by theglamscientist | | beauty, beauty business, business, consulting, cosmetic chemists, cosmetics, cosmetics industry, Glam Life |
At some point in our lives, I think we’ve all been drawn in to a fictional tv show; whether your taste is Scandal, Sex and the City or Glee. Have you ever considered the thought, research and effort that go into the development of your favorite characters? I mean, when you really think about it, those characters are not REAL. They don’t live in the real world, yet they have a personality, a culture, values (or not), careers, friends, taste in food and clothes. Everything that makes you and I human is built into each fictional character so that they feel real to us. We are able to develop a connection to fictional characters because the writer took care in developing a complete character.
*Stay with me, I’m going somewhere with this.*
But they don’t stop there. Once the characters are developed and the scripts are written, the actors get to know the characters. My fiancé happens to be an actor and I was once lucky enough to sit in on a character analysis. It was one of the most intriguing things I’ve ever witnessed. I watched as the writer/director posed questions and scenarios to the actors who responded as if they themselves were really the character. Actors really become their characters on set.
So how does this apply to your beauty brand? Well, your brand needs a personality, it needs values, it needs a culture. Your customers should be able to get to know your brand like they get to know their favorite tv characters. Is your brand classic? Or does she respond to trends? What kind of customer would your brand make friends with? Where does she shop? What does she eat? Does your brand feel connected to the community or is she more drawn to a specific audience? Get to know your brand BEFORE you introduce her to the world. Give the world something to connect and hold on to. That’s the first step to creating a loyal brand following.
What methods have you used in developing a personality for your beauty brand?
Here’s to the Glam Life!
by theglamscientist | | beauty, beauty business, business, consulting, cosmetic chemists, cosmetic science, cosmetics, cosmetics industry, Glam Life |
Before you dig into this post, take a minute to ponder these three words- Best, Popular, Profitable. What comes to mind when you read each of them? *jot that down*
What is your main goal for your beauty brand? Do you want to be the best to ever do it? Are you seeking popularity? Or would you much rather be profitable? You can have it all, but you should start with what matters most and retrofit the rest.
I believe if I do my best work, it will earn me profitability because of the quality and value I would pour out to the clients I serve. Doing so creates loyalty and word of mouth marketing. When you’re creating something of value for your tribe, you’ll gain popularity. Let’s face it, all of us want to be known for something whether we’re willing to admit it or not. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be popular, especially for something you give your all to.
Consider these elements when you’re sitting at the drawing board planning your beauty brand. Give your best to each point in the process. Select superb formulations, research and implement the most effective marketing strategies for your product type, create a unique and compelling brand culture and match all of your visuals and copy to that culture. Your packaging, logo, website, presentation of product claims and promo materials should all be a reflection of your brand’s best work. If you do, the profitability and popularity will fall in place. It’s quite a glamorous cycle!
Here’s to the Glam Life!
by theglamscientist | | beauty, beauty business, business, color cosmetics, consulting, cosmetic chemists, cosmetics, cosmetics industry, esteem, Glam Life, startup advice |
There’s just no way around it. If you want to succeed, advance, learn, be a leader; you must read. I’m willing to bet if you interviewed the top beauty brand owners and leaders you’d find they have a list of reading material that played a role in their success. Someone like you that is on a quest for success and advancement in the cosmetic industry has to be intentional about your reading. Not just any book will do. I like to have an arsenal of reading material so that I know or am learning a little bit about everything that applies to my direction in life. I always set business and personal goals for the year. I use those goals to guide my reading. Not only should you select books that matter to you right now, but you have to read with an open, active, critical and investigative mind. It’s not so much about what’s written on the page as it is what those words spark inside of you. Pay careful attention to the sparks.
So what should you be reading?
The key to a successful business is to have a healthy personal life, a productive business life and to be knowledgeable in subjects that affect your beauty business.
I recommend reading self help books and/or blogs that build and maintain your self esteem. This kind of reading will teach you what to say when you talk to yourself and how to protect yourself from negativity. You can also look for blogs written by life coaches and lifestyle brands to help you maintain an inspired, motivated and positive outlook.
I also believe every business owner or aspiring business owner will benefit from reading marketing and branding material. Find books whose title and description speaks to you and where you are right now. Look for bloggers whose voice/style is reflective of yourself or someone you can see yourself being friends with. This will be easy reading for you and these nuggets can be dropped in your inbox daily. I personally like dry humor, a touch of sarcasm, or high energy. Marketing bloggers are really good at that.
Finally, you’ll need to read material that applies directly to your industry. You’re reading this blog so I’m willing to bet cosmetics is your industry of choice. Luckily, our industry has a lot of trade publications to keep you in the know. I’ll list my favorites below. Being apart of this industry means you get to read fun, girly stuff, too. Your favorite fashion/lifestyle magazines will all touch on beauty in every issue. What you do with the information will determine if it is golden or not. Here’s a TGS secret… It’s ALWAYS golden. *wink*
My favorite trade publications:
GCI Magazine
Cosmetics and Toiletries
HAPPI
What are you reading right now? Drop your favorite blogs and book titles in the comments for all of us to enjoy.
