Exclusive Interview with Vanessa U. of Taylor Made Polish
Q: What inspired you to come up with Taylor Made Cosmetics and when did you launch?
A: I started Taylor Made when I was initially searching for cleaner options for nail care. Not seeing exactly what I wanted in the market I began to create my own. I really was enjoying making my own cuticle oil, face products and most importantly nail polish colors, I thought the experience should be shared.
Q: We see that your nail polishes are Leaping Bunny Certified. What does that mean and why was that important to you when developing your products?
A: Leaping Bunny is certification program that validates that not only are our
methods and facility 100% cruelty free, but also our entire supply chain including where we source our ingredients.
Q: As a female business owner, what has been one of biggest challenges in growing your brand and how have you overcome it?
A: Aside from the tremendous amount of work and trying to balance family life, my biggest challenges with growth has been staffing. When you’re a small business every person counts, every task counts and every project we accept or don’t accept has a huge impact on the business. Especially in the beauty industry, it can be hard to find dedicated team members who want to be around for more than the “fun” parts of the business. Behind the scenes, there is a lot of heavy lifting (literally and figuratively) to not only grow, but also differentiate yourself and maintain your service level and standards along the way.
Q: What is something you would like beauty consumers to know about the nail industry. Any tips/tricks for longer lasting nail polish results?
A: Healthy lifestyles lead to healthy nails! Eating right and taking care of yourself is just as important as the products you use. My top recommendations are:
a) Keeping your nails and cuticles moisturized daily. A couple of drops of cuticle oil each night before bed can work wonders for the overall health of your nail and healthy nails retain polish longer.
b) Daily oiling also reduces the amount of cuticle care your nails need. We recommend NOT cutting your cuticles unless absolutely necessary. Many people do not know how to do this correctly and can actually damage the skin around their nails.
c) Limiting your exposure to toxins in personal care products. Look for organic with cleansers, moisturizers and anything that touches your skin and nails.
Q: We would love an inside look into your beauty routine. Can you share two beauty secrets (tools/products/steps) behind your regimen?
A: Absolutely! I’m a busy mom running a household and a business, so everything I do has to be FAST! My routine can be done in under 2 minutes!
Face: I apply 4-6 drops of Taylor Made Organic Facial oil under my makeup, then apply ERA foundation (a great cruelty-free brand with good coverage) TIP: Invest in quality not quantity. One or two high performing products is better (and quicker) than 4-7 that “sort of” work. With fewer products you also introduce less toxins and potentially harmful ingredients into your routine.
Lips /Cheeks: I wear one of 8 Taylor Made lip sticks. I apply it with a lip brush and dot the excess color on my cheeks and rub it in for blush. TIP: Look for dual purpose products. Wearing a combo lip/cheek color ensures your lip and cheek colors always match for a quick pulled together look.
Eyes: I don’t wear eye makeup (unless it’s a really special occasion). I don’t have the patience to apply and remove it. I would also struggle with the application, uneven or simply not enough time to make it perfect... Along with having negative reactions to some eye products, I had had enough. I ditched all of it, tried eyelash extensions and never looked back! TIP: Think outside of the box and look for ways to make your routine work for you! I saved myself 10 minutes daily and have built in “me-time” when I get to go to the salon to have them filled.
Q: Before Covid, you were offering classes and hosting events in-house for group polish-making events. How has Covid inspired you to pivot?
A: We really had to lean into ecommerce and our website. Prior to Covid, in any given month 40-50% of our business was wholesale, 40% was in studio and only 10% came from ecommerce. Although this part has been very challenging I was thankful we had the platform and the ability to make it work for us.
Q: Talk to us about MYOP- Make Your Own Polish, your new addition to the brand?
A. Our “Make Your Own Polish” is our patent-pending studio experience where you can create your own nail polish. During the shutdown, we turned this experience into kits to accommodate parties and classes that were scheduled. Their popularity has grown significantly and now our experience can be done anywhere. We’re in 31 states and counting!
Q: One thing that attracted us to your company last year was your clean-beauty focus combined with your desire to help other small business owners customize beauty cosmetics with their own brand logo design. Talk to us a little about that.
A: Yes, we custom create nail polish and other clean beauty products for other small businesses that share our clean philosophy. Because we make everything in house in small batches we’re well positioned to help others build their brand affordably and expand their own clean beauty communities.
I am obsessed with high performing quality products, which is why we make everything ourselves in our Easton location. We make our products with the best, responsibly sourced ingredients and we have absolutely no fillers. Every ingredient has a purpose.
Q: Besides nail polish, what other products does your company offer with the promise of clean beauty?
A: Aside from our nail polish, we are predominantly an oil based product company. Oil based products minimize the need for preservatives, water and unnecessary fillers that are often included in lotions and other products. More active ingredients are absorbed directly into the skin. We have different formulations and products for facial oils, body oils, body mists and lip products.
Q: What is one thing beauty enthusiasts can look forward to with the future of Taylor Made Polish and Make Your Own Polish?
A: Hands down it will be our subscription service for our MYOP kits. We’re kicking off a monthly and quarterly subscription that will include a “Make Your Own Polish” kit along with other clean beauty nail and body care along with other tools and bonus items that help you live an ethical and clean beauty lifestyle!
Product Spotlight- Make Your Own Polish Kit
A safe, innovative way to create custom nail polish, you can trust! With a curated selection of their natural ingredients and colors, achieve #nailpolishgoals from the comfort of your own home with MYOP Kits! This is thee perfect quality-time activity to share with little girls, at-home girls night in, or your own personal self-care day!
All ingredients are 10-free, cruelty-free, paraben-free, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free!
Each awesome kit includes:
10-free nail polish base
Liquid concentrate trio pack
Vegan pigments
3 polish place mats
Recipe Cards
Funnels
Measuring scoops
3 nail polish bottles w/ mixing beads
Full color instruction booklet
Amazing color guide taking you through color theory to create your perfect color
Biodegradable surface mat
Exclusive DOLLISH Discount Code: Use DOLLISH20 at checkout to receive 20% off + a free gift with purchase! Shop www.makeyourownpolish.com!
And don't forget! Subscribe to the list for MYOP's new subscription service, coming soon!
EDITOR'S NOTE
We hope you've enjoyed Issue #2! Taylor Made Polish is a veteran, woman-owned brand, that was launched out of Vanessa's pure desire to create what she didn't see in the market. Just like most women these days, we are very conscious about what goes onto our skin and into our bodies. We are thrilled that Vanessa took the leap and created such an awesome brand that nail enthusiasts could enjoy, without compromising health!
We've personally had an opportunity to work with Vanessa and create custom nail polishes for our brand. It was an experience that I shared with my daughter, Zoee, who was 7 years old, at the time. We drove up to Easton, PA and had THEE best time ever, allowing our creative juices to flow! We created 3 custom colors and learned so much about how nail polish was created ...The best part for me, as a mom, was watching my daughter create, learn + play with nail polish, without the worry of exposing her to harsh chemicals and fumes. She still talks about that experience 'til this day! Be sure to follow Vanessa on IG & FB @taylormadepolish + @makeyourownpolish.
Thanks for tuning in and stay tuned for our next issue!!
XX,
Cierra C.