make it darker if I really want to but if I want to keep it light and you know bright I can keep it like that too.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_03: So there it's like it's not just about like multifunctional products it's also about like you know keeping in mind layering and keeping in mind the artistry of it.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I think you've just you've just knocked it out of the park.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_03: I mean you know it's it's crazy how good these products are.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah and as far as your um you know I wanted to say as far as the um uh the other one the uh the stack the odds you know collection you have like it's a beautiful I mean the colors are so incredibly just perfect like you know the for me I always love like a peach blush you know something that's like still nice and rosy but it's not gonna like you know kill you're not gonna look like you just went to like a 30 year old you know birthday party and the clown like you know attacked you you know but it it's it's just so it's such a beautiful it's such a beautiful color.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_03: I mean the blush and then the you know again with the layering if you want to make it darker you can make it darker the formula gives you that you know flexibility.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's really where I was very shocked.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_03: Like when I was really testing the products and playing with them I was like oh my gosh like I can go as dark as I want I can go as light as I want and they're blendable and they're easy and they're movable.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_03: And that's what really for me I mean you've you've really done it.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_03: You know you've really done it.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I I I love it.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah it's interesting because as a brand you get you know especially being venture backed we get a lot of pressure like what are you gonna launch next?
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_01: You're gonna launch more things you got to launch more things and I when we talk about launching products internally we always talk about being category agnostic and launching things based off of what people actually use versus what they you know the industry is saying is trending.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so one of the ways that we do that is I there's an 80-20 rule right all brands have 80% of their revenue is coming from 20% of their products.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so we I'm trying to build a brand only based on the 20% that you're actually using.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want to fluff the brand with other things that are not necessary and that are not being used.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so it really has given us clarity in what we're gonna launch but it also in a lot of ways you know it's you it's harder to market because you're not saying it's relevant.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_01: You're not launching the latest trend latest thing that's happening you're being really you're mind you're being mindful of what you're creating in so many ways like as a brand we use 51% less raw materials than all the competitor brands most competitor brands in the market.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_01: So if you look at like our deodorant we have a a natural deodorant that's the way that Ali does it differently is it slows down your hair from growing with natural essential oils.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_01: Why we do that is because one because after my incident but two it's like if you spend less time grooming or shaving your underarms you get more time back in your life for the things that bring you joy and so this natural deodorant in the component in the packaging it comes with the factory was like you're putting too much product in there you have to go to a bigger size and I was like look I don't want to be the bag the company that's like the chip bag approach where it leaves half the product empty.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_01: Everything I want to be filled to the brim.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: Everything that I can make into one product instead of three different ones so normally stack the odds would be one blush container one contour container a separate container for your highlight bringing all those things into one as often as possible has been you know a big strategy for me to lighten your load.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_01: And then when we think about launching products since we are a category agnostic and you know people are like when is Alive going to start launching merch even our merch is I don't know if you got the tote bag but it's one of my favorite items it's a tote bag but if you turn it inside out it's also a backpack.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow no I didn't get that you just send that to me I didn't send that to you so like if you're at Trader Joe's and then you're like oh my friend called wants to go on a hike I didn't bring any of my stuff with me now I can go on a hike I have my tote bag that's now backpacked it's like making it more efficient or our gratitude journal you know like instead of launching a sweater with our name on it we're like what can we do that'll help her or him have more joy in their life bring value live more fulfilled and so I did all this research on you know why people stop journaling and when they buy gratitude journals and it's because one the pressure to write so much or you know once you start you feel like if you stop you failed so like I took away the dates I only make you write three things you're grateful for.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_01: There's positive affirmations along the way and something that's just going to bring a positive daily practice into your life and make you live a better life because our end goal is to help bring you joy the things that matter and so that shows up in our merch.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_01: It shows up in our products being more efficient and time saving and simple and multifunctional it shows up in us using less materials making sure that we're plastic neutral you know be having biodegradable items wherever we can like it shows up in everything that we're doing love the love the you know people we create for and then figuring out a way to break the standards within beauty and starting with us like I am constantly thinking about what else do I feel pressured to buy and and why am I being pressured to buy that and how can I change it for the person that comes after me.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_03: I love that you said everything you said.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_03: I mean honestly I could not agree more as a consumer that has actually tried your brand and used every single one of these products.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: I mean they're all amazing like it's very rare you know not only to find a brand that's sticking to all of these ideals and these things that we're all looking for right as like consumers like sustainability we're looking for true sustainability you know I just did that clean beauty panel and one of the things that came up was this idea um you know of me saying like I don't know why brands are making products that you're not going to use all the way through you know that's the biggest problem I think when we look at sustainability if you really want to be a sustainable brand or label yourself as such you need to make products that someone's going to pick up and say I can pass this on to my mom or my daughter or my friend or whatever.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_03: You know I'm not saying share lipsticks or anything like don't get herpes or anything like that.