Here’s to the Glam Life!
by theglamscientist | | beauty, beauty business, product inspiration |
I gather a lot of product inspiration from fashion and home design. It may sound strange, but somehow I can translate the colors and designs of clothes and home accessories into cosmetics and fragrance. There was a spread in the July 2011 issue of Vogue that immediately drew me in. “Spellbound”, as it was appropriately named, was inspired by “1940’s film noir chic”. Anything old hollywood screams richness and luxury to me. That can be creatively translated into lip and eye color, nail lacquer and even high end fragrance.
The basis of my product idea stemmed from the fact that film and tv in the 1940’s was completely black and white. What a perfect canvas for bold colors, textures and prints! The most striking page in the spread featured Lara Stone in a beautifully tailored Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere shirtwaist dress (2011RTW). With bold colors of fuschia, shades of orange, royal blue/purple, red and mustard yellow set on a white background, I was staring at a palette of inspiration. I think this dress spoke to me so deeply because I’ve always been attracted to that kind of paisley-esque floral. In fact, I’ve been stalking this dinnerware set in a similar print at Target for months. I just can’t muster a good excuse to purchase it.
So imagine my joy when I met with my latest joint venture partner and she unveiled swatches of colors that had been dancing around in my head for the last two weeks. Talk about thrilled! Glam girls think alike 🙂
We’ll revisit this post when it’s time to reveal the new project. Until then, take note: Beauty and fashion walk hand in hand. If you want to succeed in the beauty industry (especially color cosmetics) you must keep a close eye what the fashion industry is doing.
Here’s to the Glam Life!
by theglamscientist | | beauty, fave's, Glam Life |
I realized today that I don’t know much about my readers, and my readers may not know much about me. Even on Twitter it surprises me how many people have no idea what I do. I clearly need to toot my own horn a bit more. Nevertheless, this post is dedicated to giving you a closer look at my life… as it relates to beauty… and you doing the same.
So a little about me… You already know I’m a cosmetic chemist. I do contract work and consulting for small businesses, spas/salons and independent beauty professionals who want to market a line of beauty products. Manicurists and Makeup Artists have been my best clients so far. I also do private labeling and wholesaling. The product offerings for those services is growing gradually.
I am vain in the sense that I take pride in the way I look. I’m not the “I know I’m prettier than you” type. I just like to look pretty and I easily recognize and appreciate beauty in other women too. I am the QUEEN of complimenting a stranger 🙂 I’m obsessive about taking care of my hair and my skin. I spare no expense for hair care and skin care… especially when a product no longer works for me. I don’t think I’m a true product junkie, but that’s probably only because I can read an ingredients list and instantly know if a product will live up to it’s claims. My fave beauty products to buy are lip gloss and nail polish. I keep approximately 5 lip glosses in my purse not including the lip balm and carmex that I tote around. I buy nail polish compulsively, yet I rarely have my nails polished because of the work that I do. I also enjoy perfume… I wear it more for the status. It makes me feel all glamorous and grown up. I create perfume because I enjoy the process and because I can be inspired by so many different things that lead to creating a beautiful perfume.
So that’s enough about me. I want to know about you! Tell me, what’s your favorite nail polish brand? What nail color is an absolute classic in your eyes? What’s the best top coat and base coat? What beauty product or types of products excite you? How often do you wear perfume? What’s your signature fragrance? Are you obsessed with lip gloss like me? How long do you wish your lip gloss would last? Do you wear bronzer, foundation or tinted moisturizer? What’s your fave makeup brand? Are you into color or are you a neutral gal? When you pamper yourself, what does that include?
I want to hear it all, ladies! So, please leave a comment telling me all about your Glam Life 🙂
by theglamscientist | | beauty, esteem, glamour, poetry |
In the spirit of promoting female self esteem, I thought it would be appropriate to debut The Glam Laboratory with a poem that captures the very essence of beauty.
THE UNFADING BEAUTY
by Thomas Carew
He that loves a rosy cheek,
Or a coral lip admires,
Or from star-like eyes doth seek
Fuel to maintain his fires:
As Old Time makes these decay,
So his flames must fade away.
But a smooth and steadfast mind,
Gentle thoughts and calm desires,
Hearts with equal love combined,
Kindle never-dying fires,
Where these are not, I despise
Lovely cheeks or lips or eyes.
There is more to beauty than meets the eye Sure we love getting all dolled up with our skin care rituals, perfect hair products and the most feminine nail color we can find; but whats underneath all that? Its important that we glam up the inside as well as the outside. So… pick up a book, take a class, champion a cause– all while being the most glamorous you can be. For physical beauty inevitably fades, but authentic beauty is forever.
