• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To MakeupMakeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
    • Advertising & Media
  • Categories
    • Product Reviews
    • Makeup
    • Skincare & Fragrance
    • Style & Fashion
    • Hair
    • Nails
    • Tips & Tutorials
    • Just for Fun
  • Brands
  • Store

The Beauty Social, Oct. 2011: Want to Start Your Own Beauty Brand?

October 24th, 2011 by Karen 13 Comments

The Beauty Social
From the left: Beautylish Beauty Director and segment host Ning Chao, Cover FX Founder and Co-Creator Jenny Frankel, theBalm Founder Marissa Shipman, LORAC Founder and Celebrity Makeup Artist Carol Shaw, Celebrity Hairstylist Byron Williams

Marissa Shipman, founder of theBalm Cosmetics, says that starting theBalm was a very organic process, with the idea growing and evolving over time.

On how to get things off the ground with your own beauty brand, she says, “You just really need a good idea and a good place to start.” When she started talking about wanting to sell her own beauty line, her dad had concerns. “Get a job, get a job,” she remembers him saying, but she was determined, felt prepared and decided to just go for it.

Jenny Frankel, founder, co-creator and executive vice president of Cover FX, actually started out as a chemist working for MAC (she created Clear Lipglass!). “It was tremendous for me,” she says of her time at MAC, “because it was a great learning experience.” On starting your own line, she says the real secret is doing your homework. “Before you invest your money, do your homework. Test on your friends, and if it’s something you want to do as a business, do a business plan. Do a little homework.”

Jenny and Marissa both suggest running your ideas by your closest friends and family first, the people you know you can trust, before you invest a lot of your own time and money into it. If your friends love it, other people might, too.

Jenny’s idea with Cover FX was to create a product that was for sensitive skin but provided full coverage and had lots of color choices.

“Seventy-five percent of all beauty ideas fail,” she warns, “but if you have a compelling point of difference, and you’ve done your homework and have a good idea, that still means that the other 25% of the ideas out there succeed.”

Carol Shaw, celebrity makeup artist and founder of LORAC Cosmetics, started out as a makeup artist, which she credits for helping her discover the essence of makeup and beauty. “No matter how much color you put on someone’s face, if their skin isn’t looking good, whether it’s for the red carpet, photography or the street, if their skin isn’t perfect, then they won’t look as beautiful as they can.”

When asked what she would have done differently if she were starting her own line today, she says, “I would’ve used someone else’s money. Use other people’s money!”

The Beauty Social
On the right: Marissa Shipman, founder and CEO of theBalm Cosmetics

How much money? Marissa says that it’s possible to bring a single product to market today for less than $10,000, but first and foremost for someone thinking about starting their own makeup company, she says, “I think you really need to have a good idea. And if you believe in your idea, you can totally make it work. So I say just do it. Trademark your name, and buy your website, and start getting your products together.”

But don’t expect things to be easy. “Be prepared,” says Carol. “It’s a lot of work. It’s fun, but it’s a lot of work.”

What about making mistakes along the way? Marissa says it comes with the territory of trying something new. “I mean, I made mistakes, but I learned from them, so I think they were worth it.”

About Beautylish and The Beauty Social

Beautylish is an online social network exclusively for beauty, a resource featuring the latest and greatest product reviews, video tutorials, makeup tips and tricks, trends, celebrity secrets, must-have products and more.

The Beauty Social was a two-day event held in Santa Monica, California, over Oct. 22-23, 2011. The annual event was organized by Beautylish and featured a variety of speakers, from famous makeup artists, to editors, company founders, bloggers and vloggers.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Beauty Social, Oct. 2011: Want to Start Your Own Beauty Brand? / Originally published October 24th, 2011

There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: News Keywords: beautysocial, blogging

Previous Post: Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Oct. 24
Next Post: A Monday Face of the Day with the New Laura Mercier Luxe Colour Portfolio for Holiday 2011

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kajal Couture says

    October 24th, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    Great post! I would love to know more about what you talking about during your session.

    Reply
  2. Sarah says

    October 24th, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    This seems really interesting! That would be an incredible opportunity to start your very own beauty brand! Wow! I’d love to do that:)
    Check out my beauty blog if you wish:)

    Reply
  3. priincess says

    October 24th, 2011 at 6:22 pm

    This is awesomee!

    Reply
  4. Sonya says

    October 24th, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    Lots of good info here, what girl doesn’t dream of starting her own beauty line! Hope you were able to have a bit fun on your trip between working!
    Sonya recently posted … OPI Muppets Collection, the Glitters – Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It, Divine Swine, Fresh Frog of Bel Air, Gone Gonzo!, Excuse Moi!, Rainbow Connection – Photos, Swatches, Review

    Reply
  5. Ruchita says

    October 24th, 2011 at 8:07 pm

    Kudos to these women for following their dreams and taking the initiative to start a business out of what they love doing!

    Reply
  6. Christy says

    October 24th, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    love it! I’d love to hear more about your particular talk which I’m sure is coming up soon 🙂 🙂 🙂
    Christy recently posted … What makeup is in your purse?

    Reply
  7. Advah says

    October 25th, 2011 at 4:33 am

    I agree, great post! Those ‘how to’ posts are so interesting.

    Reply
  8. artemis says

    October 25th, 2011 at 6:42 am

    i wanna do that someday :))

    Reply
  9. Nina says

    October 25th, 2011 at 8:05 am

    great read! what was awesome about the panel was they are all behind brands that make awesome products!

    Reply
  10. Mariana says

    October 25th, 2011 at 10:01 am

    Love the post!

    http://www.beautynthingsblog.com

    Reply
  11. beautylogicblog says

    October 25th, 2011 at 11:55 am

    Karen do you have anything on what you spoke about? Can you give us notes. lol, I want to know.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 25th, 2011 at 12:01 pm

      I’m working on the post right now. Check back in a few, Milly! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Jennifer says

    October 25th, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    Hi Karen! I am a beauty fanatic and am in the process of starting my own blog. I’ve been reading your blog but not actually posting any comments. Thanks to you, I attended the event this weekend. I thought you and the other ladies had great insight. Thank you for all your insightful and funny posts! TABS!!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

SHOP THE STORE


Long Live Lipstick Tee 💄



Blush Is My Crush Tee



Mascara & Kitties Tee



Thank You For Being a Friend Tee



You Hair Me Tee


Recent Posts

briogeo at ulta

Briogeo Now at Ulta!

duri when in rome

I’ve Found the Perfect Pale Blue Denim Nail Polish, and It’s Only $8

duri when in rome

This Matte Brown Classic Eye Makeup Goes With Everything

sonoma public library

Road Tripping in the North Bay Area: Historic Sonoma Plaza

aloe plant deck cocobaby

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 661

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Featured Posts

Lady Unicorn

Weird Things I Like to Do

brows fill out beforehand

Before You Pluck or Wax Your Brows, You Must Do This

current bare skin status

What’s One Thing That Drastically Changed Your Skin for the Better?

red brown smokey eyes tutorial top pic 2

A Glamorously Grungy Makeup Tutorial: Smoky Reddish Brown Eyes and Vampy Matte Lips [MODERATE SKILL LEVEL]

Copyright © 2020 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.