Glitter, Grit, and Going Viral with Fazit

Aliett: [00:00:00] I posted that crying video on TikTok the same night, And my fiancé’s like, Why would you post that? 

The video has 14 million views. That was the video that was converting people to our website for sales, which like, thank God posted that.

Courtney: Hi, my name is Courtney and welcome to How They Scaled It, where scaling is done with both sides of the brain. On this show, we sit down with growth stage businesses and speak with the founders and industry leaders from the e commerce and SaaS sectors. We showcase their journeys, unpacking the pivotal moments, marketing strategies, and key decisions that shaped their success. Today, we’re thrilled to have not one, but two incredible guests, Elliot Buttleman and Nina Labruna, co founders of Faze It Beauty. Faze It has made a big splash in the beauty space with its viral glitter freckle patches and innovative skincare products. And both of our guests bring unique stories and expertise to this journey.

Elliot’s path is one of bold creativity, early entrepreneurial spirit, and scaling through viral moments. [00:01:00] While Nina, with her deep background in chemistry and skincare innovation, grew up immersed in the beauty world. With parents who were cosmetic doctors, she began experimenting with plant ingredients at a young age, determined to create skincare solutions for people with sensitive skin and other challenges.

Together, they’ve built a brand that’s captured the imagination of the beauty industry and beyond. Today, we will dive into their journeys from Elliott’s time as a model and launching the DTC agency to Nina’s expertise in product development and nutrition, and how they together scaled Fazed’s influence and reputation in the beauty space.

Aliette and Nina, thank you so much for joining us, and welcome to How They Scaled It.

Nina: Thank you for having us. We’re so excited to be here.

Aliett: So,

Courtney: Of course, of course. I want to start kind of at the beginning, and I’d like to hear what inspired you to start Fazit and how you guys, um, got together.

Nina: So Alliett and I have been working together, believe it or not, like six plus years. So I had graduated college and started a skincare [00:02:00] line and Elliot had also graduated from Columbia. I was at NYU. She had started her own consulting agency and a friend of ours connected us and thought, Hey, you two are my only friends who started your own, um, businesses post graduation.

And I think you could actually really help each other out. So that was over six years ago, and Elliot and I have been working together ever since, um, we developed a bond, a friendship over the time, trust and kind of learned where our strengths laid and how we could work together, um, as business partners and with that, you know, knowledge from that first brand we started.

We came together and decided to launch a business together with both of our passions, both of our expertise, and really with both of our visions aligned. And that’s how we launched phase it, which we’ve now had for about a year and a half, two years. And we really wanted to create an accessible product for people that was fun, innovative, maybe.

you know, made new categories in the beauty space, redefined beauty. And, um, we decided why not get into the dermal patch space? [00:03:00] You know, that’s something that is really fun and unique and really hasn’t been explored yet. So that’s kind of how the idea of patchware started for phase it. And we did initially launch with some pretty innovative skin patches, as you mentioned, like our ingrown hair patch, scar patch.

Um, but going beyond that, Last year, you know, we were brainstorming, how do we create a new category in the space? And that’s where we came up with the idea of makeup patchware, like a more cosmetic patch. And I was looking at trends on Tik TOK and saw all of these freckle trends, you know, people doing the broccoli trend and hand drawing freckles on their face.

So why not create. A seamless easy application form of freckles and that’s where the idea started for freckle patches And we do actually have a natural faux freckle patch on our site But taking that idea even further like what can we do to really be innovative and bold and different here? Let’s make the freckles sparkle Like, people love sparkly things.

It’s pretty. It’s feminine. [00:04:00] It’s different. And that’s where we came up with the idea of the glitter freckle patches.

Courtney: Yeah, that’s a it’s amazing. I think, um, what I really like about it is that you had this, uh, great idea around patches for more, problem solution things like ingrown hairs and stuff, but to get people in and to pay attention to the company, you knew that you needed to create something that was like a little bit more fun and cute and like something to pull people in and then, and then introduce them to all these other cool things that you’ve been working on.