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_03: But you know but like just like use like you can like use it and your whole you know like every everywhere you go you're bringing this product with you.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_03: So you're able to use it you know more often than something like a very very heavy palette that you would have to like put in a very special bag.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_03: Right right it's gonna crumble if you would you know that kind of thing.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like the sustainability is in the details and I think a lot of brands really need to catch up with that.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_03: But you guys are like you hit the ground running with that.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_03: I mean every single thing is like you know like we already talked about obviously it's multi-use but it's something you want to use you know it's it's one thing to be multi-use but it's another thing to be something you really do reach for as a consumer.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_03: And that's a very very hard thing to nail down and especially for a brand that's trying to keep everything I mean you guys are vegan you are you know clean you are you've got everything you know and it's it's just amazing.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_01: Well I think those I think those should be non-negotiables at this point you know and I think I I love your perspective on like thinking about sustainability because I think for us as an indie bit brand when I would go to the factory and say look I need the most recyclable I need the most biodegradable I need the ones and I want to actually biodegrade in my lifetime you know like I you ask all these questions but they don't take you seriously because you're an indie brand and they need the bigger brands to do it first for that for them to be willing to make the change and so on all of our products as we continue to you know push our factories to do better so that we can have better packaging we're like what else can we do?
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_01: Well let's use less raw materials let's only create things that need to be that you'll actually use you know so the raw material component part of the business that we think about is like making if you look at our toner for example yeah 99% of the toners in the in the market right now are filled with at least 60 to 90% water.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_01: So if you take out the water from the component from the formula the filling the rest of it is only 40 to you know 10 to 10 to 40 percent of it and so you can get water anywhere at least right you can get water from your sink you can get water from your shower so if you eliminate the water from your your product and then that makes your packaging smaller because you don't need to fill it with as much room for water.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_01: So our toner is has like I think less than 5% water to make it so small.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_01: You apply with the stick directly it's a stick formula.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need a cotton swab you're getting direct penetration you're not used being wasteful with the cotton swabs that are absorbing most of the product anyways and so it should like sustainability for us is beyond just the component and I think as a consumer we're taught to look at the component look for refills look for biodegradable and all of that we should continue to look for but as factories work harder to get there because we're demanding it brands should be doing more and that's how we're doing more is worth thinking about you yeah thank you.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_01: No no no no people I just that's it that's it I know I felt like I had a cheerleader in you I loved it.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_03: No I was just like throwing up my hands you know I mean I was like this is church time right now for me like I was just like really no for real that that is so so true.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_03: And you know the toner I just want to say again quality it's amazing.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_03: It made my skin look so nice like because I hadn't been using a toner for a while I'm not gonna lie you know I just like my switching my skincare routine around and I was using it and I was like oh my gosh this makes me love toners again.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_03: You know so it's like again the quality is there.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_03: You know you're getting exactly what you want but you're getting it in a way that is going to be usable.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I really like that you said that you know you don't want the consumer to have to go the extra mile.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_03: The brand should have that on their shoulders of you know that if you really truly want to be a sustainable brand and you truly want to make it as easy as possible for your consumers and you need to think outside of the box.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_03: You have to think about how is my consumer using their product?
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_03: Where are they using it?
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_03: When are they using it?
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_03: You know most of us have very busy lives especially with you know all of the different places and organizations and workplaces opening up again.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_03: We're all on the go again.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_03: You know so brands have to really keep up and I'm sorry but like if you send me an email about hey go plant a tree you know like you know there's some brands that are like hey we're like like forest happy and we want you to go plant a tree.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what brand this is but I get emails like every day.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_03: They're like asking about my tree and like how big it is and all this.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_03: But it's like don't send me emails about planting a tree.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_03: Go plant the tree for me so that I can say okay I bought this and then they went and planted a tree you know or yeah help simplify it for me.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah exactly so I mean I think that that's really the the message here and I'm I'm really glad that we're having this conversation after that panel because yeah You know, sustainability is something that it's it really needs to be completely reopened.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_03: All the pieces need to be taken out of that conversation and re-examined and then put back together in a much more efficient way.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_03: And I think you've already really set the bar.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_03: If I'm being very honest and transparent, like no BS, you guys listening.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_03: This brand is really a great place to look when you're looking for you know versatility and how to really make products that people are going to want to use over and over again.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_03: Like I'm, you know, nothing I have that you guys sent me is something I can say, oh, I'd never use this.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_03: I you know, and for me to be able to say that as a consumer is it's a big deal because I get PR.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_03: We all, you know, we I have so many things sitting around sometimes.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm just like, why do I have this much stuff?
