Explore the transformative power of beauty with Marlena Stell, the visionary founder of Makeup Geek, in a heart-to-heart that's as enlightening as it is inspiring. Marlena shares her journey from a makeup-obsessed child to a YouTube powerhouse, revealing how the art of cosmetics became her avenue for self-empowerment. She delves into the nuanced relationship between self-esteem and beauty, and how embracing one's image through makeup can be an act of self-love. In the creation of her latest venture, the Makeup Geek Academy, Marlena is on a mission to provide a sanctuary for learning and passion for makeup away from the social media circus.
As we navigate the ever-changing beauty landscape, Marlena stands at the helm, guiding us through the surging waves of industry trends and the emergence of cutting-edge products that promise to revolutionize our routines. Gain exclusive access to her pearls of wisdom as she reflects on the beauty space's evolution – from the fleeting satisfaction of quick content to a deeper yearning for authentic, comprehensive education. For those dreaming of their own entrepreneurial ventures, Marlena imparts the hard-earned insights of her odyssey in the beauty domain. Wrap up your listen feeling enriched and grateful for the rare opportunity to peer inside the mind of a true beauty industry icon.
Follow The Show On All Socials Using The Tag @skincareanarchy
Explore the transformative power of beauty with Marlena Stell, the visionary founder of Makeup Geek, in a heart-to-heart that's as enlightening as it is inspiring. Marlena shares her journey from a makeup-obsessed child to a YouTube powerhouse, revealing how the art of cosmetics became her avenue for self-empowerment. She delves into the nuanced relationship between self-esteem and beauty, and how embracing one's image through makeup can be an act of self-love. In the creation of her latest venture, the Makeup Geek Academy, Marlena is on a mission to provide a sanctuary for learning and passion for makeup away from the social media circus.
As we navigate the ever-changing beauty landscape, Marlena stands at the helm, guiding us through the surging waves of industry trends and the emergence of cutting-edge products that promise to revolutionize our routines. Gain exclusive access to her pearls of wisdom as she reflects on the beauty space's evolution – from the fleeting satisfaction of quick content to a deeper yearning for authentic, comprehensive education. For those dreaming of their own entrepreneurial ventures, Marlena imparts the hard-earned insights of her odyssey in the beauty domain. Wrap up your listen feeling enriched and grateful for the rare opportunity to peer inside the mind of a true beauty industry icon.
Follow The Show On All Socials Using The Tag @skincareanarchy
Hey guys, welcome back to skincare anarchy. This is your host, echta, and today I have someone I am truly just beyond honored to interview. I have been a huge fan of hers since I can remember, and I got into beauty and makeup and trying to figure out what to do with my own makeup, and so she is truly just a beauty icon veteran and, without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to Marlene Mestell. She's a renowned beauty industry expert. Her company, makeup Geek, was featured in global corporations like Target. It was also named the top fastest growing companies by Inc three years in a row, and she's truly just a thought leader. So welcome, marlene. I'm so honored to host you. Like I said, thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. I'm so honored to be here. Thank you so much. I'm so grateful.
Speaker 1:Oh no, it truly the honor is mine and, without me delaying, I really want to dive in by learning about you and just what got you into makeup. Like I've been dying to ask you that literally for years. Like what made you get into it? I've watched numerous YouTube videos, but I just want to hear it from you what started everything?
Speaker 2:Yes, you know, honestly, I was one of those kids that had those Barbie head dolls and we do its makeup and hair. So I think I've always intuitively have loved makeup. It's part of who I was as a teenager as well. But as far as me, starting on YouTube, it was kind of my escape.
Speaker 2:I was a teacher at the time and makeup made me happy because I've struggled with weight my whole life and that kind of became the box that society tried to put me in, as I was basically called the fat girl with the pretty face, and so I got so tired of that stereotype and so makeup for me became this way to boost my self esteem and I really wanted other people to feel that. So I turned on the camera one day and I thought, if makeup makes me feel amazing and helps people to stop focusing on just my weight and you know, asking me about what is this eyeshadow look you're doing, how did you do that? Like, let me get on camera and teach them so I can hopefully help other people feel amazing too and maybe make it could be something powerful for them. So it started as a hobby and then just grew from there on YouTube, but it just was always a love and a passion of mine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean, I feel like that came across to every single one of your fans, because I would watch you and I was like she just loves this, she loves doing makeup and she loves teaching, and I was like, literally, you taught me how to do my wing liner the way I still wear it to this day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was honest to God and I related with you because I was also in that group where, being South Asian, I was in a Caucasian dominant school. I never fit in. I never felt like I fit in you know, and so it was hard.