Um, when you, so it sounds like both of you had been. Running your, kind of doing your own thing, starting your own companies before you came together. What is the difference, or what has the difference been between being a solo founder and being a co founder, having a business partner? 

Aliett: Oh, I don’t know how anyone’s a solo founder. I mean like mad respect to them because I mean, especially in the early days when like the highs are so high and, but the lows are like at the lowest that you really need like a support [00:05:00] human to guide you along that process. And like my bad days might be some of Nina’s good days and somebody who can pick you up and understand exactly what you’re going through.

Through is incredibly important. I think it’s accountability. Somebody to that keeps you moving forward and pushing the objective forward. I think it was really hard for me to scale as a solo entrepreneur back in the day, but that might have been youth at the time and lack of experience, but now I can’t imagine it any other way.

Courtney: I will say that I speak to a lot of founders on this show and just like, you know, in my own networks and, um, anyone who doesn’t have a co founder is like, man, I just wish I had a co founder. I just wish I had someone to talk to because you, you start hiring people and, um, Your, the things that you really need to talk through, you can’t talk to with them because, you know, they’re your employees.

And just to have someone on that same level who’s like, has as much skin in the game as [00:06:00] you, I think is so powerful. And it’s hard to find a good co founder though. So I think you guys are pretty

Aliett: No, a hundred percent. I mean, it’s funny. Years ago, we did a podcast about, uh, co founder relationships and founder dynamics. And I remember the host asking us in the early days, who have you guys ever gotten a I had conflict and most co founders break up, you know, and talking about all the challenges of working with somebody else.

And, um, one thankfully still today hasn’t been our experience, but a lot of people find co founders in the wrong ways of starting businesses with friends or family members and maybe having the same exact strength. So we’ve been so lucky that we were able to become business partners before actually developing a friendship.

Courtney: Yeah, yeah, no, I, I feel that with, um, my business partner, Alex, who she founded right left agency. And then I came in very early on in the process and, [00:07:00] um, we were definitely like business first and then we developed a really strong friendship through that, but we really have like very complimentary strengths.

And I think that sometimes people think a good founder is someone who you just get along with, but I think it’s a lot deeper than that. It’s about Like balancing your strengths and, you know, creativity versus analytical thinking and who is the visionary versus who’s kind of getting the things done. Um, and you really need both of those things.

So I love that you found that.

Aliett: Thank you.

Nina: Thanks.

Courtney: So if you haven’t faced challenges with fighting with each other, tell me about the big challenges that you face at the very beginning of phase it with your, when you were just like developing the products and making your first sales.

Aliett: We had no money. That I think the stat is you need a million dollars to make a successful beauty brand. We had $13,000 and that was between both of our [00:08:00] savings and oh, a lot of money for, you know, 2 20, 2 20 3-year-old girls to put together. Uh, the early days when you don’t have money. You’re making sometimes decisions for the wrong reasons.

If it’s looking to fundraise, maybe taking money from the wrong people, letting other people’s visions and opinions impact the direction of where you want to bring your company because you need their money. That was probably the hardest part of the early days, that, and neither of us had day jobs, really.

Uh, so, living off of our savings to make this happen, and once the savings ran out, for me, at least, like, realizing you have to get some type of, you know, side hustle on top of your side hustle. Uh, and that was really challenging, especially in such, uh, A foundational part of your young adult life, where your friends have graduated, they’re getting their first jobs, they’re climbing corporate ladders, they’re experiencing [00:09:00] security and stability, and they’re saving, and they’re buying houses, and they’re going on vacation.

And that’s a lot of things that Nina and I had to sacrifice in order to keep driving the mission of building FAZE IT together. Yeah,

Nina: give yourself reassurance and believe in yourself. Like you face so much rejection in the beginning and you do deal with self doubt of like, Oh, is this idea? Really that great, you know, is this going to go anywhere? Like you kind of have those questions in the back of your mind.

