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“What was your big break?
InMy Beauty Break, well dig into the behind-the-scenes details the money, the aha!
Amy Liucalls herself risk-averse.
But anyone who has built their own business will tell you risks come with the territory, including Liu.
Courtesy of brand
Tower28 describes itself as non-toxic makeup for sensitive skin.
Liu has put in the work to double-check her products are safe for even the most vulnerable skin.
Not even two years after launching, Tower28 now sells 12,000 tubes of theirShineOn Lip Jellya month.
Courtesy of brand
What’s more: the products all meet theSeal of Acceptance by the National Eczema Association.
ALLURE: Where did you get the courage to start your own brand?
Was there a moment that you were like, I’m doing this and it’s happening?
Amy Liu:I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur.
My dad was an entrepreneur.
But the problem is I’m also really risk-averse as a person.
And cheap, by the way.
(Laughs) I’ve never been in debt.
The concept of raising money felt like it wasn’t even a possibility.
I didn’t know anybody who had done that.
I went to business school and studied entrepreneurship.
And I did that for 16 years.
I worked for Smashbox Cosmetics, I worked for Kate Somerville, I worked for Josie Maran.
The big thing was it costs a lot of money to start a company and a brand.
I wasn’t an influencer.
I don’t have my own platform.
Nothing about it felt like a shoo-in.
We were professional colleagues.
We kept in touch, and he eventually sold his company.
And Im like, That’s true.
The idea of doing something on my own felt so daunting.
I’ll give you the other half.
I raised (funds) from friends.
Basically, a lot of people had a little bit of money.
And he ended up putting in money, too.
He was definitely my big beauty break.
ALLURE: What would you say the takeaway is for someone who hears that part of your story?
AL:Tell people what you want to do.
Because you never know who-knows-who that can help you.
You have to manifest your own destiny.
It sounds so cliche, but I think you have to be nice to people, too.
You don’t know how your paths are gonna cross.
I’ve been able to interact and intersect with people that I’ve known for a really long time.
And that makes it more fun.
ALLURE:Let’s talk about the SOS spray.
Would you say that’s your hero product?
AL:Its certainly my hero.
I literally have had chronic eczema from the time I was 18 or 20, especially on my face.
There were periods of time I didn’t wear shorts, I wouldn’t wear a bathing suit.
That’s literally why we call it SOS (Save Our Skin).
Now I get acne and I have wrinkles.
I have all those other issues, but I’m so grateful to be able to address them.
ALLURE: So explain how you found the magic ingredient in the SOS spray.
She had some of it and started spraying it on her face.
It’ll help it heal.
I bought it and started using it.
He was like, Let’s work on the pH level…Let’s work on the concentration.
It’s like a hydrating spray.
One of my interns got a boob job.
After she got her boob job and she was spraying it on her sutures.
She said that the doctor was like, Wait a minute, what’s going on here?
I’ve never seen anybody heal so fast.
AL:There are natural ingredients that can be terrible for you, right?
Poison ivy is natural.
What you’re saying is absolutely true and one of the things that drives me crazy is greenwashing.
They’re actually really different lists.
We combine those two and then we include all the claims we want.
For instance, we’re vegan, gluten-free, and hypoallergenic.
We use formulators that are well known in the industry for making amazing products, not necessarily clean ones.
Then, we have a third-party chemist that we work with that is a clean chemist.
Tower28 felt just like such an establishedI think the week I met you, you were launching at Sephora.
AL:Another one of my big beauty breaks is Sephora.
She has grown up [at Sephora].
I still had to pitch.
But there is something about establishing relationships.
I think there’s a little bit of trust that happens and gets built that way.
Just because you know someone doesn’t mean they’re going to take you.
We brought these coolers with us and we brought a boombox.
The idea that you would get this pop-of-color-from-eating-a-popsicle pop in thing from the lip jelly.
You have to take them.
That’s when I really felt like I knew.
Everybody’s a decision-maker.
You build influence in the ways that you’re free to.
ALLURE: What advice do you have for people when they get an opportunity to pitch Sephora?
That’s how we ended up doing the popsicle thing.
ALLURE: Lastly, I have a round of rapid-fire questions for you!
What are the five products you wear daily?
MAC Cosmetics Lip Pencil in Spice
What’s the best business advice you have ever received?
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