Speaker 1:So for a lot of us I think we can relate those of us who tuned in and it's just you really resonated with a very wide audience. And I want to ask I know you were really into the eyeshadow look. Has that changed for you over the years? Your interest in, like you know your niche that you really really love with makeup?
Speaker 2:I know you love makeup in general but yeah, I know I think it has changed for me. I mean, I still obviously love eyeshadow. That'll always be my first love. But as I've gotten older because I started YouTube when I was 28, I'm now 44, which is very long time I'm more into, you know, skin and lips and cheeks and things like that Even though I love eyeshadow I really do. I love the color, I think it's the artist in me, I love the textures and finishes. But I've changed how I apply makeup as I'm older to be a little bit more simple with the eyes and focusing more on the rest of my face, and that's what I spent my energy on, I guess, in my routine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I mean, some of your skincare picks are literally like top notch. Like I watch your skincare videos and I'm like, oh my God, she loves this. I have to try it.
Speaker 2:Like literally I'm watching the video yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I mean, it shows, though you have, like such a gorgeous complexion and I'm always like, oh my God, whatever, merlene, I use, this I need to use, but that's with everything.
Speaker 2:So oh, that's amazing. I'm very hardcore and by Skate Carriage I do not play when it comes to my skin, because I'm like you only get one skin. I gotta make this last as long as I can.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. You know absolutely and it's, you know, it's really cool and I truly like. Your reviews are very transparent, so thank you so much for that, by the way, because we need that, as you know, in this industry always. So thank you for always being transparent. I wanna talk to you, Merlene. I know you're launching this amazing Makeup Geek Academy. Could you tell us about that, cause that is really exciting.
Speaker 2:Yes. So I launched this Makeup Geek Academy and I know a lot of people are like but you used to sell products. I'm like no, I still have products. You just be patient.
Speaker 2:But I wanted to start this academy because I love teaching. That is my passion, that's my background, my degrees in education. I've always loved teaching and I wanted a safe space, because I feel like social media right now is so toxic. It's not even about the makeup anymore, it's about who can create drama and all of that, and I just don't want any part of that. And so I wanted this kind of safe space that it really was just focused on makeup. Let's connect together, have some cool artists come on board and teach some cool tricks and tips and talk about what's going on in the industry. But then also I can teach classes in an actual curriculum format. That's very fun. You have syllabuses and visuals and video that you can watch on exactly the topic you need, and you don't have to search through a bazillion TikToks to find the content that you need. It's right there. It's well organized for those who just really want to learn and improve their makeup skills.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's amazing. I feel like I wish that existed when I was like a teen or something. That would have been phenomenal. So the instruction is then by you. Then Are you gonna be in there like doing, like wow, that's really cool yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I teach. And then for those who cause, there's a community as well where you can connect with other people. You can promote yourself in there, you can all sorts of fun stuff giveaways, contests and things like that and then I do lives every month where people can. Actually I tell them okay, here's the products I'm using this month. If you guys wanna join, have them ready. Let's do this together. So we all live, get on camera and I teach a class and they can ask questions, they can show me, I can walk them through whatever, and it's like private makeup lessons, but in a group setting with a bunch of other people learning too. So really fun.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. I love that. That's so cool and, like, I feel like if you're anyone tuning in and you're like in that category where you're still trying to figure out makeup, please take advantage of this. This is really cool. Yeah, no, I wish this existed. Yes, yes, exactly. So I know you guys are gonna have a lot of interesting things going on there, other than just obviously there's instruction, but then something about Dynamic Community Portal. So can you tell us about that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the Community Portal, so everyone. So there's a couple options. If people want just the community, that's $9 a month. They come in and that's where you can connect with other people and I do a live class every month. And then, for those who wanna take actual courses in makeup, that is starting anywhere from $2.99 and up all the way up to the high end one which is focusing more on business and beauty. But the community itself is all about connecting with others and I have inspirational look of the week, so every week I give them hey, here's a new technique or a new color combo to try. I'm partnering with some amazing independent brands to give them coupons, so every month I'll feature a new brand. Hey, here's an exclusive discount I've asked this brand to give us so people can try some brands and save some money. There. There's contest, and then I give away product every month as well.