And of course I’ve always believed in us, but like you do have that, that, that little chitter chat voice back there. Um, just cause you’ve never built success before. So really you’re believing in yourself. And of course, like, You know, Elliot and I both have very supportive family and friends, and they all believed in us, too.

But the outside world and the majority of people don’t really believe in you until you show them something to believe in. So, it’s kind of, for me, it was a lot of that energy of having to really believe in myself in the beginning. And that’s for [00:10:00] years you have to do that. 

Courtney: Yeah. Did you find that people, well, I guess you won’t know this until you get older, but do you feel like people are treating you differently because you are so young? Like when you were starting this, you were in your early twenties. Like that’s a really hard time to convince people you know what you’re talking about.

Aliett: Yeah, I mean, I remember the early days when we would create these pitch decks, and oftentimes in those pitches, you’re supposed to speak upon your experience that makes you the right person to build this company. And we had no experience. We had no, we’d never worked for somebody really before. It was really just like our ideas and faith in ourselves to make it happen.

And no, we experienced so much, uh, I think ageism, sexism, fundraising in a world of men was very difficult. We were treated differently. Um, our lack of experience. Um, no, it, it was all really difficult in the beginning, but I think early on, you know, like, I think we would [00:11:00] laugh at it a little bit of the rejection moments and be like, ha ha ha, like can’t wait till we prove them wrong.

And.

Nina: true. We did say that.

Aliett: And it’s so funny because it totally happened now. I mean, now all these people are, you know, emailing us back and, you know, want to be in the know and want to work with us and want to invest in us. Uh, so that’s a good feeling now.

Courtney: Yeah.

Nina: like, I had a funny moment. I was just talking to a friend about this this morning who is also a founder, struggling with some of these things right now. And I said, I just had a funny thought where we, Literally, I remember we’d get on these VC calls in the beginning. We were so desperate for money.

We wanted to take any money we could. And they all used to say, we just don’t get it. Like, we don’t get what you guys are doing. We don’t get the concept. That was what a lot of them said. And now so many of them are like, you guys are killing it. Like we see where you’re going. I’m like, that it’s the same idea.

Courtney: Right, you missed your shot.

Nina: so funny.

Courtney: Do you feel like that has some like this kind of like uncompromising belief in what you’re doing? [00:12:00] Has that always been within you guys or did you have to kind of like build that up and learn it once you started getting a little bit of that rejection? Yeah.

Aliett: I came from a world that was full of rejection. I worked as a fashion model since I was 15. So you would go to, you know, four castings a day, and you’re not getting all of those jobs. So from an early age I experienced rejection. I did take it personally in the early days. It definitely took it personally when we first started pitching to raise to fundraise.

And then you experienced so much of it that then it becomes, it’s able to roll off and it has nothing to do with you. You realize like the inner workings of, of companies are just so complex and you, If nothing is personal, like everyone, you know, is building their own business and is and is on their own journeys. 

Nina: Yeah, I think also, you know, you realize that the people who Do you find success in life? They face a lot of rejection and it’s it’s [00:13:00] not necessarily those who are most talented or most genius or whatever it is, it’s, it’s those who work hard and have a lot of grit and just can keep persevering and keep expanding and taking what they learn and reinventing and recreating and just keep moving.

And it’s, it’s those who win in life. So I think like that was kind of a lesson I learned along the process, especially just seeing other people and founders, you know, who were succeeding.

Aliett: Yeah. And now it’s like fun, funny to get rejected. Like I, every time we get rejected now I’m like, oh wow, like that wasn’t a great fit. Like, I’m so happy that happened. I’m so happy I didn’t agree to something that like is not in the best interest of us personally or the business as a whole.

Courtney: like your business partner, you know, whoever you partner with, they wouldn’t reject you. So

Aliett: It’s like dating.

