BIO:
Well, a little bio about me as a person, is that I am the youngest of three girls, ( I'm 25), and played soccer for 15 years. I have been a makeup artist since I was 17 years old, and was a runway artist for Style LA Fashion Week 2013, right before I started EMC. I shop way too much at Victoria Secret, and am obsessed with New York City. My favorite movies are Harry Potter movies, and I have about 35 tattoos.
How and why did you start Elle Michelle Cosmetics?
I started EMC right after I graduated from FIDM. I learned while there, subjects like product development, entrepreneurship, marketing and trend forecasting. So it came very natural to me what I wanted to do within the beauty world. I contacted all manufacturers within the industry and spoke about how they would create my product, and how flexible they were with colors they could create. It was mostly important to me that my manufacturer did everything cruelty free.
But I wanted to start EMC for many reasons. I'm not one that wants to work my ass off day in and day out for someone else, I want to do it for myself. I have certainly learned a lot from others, but I knew I could take this journey and I follow through with everything that was important to me, and get my message across. I wanted to start a company that would always be just lip products, so for now I just have lipsticks. I wanted lips because 1. I am obsessed with lipstick, and 2. because your mouth can either be a deadly weapon, or a positive and uplifting tool. I wanted my company to have a loud voice for being a "bad ass with a kind heart". To show that it is not cool to be a bully or a mean girl, and that being kind can also make you a bad ass. .
What do you love most about makeup?
What I love most about makeup is the freedom of creativity you have with it. As a makeup obsessed woman, and I'm sure many can relate, I dont wear my makeup for others I do it for myself. So basically I dont care if anyone likes that I am wearing black lipstick or not because I like it.
Being someone who is in the filed of having there own Cosmetic Line, What do you look for in terms of a finding a model for your campaigns?
Well since my line is lipsticks, I do tend to look for girls who have fuller lips. But the bigger my company becomes, I will post more selfies that the brand is tagged in, similar to other companies. Simply because I like how raw it is to use real customers photos, and being able to shout people out is always exciting too.
Since Modelsavings.com is a blog about saving money, tell us a time where you had to save some money.
I save money all the time haha. While I was at FIDM, I was very tight on money so I would start putting eye drops in my mascara to make it last longer, and mix eye shadows with lipgloss to give myself a "newish" lipgloss haha.
What are some of your greatest accomplishments, and what are some projects you are currently working?
Well I was a horrible student in high school, so one of my biggest accomplishments was how well I did at FIDM. I had a 3.77 GPA, even while crying once a quarter because I had so much work to be done =). And of course my company is a huge accomplishment of mine. I am very proud of what it is now, and whats to come.
Some projects I am working on now, is I just finished the new packaging designs for the new tubes and boxes, as well as the new colors we are going to be adding next year. And working on getting into the trade shows for next year as well.
What is your inspiration?
I have many inspirations. My inspiration for my brand I find in people everyday. Seeing both the positive and negative in people around me, and on tv pushes me A LOT to make my company very positive and inspirational. As well as having a lot of nieces and a nephew, I want them to see the good in people and that its a strength not a weakness. As far as for color schemes, or marketing, I get inspired a lot through music because it allows me to think. And constantly staying on top of trends, and visiting FIDM to see all the different types of people and their styles. FIDM is a great place to go to get inspiration.
Where can the readers find you on social media?
The readers can find me on social media (mainly instagram) @ellemichellecosmetics. Or using #emclipstick #ellemichellecosmetics.http://instagram.com/
http://ellemichellecosmetics.
https://www.facebook.com/
1 comments:
Great interview! How inspiring that Elle Michelle has accomplished so much already by the ago of 25. Like her, I believe makeup and style does give us the ability to truly get creative--which is an empowering thing. :) T. http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com
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