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like I don't need this, you know.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_03: But it's like, you know, I for me it's different.
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_03: I have to test everything, but it's like all your products are things I would easily, easily put into my pocket, you know, for work or like put into my purse.
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_03: Or and that's another thing is like, you know, the sizing.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_03: I think you've really nailed it there too.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_03: Like, you know, with the lipsticks, we're talking about, you know, the trio.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_03: Like this is the perfect size, you know.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_03: I don't need a freaking giant lipstick.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_03: Am I really gonna use that entire lipstick?
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_03: No, I'm not.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_03: Then, you know, very rarely am I gonna do that.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_03: So, yeah, it's it's brilliant.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_03: It's truly brilliant.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate that.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's music to my ears.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's the most rewarding thing to feel like I'm making people's lives easier, I'm bringing them things they actually use, you know, lightening their load.
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_01: And the best emails I get, like when we get customer reviews, the ones that are saying to us that they're getting, you know, they're saving their time, they're actually using it every day.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_01: This is their new go-to, it's the most refreshing.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_01: So for you to say that someone who tries products all day long, you know, I appreciate it.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it so much.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, and then it's truly, you know, I'm I'm being very honest, and I and I really, you know, I I wanted to just say this for everybody is like, you know, everyone I invite onto the show, you know, I really say skincare anarchy is a library, and you can trust every brand that can bring onto the show.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like, you know, I what I'm saying is really true.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm and as a woman of color, like I've struggled my whole life, like I've said many times on this show that uh on this, you know, podcast, like I've struggled a lot trying to find colors and shades and things that match.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, I remember there were like there was like one blush that used to work for me by buxom and like I never saw it again.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_03: They like discontinued it.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_03: But then like when I was using your, you know, the um the product we just talked about, the stack the odds product, the that blush is literally the same color.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's crazy.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_03: Like when I first used it, I was like, oh my God, like this is so cool, you know.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like it brought me back to this feeling of like I almost like feeling of belonging, you know.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_03: And as cheesy as that might sound sometimes, that really is true for a lot of us, you know, makeup is like a getaway, it's like a way to like come out of your own mind and you're and it's almost like meditative, you know, for those of us who are really, really busy and have these crazy lives, which is everybody, you know, and it's like, and so you know, when you're doing things that are for self-care, it should really feel like, yeah, okay, I'm doing it, and also I'm not cluttering my space, you know.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_03: That's another another thing, right?
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_03: It's like you don't want a cluttered bedroom or like a vanity, you want something that you know you look at and you're like, okay, oh, there it is.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_03: That's my you know, that's my little corner, and that's got everything I want right there, you know.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_03: So that's that's where these little things, that's why I say sustainability is in the details because it really is, you know.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, you're you're so right.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's I hope that this, you know, we continue to see a movement and more brands start, you know, breaking the chains that have tied us to the things that we're not actually using, and there's a movement in beauty where we're not being sold, or we're just getting smarter as consumers and questioning things and and products that actually bring us joy.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like I used to not enjoy putting makeup on, and I realize now that's because it was intimidating, and it was everything was so difficult to use that there was too many, like three different eyeshadows for your eyelids to get a smoky eye.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_01: Well, is there an easier way to do that?
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_01: Could somebody just show me that?
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so Alip is really like always tried to make things so easy to use that even for the person who doesn't enjoy it, it's enjoyable, or the person who does enjoy it, there's room to play.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there is so much play that you can do with our colors and our eyeshadow sticks.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_01: You can make a full smoky eye with just one color just by layering it, you know, and allowing that flexibility instead of having to buy three products is is so much more fun to play with because you're just getting more creative with one product versus feeling like you have, you know, 25 tools in front of you.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, and also it's like I'm glad that you stuck to colors, like you know, like you were saying, you did a survey, you figured out what are the colors that women use, and here you go.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like, you know, it's not I mean, and there's nothing wrong with that, you know.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_03: It's like we have this like whole conversation around inclusivity and about like diversity and the color choices and all that good stuff, right?