Courtney: that’s not a good

Aliett: Yeah, we always think of it like dating now. It’s like, I’m, like, yeah, like not everyone is your perfect

Courtney: right, right. Yeah, I, um, yeah, I always like to think that like the only way that you can succeed is by not giving up. Like that’s [00:14:00] like the one thing that unites everyone who is successful is that they didn’t give up.

there are so many other people try to tie like, Yeah. keys to success to people, but the one thing that every successful person has in common is that they didn’t stop. And so I’ve always been like, okay, well, if I don’t, if I just keep going, if I just wake up and like start doing something tomorrow, then, you know, that, that, that’s the only way that, you know, they have to take it away from me basically.

Aliett: we always tell when people ask us advice of starting a company, we keep going back to just doing it. Like wake up in the morning and start like, you know, building the blocks of like whatever that future may hold for you. And it doesn’t like have to be the same idea that you had initially going into things.

I think it’s adapting, like nobody cares. Like, what the end result like was compared to the beginning. I mean what our branding looked like, our logo, the product offerings, the mission, it has all changed completely. But we just [00:15:00] knew that like we wanted this to work so bad and woke up and tried to make it happen every single day.

Courtney: Yeah, it’s all about that pivot. You just gotta

Aliett: Yeah.

Courtney: So you started the company, you guys didn’t have any money, you’re struggling through it, but how did you get your very first customer? How did that work?

Aliett: Tick tock.

Courtney: Yeah.

Aliett: Yeah, we decided to create a tiktok channel in the early days when a lot of brands weren’t getting on there. And for us, that was the cheapest way to reach the most amount of people. And that still is our strategy today. We couldn’t afford to do that. Paid media. We couldn’t afford to really get on Amazon yet because you had to pay all these fees.

You had to hire somebody that, you know, helps you set up the platform. That’s, you know, incredibly antiquated and complicated. Uh, so we’re like, you know what we can do with social media. Like we’ll just keep like posting, we’ll send products to people like our niche target demographic. We hope they’ll post about it or use the product.

And from there we [00:16:00] were able to start bringing people onto our website. And that was like the cheapest and easiest thing that we could do ourselves at that time.

Courtney: Yeah, I feel like social media is just such a gift and also a curse for all businesses, because it’s, it’s so hard to do. Um, but it sounds like you guys, it kind of fit right in with, you know, how you envision the company. Um, how, I mean, this is more recent, but how have you been dealing with like the TikTok brief ban and now we’re back and it seems like it’s going to be okay, but how has that affected you and the decisions that you were making in the months leading up to it?

Aliett: Yeah. Uh, I think, I mean, the band conversation has been going on for probably longer than a year. So for us, it was, it was important. And I think this is an all modes of business of diversifying and not being reliant on one channel altogether. Like, we saw what happened to like the DTC only model. It’s not profitable.

It’s very expensive. Most of those companies don’t exist anymore. [00:17:00] So same thing with TikTok. We weren’t solely reliant. We started building an Instagram community. We were taking our content that was on TikTok and Instagram. We were reposting it to Pinterest and YouTube. So we started becoming, um, more alive on other platforms.

Um, and I think that’s really important if you, if you’re just relying on one thing and it goes away, then how do you show up? Um, so.

Courtney: have zero control over,

Aliett: Exactly, exactly. I mean, I think we were lucky that we are, you know, in this growth stage now that we don’t need to be scrappy and just rely on Tiktok as our form of brand awareness and marketing and our channel for consumers to purchase.

However, I think it’s incredibly detrimental to those indie brands who haven’t fundraised, who are just trying to create a community for the first time because it is really a platform of reach like no other.

Courtney: Yeah, definitely. And, um, did you always know that, like, TikTok like, as you were just [00:18:00] starting to put together Fazit were you’re like, okay, this will be something that we need to work on tick tock. Or was that just kind of a happy accident that you just started posting?

Aliett: No, I think that is where our customer lives and It was, um, that the algorithm just worked in our favor. Uh, our products are very disruptive. The type of content we were putting out there are very graphic and disruptive, like no other brand had done before. And I think that community was living on Tiktok versus on Instagram, and we were able to reach the most amount of people in that platform.