Speaker 2:It's just meant to be like a really fun, safe space that is focused on makeup that's fun and encouraging and doesn't have all the BS and the toxicity in there.
Speaker 1:That's so cool. I love that. That's genuinely. We need more of that. As many as you can make Marlene Upsies to it, because I look at social media too, honestly, when I scroll through TikTok or Instagram reels no, hey, I think it's amazing to have platforms like this. No-transcript, I see a lot of confusion. I'm not hating on the confusion, I'm just saying I was there once. I remember being confused and some of the things that are being told. I mean, I don't know what your viewpoint on social media is, but, like, sometimes I'm genuinely like, concerned for our youth. You know what I mean, like in terms of beauty standards.
Speaker 2:So, it's all about just these hacks and it's more about people getting views versus it actually being helpful teaching. And so it's like, yes, let's slather five pounds of makeup on my face and you'll look glamorous. It's all about hacks and stuff. And then all the reviews that are on there, it's all just sponsored or just you know people are talking about it because they want to be good on PR. There's not any. I feel like it's hard to find really authentic like reviews and recommendations of products, like it used to be years ago.
Speaker 1:So absolutely and I remember when I discovered you and you had your shop and I was shopping there. It was like an experience because I related to you as somebody that I looked to for advice and I feel like over time, unfortunately, the youth now is kind of being robbed of that because when you learn from somebody and then you go and shop the products they recommend, that's a whole different dynamic as a consumer.
Speaker 2:It is Yep.
Speaker 1:Are you still doing that? By the way? I'm just curious are your products still going, or are you just now gearing toward teaching and that's your next move?
Speaker 2:No, actually. So teaching is just the first stage, but I've already working on products. I have been, for the last about two and a half years or so, been working on product development, so there is new product coming and new beauty brands that we'll launch later this year that I'm very excited about. So that's been. I've been hustling on that for a while too.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I'm so excited, that's so cool.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, so beauty products are coming. I can't announce, like what they are, what it's gonna be, because it'll be something a bit different than I think what people are expecting. But, yes, there is product coming.
Speaker 1:That's so exciting. Oh my God, I'm gonna be like literally the first customer. I think all of us are. They're tuning in, honestly, I mean you're. I just remember like you've always created quality Literally, that's the best way I can say it. I feel like we have a lot of brands out right now. Quality is still hard to find, though, so, but I'm really excited. I just want to ask you I'm just curious being in the industry for so long and seeing so much, what have your thoughts been over the years? Like, how has your vision of just the beauty industry, what we're doing, if you were to give like an overview seeing this evolve, like what would that be? I'm just curious.
Speaker 2:I mean it's definitely. It has evolved a lot, I feel like everyone's, you know, with the evolution of TikTok, short form is there. So I feel like you know the education piece isn't quite what it used to be, because it's like you have 60 seconds to try to teach something and because it's so saturated now it's hard to find that. There's some amazing people that are legit, some pros on there, but the intertwined is a bunch of people that just want to become famous and are doing whatever trending thing that they can do just to become famous but not really be about the makeup. So there has been a lot of changes. I do think it's going to kind of start reverting back to how it was when I started, because people want authenticity. Maybe they are craving that. They miss that.
Speaker 2:I do think long form is going to be coming back in the next couple of years. I think people are kind of burnt out of the scrolling through massive amounts of short content that they're not able to learn from. I think people want just a chilled lifestyle now, have something long to listen to while they're eating. They want authenticity. I really think it's going to shift back by the end of this year or next year. I really do.
Speaker 1:Wow, I love that. I love that you think that. I like to think that. I hope to think that, because I'm completely in that crowd, like I'm a total audio learner, I turn on a podcast or whatever. And I have to tell you this because this was like a changing moment in my life and I hope you don't laugh, but I remember it because when you had come onto YouTube and you were like guys, I got to take a break. You had made a video and you were like just being very real, and you're like I'm taking a break, I don't know if I'm going to be back, and I cried when you did that. I watched that on like TV. It's like I put it on my.