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_03: And then then that's a wonderful conversation.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_03: Don't get me wrong, I'm with it.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_03: But it's like, guys, you know, how many of you out there can really say that you use a turquoise eyeshadow every day?
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, come on, you know, and it's like, yeah, it's cool to see, you know, you walk into a drugstore, you walk into Sephora Alta, and you have all these crazy colors, but I mean, really though, like, are you using them?
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you have to ask yourself that as a consumer.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_03: And then, you know, I I was interviewing uh Divya Gugnani from um Wander Beauty on my other podcast by Collar Brown Girl.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_03: And Divya made a great point on that um episode.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_03: And she said, you know, you you you want to be able to do things that are like um, you know, just they really resonate with people.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you don't you don't want to be doing things that are just like empty or hollow or just following trends, right?
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_03: Like you want to be doing things that are they're meaningful and they resonate.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that really goes the the you know the longer distance as for consumers.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like you're gonna be remembered as a brand if you do that.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_03: Like for me, like I'm going to remember like, oh, wait a minute, I really want a red lip today.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, okay, Ali makes that really pretty red that I love, you know.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm gonna remember that rather than oh yeah, um, Morphe makes like 18, you know, just one shadow by Morphe's collab with so and so made like 18 crazy freaking, you know, jungle colors that I'm never gonna use.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not gonna remember that.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_03: I'm never gonna use that thing.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, so yeah.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting that you know, you you said in the beginning of the call, like marketing is everything.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, you know, when it comes to color variations and skin tone variations, like there's been a lot of pressure and um you know kudos to brands who've done a lot of different color launches when it comes to complexion.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_01: And every time I see that, I'm like, that is awesome.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_01: But what but how many, like, how many of those are actually being purchased?
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_01: How much packaging is being wasted?
• 50:56
  SPEAKER_01: And what if instead they made a formula that was really flexible and one tone, one shade can pick up your undertones and be like five different people's shades?
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like that would be awesome.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's something that I think about when whenever we talk about if we would do complexion, if we would do colors, like how do we make something flexible?
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_01: With today's technology, there's ways to make you know your undertones get picked up in colors, and and so you know, trying to push the boundaries.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_01: People are gonna ask for things, and we are always gonna listen.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_01: And when we listen, we're listening on how is it being done right now and is it working, is it efficient, and can it be done better?
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think that's a really interesting space that I'm always thinking about, you know, because we're in beauty and we're in skincare and we're in anything that helps you bring happiness and joy, is how to do it in an efficient manner and and make sure that you are not, you know, buying more than what you need.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_03: Well, that's that's exactly, you know, that's and that's really what's gonna make you really kind of skyrocket.
• 52:01
  SPEAKER_03: And I really want to see your brand just go viral everywhere.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like I want to see Ali Oop in Walgreens and CVS, and you know, I want to see it everywhere because genuinely, this is really the kind of you know, new design and new thinking that we need in the beauty space.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's it's much more than, you know, again, the Via had said, you know, she said, you need we need to start voting with our dollars.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_03: And I completely, completely hundred percent back her when she says that, because we need to start voting for these brands that are doing it right, they're going the extra mile for us, and you know, instead of seeing the same thing over and over again.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that that like sometimes you do have to reinvent the wheel.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_03: Let's be real, you know, you do sometimes because that old formula, that old concept just it it's the reason we're here now, right?
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like you do have to go to the chalkboard again, erase everything, and start over.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_03: And when you do, you can't, I mean, obviously carry over all of the things you've learned, you know what I mean?
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_03: But like still have this concept of no, we're going to do this different and we're gonna start from scratch.
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_03: And that's exactly what I feel like you've done here.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, you know, I don't want to keep ranting.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like I've said the same thing.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think that actually that exact point is you know, you'll go onto shelves and you'll see there's a deodorant like ours that's you know tiny, and then you'll see a deodorant right next to it that's two times the size.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_01: And consumers are taught to buy the bigger one, like that one's$12, and ours is$12, but theirs is two times the size.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_01: Well, if you look at the ounces, ours is actually you know 10 to 20% bigger most of the time.
• 53:33
  SPEAKER_01: So you're getting just smaller packaging, and so you know, it's kind of an uphill batter for us because we have so much integrity to make sure that we're making the smallest, most portable, most efficient packaging.
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_01: But on shelves, oftentimes we can lose that battle because as customers, we sometimes walk the shelves and look at the value of the packaging size, and we need to educate ourselves more to pay attention to the ounces and the value beyond just what you're seeing because of the size of the plastic, you know?
