WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY

It truly bothered Kirsten Kjaer Weis when, as a professional makeup artist, models would point to the conventional brands in her makeup kit and say, “Oh don’t use that, it makes me break out,” or “That one is so drying.” She also knew that women crave beautiful packaging. In the early 2000s, there were virtually no makeup lines that combined healthy formulas with stylish colors and luxurious packaging that also spoke to sustainability. So she made one. Her eponymous, refillable makeup line is creating lots of buzz as it accomplishes what so many brands could not. Listen in for the details of how this of-the-moment line came to be.

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The first thing we spoke about in my conversation with our Base Beauty publicist, Morgan Krause, is how fast she talks…even faster than I do, which is saying something. For the reboot of our original super-sonic session, Morgan consciously tried to slow down, which she realizes was a really helpful exercise for her. Morgan shared how she found her way to New York and to Base Beauty through her work with one of our clients, Au Naturele Cosmetics, a clean beauty brand based in her hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin. A company that also lobbies for stricter regulations to make beauty products less toxic, Au Naturele appealed to Morgan’s interest in global health. She spoke thoughtfully about the importance of using our consumer dollars to affect change and how she’s observed that responsible brands are slowly becoming more affordable and accessible. I hope you’ll join us to hear my full conversation with Morgan, delivered with her usual high energy but at a more reasonable speed.

Hair industry veteran John Costanza knows his stuff. A marketer in his salad days, his first job in beauty was with Joico, going from salon to salon in his native Toronto to build relationships for the brand with the salon owners and stylists. His story is one with lots of twists and turns and a steady rise to the C-suite. While always anchoring his career decisions with his dedication to his family—a quality that was not always looked on favorably by the higher ups when John was starting out—he has developed the ability to stand back from the day-to-day speed bumps and crises that any business faces and focus on what’s really important in life, beyond shampoo and conditioner. In this episode he shares his path and some of the consequences he faced as he navigated through the waters of his various opportunities...and how he learned that balance is a crucial part of leadership. It’s fascinating and informative listening from a seasoned and compassionate pro. Make sure to catch the entire podcast.

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Victoria Watts had a lot of skin concerns and none of the products she tried were addressing them. So in true entrepreneurial style, she decided to make her own, mixing, blending and formulating in her kitchen.That’s how Victorialand Beauty was born. She launched with products that truly improved her hyperpigmentation and the overall look of her skin, using natural botanicals and essential oils to get to a place where she could “go naked” without makeup. But just as the company was off and running, an even greater challenge appeared and changed everything about her business and her life. And a new mission evolved, to help her vision-impaired infant son learn to navigate the world. Hers is a story from the heart you won’t want to miss.

Listen for a HiSmile promo code! https://us.hismileteeth.com

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When Jodi sat down with ClaireBrzozowski, Base Beauty’s Coordinator for Paid Influencer Programs and Social Media, it was cool to hear what was behind some of the career decisions she has made. Switching from a major in psychology to one in communications and media arts, Claire was aware of the connections between the two disciplines, observing how much psychology goes into effective social media marketing. Even at her young age—or perhaps because of it—Claire can smell inauthenticity across cyberspace. It is fascinating to learn from someone who has essentially grown up with social media how she views it today and sees it evolving. Join us to hear Jodi's conversation with the Jersey girl who is the newest member of the Base Beauty team.

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From a performer who did her own makeup to the Chanel beauty counter in San Francisco’s elegant I. Magnin, to running her own brow and facial salon in Maine and New York and developing her own skincare line, makeup artist Jessica Johnson has learned a lot in her 30 years in beauty. She emphasizes the “artist” in makeup artist, working with a living canvas (that moves and sweats and sometimes sags!). One of her goals has been to declutter and simplify the beauty experience and reclaim the glamour, the pampering and the one-on-one connection between a customer and her stylist. Tune in to hear how she’s doing it…and the wisdom she’s acquired along the way. Hers is an inspiring entrepreneurial journey. Catch this episode.

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When Cheryl Foland was working too hard and running too fast, living up to the Manhattan overachiever standard, she happened to mention to her colleagues in beauty marketing that she thought the company should focus on developing business on the West Coast. “Good idea,” they said, “You go.” So she did, reluctantly becoming bi-coastal for a while, having a crash-and-burn moment, then bouncing back to embrace the laid back California lifestyle fulltime. It not only saved her, it planted the seed for lilah b., her beauty line that’s all about paring down, using less and creating simpler beauty routines around multitasking products. Hers is an inspiring story of resilience and reinvention, California style. Plan to listen.

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Brand builder extraordinaire Allison Slater Ray, President of Memebox, has made an impact everywhere she’s been, from her start learning the ropes of marketing and media buying on the Chanel account at DDB to Sephora in its early days as a brand incubator to her marketing position at IT Cosmetics. But entrepreneurship—the desire to build something from the ground up—is in her DNA so she’s just taken the reins at Memebox, a startup group of Korean makeup and skincare brands that she’s looking to put on the map as she’s done for so many others. Listen as she shouts out to those who have helped her on her journey and dives into this new adventure. You’ll love this episode!

#wherebrainsmeetbeauty

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The seeds of a business are often sown through a frustrating search for a product or a solution to a problem. Such is the case with Heather Reier, Founder and CEO of Cake Beauty. Well before natural, vegan, cruelty-free beauty was a “thing,” as Heather sought healthy skincare products, the ones she found smelled terrible, had awful packaging and were totally unappealing. She hit the kitchen, started mixing and created a line of natural, nourishing skincare and haircare products that are as fragrant and effective as they are girly and fun. Listen to Heather’s WBMB podcast to hear how she launched, grew, sold and currently runs Cake, and share all the entrepreneurial lessons she has learned along the way.

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Gabrielle Ophals, co-founder of Haven Spa, doesn’t want to step on anyone’s dreams. As someone who took over a tiny spa on Bleecker Street in New York over 20 years ago and has been moving, tending and growing it ever since, she believes in reaching for the stars. She just thinks some aspiring entrepreneurs get caught up in “it-would-be-cool-to-run-my-own-business” thinking without really considering what’s involved. She believes in following your bliss while keeping your eyes open and having a great team of professionals at the ready, from accountants to plumbers. Lots of wise stuff here. Be sure to listen!

#wherebrainsmeetbeauty

@wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast

wherebrainsmeetbeauty.com