Which product didn't do as well as you expected? What did you learn from that experience?
I love it when you learn from experience. I had a couple of odd products that didn't do as well as I expected. I did a loose pigment shadow, and I was obsessed with loose pigment shadow because you get so much more brilliance out of the pigment — especially in the metallic and sparkly and duo chromatic shades. But at that time — about eight years ago — in the marketplace, we didn't really have YouTube with people educating their friends and subscribers on how to use different makeup.
If I launched loose pigment shadows now, there would be a bunch of YouTubers who would show their audience how to use them and they could be a success. I learned that you can't give up on products, because sometimes, they're just [launched] before their time.
Tell us one unexpected way you use a cult product.
I like to wear Moondust eye shadow wet. So I'll wet my brush with our setting spray to make it last extra, extra long and make the sparkle adhere even better.
What is your best advice to someone trying to break into the beauty industry in 2016?
Even though there is a lot of distribution available, I would really make sure you guard your distribution carefully and make sure you control it. Don't just put your product anywhere because someone will take it. Really decide what your brand stands for and where it should be distributed and how it should be presented. And take care of it, like a baby.