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's like where you throw out the board and you look at things differently, and you're willing as brands.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's scary, it's so scary to sit on shelves knowing that you're the same price as something right next to you, and your fill is more, but they customers might not see it.
• 54:16
  SPEAKER_01: But we we just keep chugging through because we know one day people will notice and take note of it and respect our authenticity and our transparency into making sure we're using less stuff.
• 54:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I and I I think you know, you you guys really should, you know, you deserve all the recognition recognition you can get because honestly, it it takes, you know, people always say it takes a village, you know, for really anything.
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_03: And it does.
• 54:41
  SPEAKER_03: If you really are someone listening and you believe in things that, you know, Leela and I have been speaking about here, you know, in general, just even outside of you know her being a founder, just about sustainability, about just being authentic.
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I really urge you go buy something right now, you know what I mean?
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like, go try something because the the first thing towards like really supporting brands and to really get a movement going is to go and actually, like we just said, vote with your dollars, you know, go and like actually try it out, see and test things and learn about things.
• 55:11
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we talk about ingredients a lot, right?
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_03: You know, Leela.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_03: And and the one thing I want to say about your deodorant, I've been using it since I got it, and it has replaced my deodorants.
• 55:20
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, honestly, and and the one thing I want to say from a science side is with deodorants, people don't understand the easier it glides on, the easier it's going to not do what it's supposed to be doing, FYI for everyone listening.
• 55:33
  SPEAKER_03: So you want a more formula with deodorant because that's going to be a good idea.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_03: To be invited to be here because when you really try the formula, you're gonna notice like it's a denser formula, it's something that you know like you're gonna really feel the difference and the quality of it and the truly of it from jumping.
• 55:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'll be back next to news.
• 55:55
  SPEAKER_03: And that like should tell you what you need to know as a consumer because there's like a million gel deodorants out there, right?
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_03: But I'm sorry, but like as someone who does sweat, like I'm not gonna lie, okay, you know, I'm not I'm not little Miss Petite who never has any sweat coming out of me.
• 56:10
  SPEAKER_03: I actually have pores, you know, I sweat.
• 56:12
  SPEAKER_03: I can tell you those deodorants don't work for me because they're eat they're evaporate or they just they get rubbed off or they get like you know what I mean, like displaced.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_03: And that's those are like little things again, the details that no one talks about, but it's like your deodorant doesn't do that, you know.
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's exact it's doing exactly what I want a deodorant to do, which is to work and for me to only apply it once, you know, and then I'm good to go, you know, and I don't need to worry about it.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_03: Is it on my clothes?
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_03: Is it it doesn't, by the way, it doesn't stain my clothes.
• 56:42
  SPEAKER_03: That's a huge thing, you know.
• 56:45
  SPEAKER_03: It doesn't leave those white streaks, you know.
• 56:47
  SPEAKER_03: So it's those things like and and so yeah, you know, if it I really, I really hope that people understand, you know, it's it's more than just words, and it's it's really about yeah, going out there and showing brands that you are behind this, you know, you're behind the idea of change, and you want to see that happen in this industry.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, that's awesome.
• 57:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad you love the deodorant.
• 57:08
  SPEAKER_01: Literally, my brothers and my brother-in-law are obsessed with it too.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_01: They're like a natural deodorant that works for men is like very hard to find.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, I know.
• 57:18
  SPEAKER_03: I think I might even have you send some to my brother because he's like always on the lookout.
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, everybody, I everybody listening.
• 57:24
  SPEAKER_03: I hope you loved this episode, and I would love to have you back, Lila, anytime, you know, really genuine, anytime, because I could talk to you for hours.
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_03: And I and I I really love your brand.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, I I I just want to say, you know, like I I want to have people like you on more because I think this is, you know, this is a conversation that goes beyond just being, like I said, a founder, right?
• 57:44
  SPEAKER_03: It's like being a person who gets it, and I think you really do get it.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I love this episode, and I hope everyone listening, you guys really enjoyed it, and I would love to hear your comments and your feedback.
• 57:54
  SPEAKER_03: And if you have any questions about the brand itself, leave them in the comments section.
• 57:57
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna pass them along to Lil' Steam and we'll get you some answers.
• 58:01
  SPEAKER_03: But hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 58:04
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• 58:09
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• 58:12
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• 58:15
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• 58:26
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• 58:42
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• 58:43
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• 58:47
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• 58:57
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• 59:04
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• 59:09
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.