In episode 120 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the co founder of Sunnies Face, Martine Ho.

Martine Ho comes from a family of artists and performers, so where many people grow up thinking of creative pursuits as hobbies, Martine knew first hand that a career in the arts is entirely possible if you work for it. Born in Manila but largely raised in LA, Martine grew up passionate about photography and graphic design, and even told her classmates that she wanted to own a beauty brand one day. Martine became what I’d call one of the “original influencers,” sharing her personal style online well before people used social media the way we do today. 

After being scouted by American Apparel to drive and grow their digital presence, Martine moved back to Manila to exercise her branding skills on a new sunglasses line, Sunnies Studios, a brand she founded alongside a small group of her friends and family. It was during campaign shoots for the brand that Martine realised makeup artists were anglicising the models, so she started mixing lipstick shades on set to ensure they worked on diverse complexions. 

Naturally, Martine tells the Sunnies Face story better than I do but based on makeup artist demand, the brand launched in 2018 with their iconic Fluffmatte lipstick after sampling between 300 and 350 shades. Fluffmate sold out within about 10 minutes and, today, Sunnies Face sells a lipstick somewhere in the world every 30 seconds. 

In this conversation, Martine shares what a celebrity endorsement can do for a startup, the challenges of taking the brand global, and the beauty of creating a brand out of necessity. 

Read more at glowjournal.com

Follow Sunnies Face on Instagram @sunniesface.

Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemkwatts and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected]

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