S&S: You have great skin. Besides using the vbeauté skincare regime, what is your biggest piece of skincare advice you’d offer to young women in their twenties and early thirties? What’s worked best for you?
Julie: Wear a daily SPF, preferably one that is zinc based as it will not clog your pores. Right now, as my own tester, I am wearing the beta version of the Zinc based SPF we are developing for vbeauté. Skincare is preventive, the sooner you start using high quality anti age products, the better; prevention is easier than reduction, battle it now. I recommend a regimen with our anti-aging vbeauté products as early as your mid 20’s. Less is more, foundations age the skin, use great skincare and you will only need a touch of concealer, tinted moisturizers at most.
S&S: What is your favorite product in the line – and why?
Julie: Wow! You cannot ask a mother who her favorite child is! Given the blood sweat and tears (but no parabens!) that went into the development of the line almost makes it impossible for me to choose. That said, based on customer response I would say our two most popular products are Eye Never, your eye-lift in a jar (even my husband uses it!), and Lite Up which is a safe, brightening agent that helps reduce existing dark spots and helps prevent new ones from forming. Lite Up also fights acne and the related scarring.
S&S: As an entrepreneur and in life, who/what are your biggest inspirations?
Julie: Estee Lauder and Helena Rubenstein. Connecting with the consumer is how I conduct business. I like to spend time with women including countless hours in malls giving facials with our products and understanding women’s concerns about their skin. Proper skincare requires a lot of education and it’s essential to really sit down with as many people as possible to make sure vbeauté addresses their needs and concerns. Skincare can be intimidating and misunderstood much like makeup was in the 30’s/40’s. Today’s technology is complex and needs to be explained, as do the steps of application! Serums are completely new to a lot of people, yet it is one of the most effective products on the market given the high concentration of actives and peptides.
S&S: What was the biggest challenge you encountered, launching vbeauté?
Julie: Sleeping! Everything in a start up is a challenge and we approached it 24/7. Getting vbeauté from a prototype idea into formula development, packaging design and selling into the retailers one by one took a lot of time – I am a big believer in our products which allows me to sell honestly and with determination. I am also very fortunate to have a great team alongside me and a very supportive family at home who believes in me.
S&S: Julie, a lot of my readers are young women in their twenties and thirties who are either dreaming of, or in the process of starting their own businesses. What advice would you offer them?
Julie: Find something you are passionate and believe in and go for it. Lots of people have terrific ideas, few execute them well – so the trick is being persistent, believing in yourself and your ideas and not giving up, while at the same time being open minded enough to let your idea and business model evolve as needed. Follow your passion, have conviction yet be open to the opinions and criticisms of others. Harness and learn from mistakes, make bad days good days and most important of all: believe in yourself and never give up.
