Mar 18, 2022
This month, we're back in the crates, offering remixes of some of our old episodes. This episode features Jazmin Alvarez, founder of the clean beauty & wellness site Pretty Well Beauty (initially. interviewed. in episode 3!)
Since I chatted with Jazmin last, a few things have happened:
- The website redesign and brand refresh
- She's added seven new lines
- 50% of the brands on the site are from BIPOC creators
- She's co-founding a leadership academy for emerging beauty entrepreneurs (with access to funding).
- She is the recipient of a Reimagine Main Street grant
Note: EleVen is Venus Williams' line, not Serena's.
The original show notes are below:
With
$300 and two suitcases, she came to New York City with her eye on
being a model agent. From there, Alvarez transitioned to casting
and photo production before leaping entrepreneurship.
Jazmin Alvarez talks to host
Corynne L. Corbett about her winding path to becoming
a beauty
entrepreneur. After graduating
from college, she came to NYC with two suitcases and $300,
determined to be a model agent. Her first opportunity came from
Ford Model Management on the men's board, and she turned it down in
favor of an internship at another agency. When that opportunity
didn't pan out as hoped, Alvarez went back to Ford and asked if
they would consider her for the men's board again.
I actually turned that job down and went to One model management
for an unpaid internship that I thought would turn into a full-time
position. They had Naomi Campbell at the time. So, you know, they
were like the hot new boutique agency of the moment. So after about
two or three months, it did not turn into a full-time position. So
I ended up going back to Ford and asking them about the job they
had previously offered me was still available, and they hired me,
and it ended up being one of the most fun experiences of my
life.
This
is just one example of how Alvarez took on the challenges in front
of her without fear. She shares how she transitioned to casting and
later photo production. She points out how her time at Art +
Commerce set a standard of excellence that she still refers to
today. And what it was like to produce ads for Rolex, cast NY
Fashion Week shows, and cast the models for the social campaign for
the Fenty Beauty digital launch.
She
shares how her interest in clean beauty was strictly personal at
first. And how Pretty Well
Beauty went from an
Instagram account to an e-commerce business showcasing a carefully
curated collection of beauty and wellness brands that she spends a
minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of a year vetting. She and Corbett
discuss why clean beauty should not be strictly reserved
for white
women (aka the Goop
effect) and how Black and Brown women have created clean products
for eons.
You know, when we hear people from Goop or any of these other companies raving about Ashwangandha and Turmeric all these herbs and stuff that are in these skin care products that have been around for centuries, as if they're talking about as if they just discovered it. It feels a little bit like cultural appropriation. And I think it's an extremely inappropriate and disrespectful because you're you are taking something from people who you are not acknowledging in any way.
She
shares some clean beauty and wellness products that have her
attention right now. They include Ilera
Apothecary,
Element
Apothecary, and
Taza
Ayurvedic. And Alvarez
also reveals how she plans to expand the Pretty Well Beauty
footprint in the future.
I look at the ingredients first and everything that's in it. If there's nothing in there that's toxic or unsafe, then I request samples of the products. So they'll send me the products. And I need at least four weeks to be able to use everything, because that's usually how long it takes for you to start to see results. I'll use the products for a minimum of four weeks. [I will take it to the next step] If I like the products, if I feel like they are beneficial and they're effective and I'm not experiencing any sort of reactions that are negative or if they are just they if they just feel good. I pay attention to like all the details of what my experience is, not only from a consumer point of view, but also as a beauty buyer.
Guest
Bio: Jazmin Alvarez is the
founder and chief curator of Pretty Well Beauty, an
Afro-Latina-owned clean beauty and wellness website launched in
2019. Alvarez, a 14 year veteran of the fashion and beauty
industry, is an alum of Calvin Klein Condé Nast. In 2017, she led
the production and casting for the digital launch of Fenty Beauty,
having experienced first-hand the direct relationship between the
products that you put on your skin-your body's largest organ- and
your vital organs. Alvarez curates a diverse product offering that
adheres to the strictest standards of clean and sustainable
practice. Diversity is at the heart of Pretty Well Beauty's mission
which seeks to reclaim wellness and clean beauty to be accessible
and approachable Alvarez'sunique curation prioritizes a
product selection that addresses a wide variety of needs, fits
various price points and highlights the founders from a variety of
backgrounds.