I just think it’s a really fun Fun social media channel for I don’t know people to show up more authentically and vulnerably than they do on other platforms And that has really been our mission from the beginning of like revolutionizing beauty Being disruptive not, you know having campaign images or messaging the way like every other beauty brand has

Courtney: [00:19:00] Yeah. Well, yeah, it sounds like just the vibe of TikTok really aligned with the vibe of your business. And so sometimes when brands ask, like, where do we need to be? It’s like, okay, well, Who are you? And would that person, as a brand, if your brand was a person, what platforms would they be on? Like, what would they enjoy?

Um, that’s, that’s pretty interesting. Um, Nina, I’d love to hear more about how you develop the first products and how you chose which products to create first and, um, how that process works.

Nina: Yeah. Well, I think, um, you know, I look at what’s happening and what’s trending online and for ingrown hair patch, um, there was a huge craze of pimple patches and we did actually launch those as well. And we saw what a reaction people had on Tik TOK and online to the patch peel videos and that gump reveal.

So we thought, okay. If you know, we can have that happen with pimples with the same technology. We [00:20:00] could, we could do that with ingrown hairs and it will create that same reactive response online of kind of showing that gunk reveal that patch peel. so we, you know, look at what’s already working for us.

We look at what’s trending online and then we try to find, you know, a new product that we can. intertwine both of those aspects to that will be different, unique, that will create some viral moment and be satisfying for people to use and watch, but also has an effective response to, um, so kind of, we think of all of those pillars when we’re product innovating at FASET.

Courtney: Yeah, it sounds like, um, just like a very modern version of market research. So instead of having all these focus groups where you ask people what they want, what they’re interested in, you just look online and see what they’re actually talking about, um, and what they’re actually getting views

Nina: in the early days too, we used to do very small batch orders and almost trial and test because we didn’t have any risk. We know we weren’t a known brand yet. So, okay. If that [00:21:00] product flopped, like who cares? You know, we can’t do that now as much because there’s a lot of eyeballs on us. So like every product we launch has to be, um, really tight, tight and, uh, clean and, and well done.

Um, or at least, you know, do well. And you know, But back then we could kind of test different products and see what stuck, what people liked. So it was a little

Courtney: any products that you, that just like totally failed and you’re

Nina: Yeah. You know what was funny is we had this scar patch that we developed. Um, when you get, so I actually thought of this idea from my dad’s office cause he’s a plastic surgeon and obviously people have lots of scars after plastic surgery.

So, you know, he gives people silicone tape to, to use for their scarring. Um, so we came out with like the first, Silicone scar patches designed for, like, post acne facial scars, um, that were cut and curated for that kind of format use. and it’s a really effective technology. Like, there’s really nothing topically on the market that works that well for scarring.

And it just never [00:22:00] really picked up that much. I think because it didn’t have that, like, immediate satisfactory results. Like it wasn’t, it takes months to see results. So

Aliett: but it’s trending on Tiktok right now. Are you seeing these silicone tape

Courtney: I was going to say, I feel like I’ve seen it for, um, for wrinkles and stuff. It’s like the silicone. Cause I know that they have

Nina: kinds of silicone. So people also, this one is like a ridged silicone. I mean, it’s the same base ingredient, but the technology is a little different. So the, the wrinkle one is a smooth silicone. So we also did think about doing that as well. Um, never got there. We, we ended up going into the makeup patch space before we, we launched those.

But yeah, it is trending now. I have seen people cutting. I’m like, that was the same idea. So,

Courtney: so interesting. I mean, because you’re like, well, if I have this product that I know works really well and is being used by professionals, like it can’t fail. But I mean, that’s just like the name of the game. You just have to test it. And I love that. You said, okay, we’re going to test it. And then if it doesn’t work, we’re just going to stop doing [00:23:00] that.

We’re not going to pour more and more resources into it. Let’s find something else that works.

Nina: I think that was a strategy of ours that really worked. And sometimes when I talk to other founders, you know, There’s a balance of, okay, you have to really believe in your concept and your idea, but also there’s a balance of like knowing when to pivot and when to change and when to like expand your identity and, and, and how you represent yourself as a brand.