Speaker 1:I remember it Cause you had you know it was coming out that day and I remember I was at the time like working and I was like I'm watching this tonight. I need to hear what happened. So like wonder if I can ask you like, how has that been over the years? Like, have you felt like you've healed a lot from some of the things you might have went through when you decided to make that? How have things changed?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no. So when I made that is when kind of the peak toxicity in the beauty space was happening. It's like you had drama get in, you had all these like well, not disclosing sponsorships and it became shady and it was all about the entertainment, not about the makeup anymore, and I felt like that's not what I signed up for when I started doing YouTube years ago. I just feel like I don't fit in here anymore and just a lot of personal hurt, of things happening behind the scenes. I was like I just need to take a break for myself and I had things going on in my personal life that were extremely toxic and horrific and I needed to focus on that.
Speaker 2:And, ironically, when I took that break it was like a year and a half break I took away and I did not post on YouTube is when I got pregnant with my daughter, and I don't think that would have happened if I hadn't stepped away and just kind of brought peace back into my life and kind of reevaluated what I really wanted in this space. And so I'm grateful for that time and coming back, it's been amazing because I feel like, okay, I'm just gonna tune out all of this BS. I'm older, I don't have time for that. I'm gonna focus on just making great content and if my audience loves it, great. And if they want the other stuff that may be more leaning towards the drama and all that. It's just not for me. Just don't be on my channel and I'm okay with that.
Speaker 2:And just coming to terms with that. I feel so much more at peace and I feel like I enjoy the space again.
Speaker 1:I love that. Yeah, I feel like there is a zen about you. I remember watching that video and since then that's amazing. I'm so glad you're back. By the way, Thank you for coming back honestly, For being one of the few people that I genuinely consider very transparent in this industry. Like I can't tell you how much I admire you for that, and I am so glad that you're doing what you're doing.
Speaker 1:So yeah, for real. I wanna ask you, though I think this is something that's important is a few people tune in that are budding entrepreneurs. I want your advice, Everything you've been through. What are some of the the nuggets you can offer If somebody is going into entrepreneurings? They're in there or they're struggling, or anything you can offer?
Speaker 2:I think definitely you have to be extremely passionate and really enjoy whatever business it is that you're creating, because and I don't mean this in a negative way, but it is hard as hell. And if people are doing it because they think, you know, they just wanna be their own boss or they wanna make a lot of money or things like that, it's not going to be enough to get you through those hard times. You really have to be passionate about what it is that you are building a business around, because it's harder than people even realize. But the flip side is, if you're passionate about it, it doesn't feel like work. And I would say the biggest factor in business is to surround yourself with genuine people as your team.
Speaker 2:I had a lot of issues of some people that were not out from my best interests, who were extremely toxic, caused a lot of drama behind the scenes with my company and I wish, going in, I had more open eyes to say I will take someone who's a genuinely good person that I can train or can learn how to be talented in something. Then to take someone who may have talent and maybe a shady person. So if I could say anything is just really follow your gut. Your gut will tell you if that person is genuine or not. And talent is there, but tasks like things can be learned, but you can't ever teach someone how to be a good person versus a shady person.
Speaker 1:I don't know if that makes sense at all. No, that's profound, that's for no, it is because it's all real, Like I can feel that. Yeah, I feel that I resonate with that. You can't teach someone that at all. Thank you for that, Because I think a lot of people even I struggle with it. I mean every entrepreneur, I think goes through a period where, from my understanding where you're just like in this place, where it's like hitting a wall or whatever it might be, but that's where that matters.
Speaker 2:So thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, I want to say thank you so much, marnia. This has been amazing, and if there's anything that you can tell us a little bit more about Makeup Academy, let us know. But, for everyone listening. I want you guys to definitely take advantage of this, please, Because this is amazing and if you don't follow Marlina, I don't know what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Follow Marlina.
Speaker 1:She's literally the guru of makeup and so, yeah, I'm so excited you're doing this. Thank you for everyone for tuning in, but Marlina, thank you so much. What an honor.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you so much for having me. I'm so grateful, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you.