And I think we did that well, like we kept the core values of phase it from the beginning. And it’s in a lot of ways, the same concept and idea we thought of, but we’ve also changed a lot and we’ve really pivoted from that initial concept. And I think that’s helped keep us, you know, exciting and new and relevant and innovating.

Courtney: Yeah, it’s almost like you have to believe in yourself and like the core of the brand more than any individual product because products are going to have to change and grow and especially in skincare and makeup. So, um, yeah, that’s, that’s very good advice. I would love to hear more. I’m sure you talk about this all the [00:24:00] time, but I’d love to hear more about the viral moment, that took Fazit to the next level.

So Taylor Swift for your product. Very exciting. I’d love to hear how that happened. Did you send it to her? Did she just pick it up on her own? How was your response? Tell me everything.

Aliett: Yeah, when Nina was, uh, product developing the glitter freckle makeup patches, the first thing that came to mind was the heiress tour. She was on her European leg of the tour, Taylor is sparkly and bedazzled, and her outfits are like that. And I was like, wow, like this product would be so great for her to wear on stage while she’s performing.

And Uh, it started with that idea. I actually made a tick talk about it back in May of 2024. I’m like, wouldn’t it be great? Like if Taylor wore this product. So my background in fashion, I know that like sending to celebrity management teams and their PR teams are like nearly impossible. There’s so many hurdles, uh, to get through in order to get [00:25:00] them product.

But I do know that makeup artists love free product. And I found that she worked with Laurie Turk was really like, The only makeup artist Taylor works with. So I reached out to her makeup artist agency. I sent her products. This is back in May. And I mean, we’ve always been super scrappy at phase it. We’re really doing things differently with our strategies.

So it’s like, you know what? I need to get it all around her. Taylor, like it’s not just going to be her makeup artist. She’ll never give it to her. I’m going to send it to Sabrina Carpenter’s team who is opening for her tour. I’m going to send it to the wives and girlfriends of the Chiefs. So, like, in the fall when she’s in the VIP box, like, maybe one of the girls gives it to her.

And then, you know, October 7th, I come home, the game is on, and a content creator messages me and is like, I think Taylor is wearing glitter freckles at the Chiefs game right now. And like, I didn’t believe it. And then I look at my explore page on Instagram and it is every [00:26:00] single podcast. Page six, New York post Dave Portnoy to barstool sports just has this like closeup shot of her face with the freckles on it.

And I start crying. My fiancé is like recording me crying because he, he knows this is a moment to capture. I’m calling Nina. She won’t pick up the phone. And I’m just like, it is like time to get to work because like our lives are just about to change. Then I put the TV on and like I see her and she’s walking through Arrowhead Stadium, which is the Kansas City Chiefs stadium.

I call my brother in law, he comes over, my fiance is like making Reddit and Twitter accounts because nobody knew what brand it was. So like the first thing we had to do was make sure that everyone is, um, tagging Fazeit. Nina finally calls me back and she’s like, what’s going on? She’s like, I was just like in a meditation.

Um, and I don’t think Nina, I don’t think like it like clicked for you at that [00:27:00] moment what was going on. I 

Nina: well, it all hit me literally in a second. Cause I was with my friend in like a, you know, 30 minute meditation. It’s crazy how like 30 minutes can change your life. And when I got to my phone, there was just an explosion and I was like, so overwhelmed with the messages. I had friends, family, everyone reaching out to me.

And I think it was like very fight or flight moment for me. I was like, Oh God, this is like our time. This is like, we have 24 hours to make this real. And I’m thinking ahead. Oh my gosh. Cause I handle like a lot of the inventory, I handle the inventory issues and all that. Are we going to be able to fulfill all these orders?

So I think it was like, for me, the emotions hit a few days later. I remember Elliot was crying the whole night. Every time I called her, she was like sobbing. I can’t believe this is happening. And then I think for me at Friday, so that happened on, I believe it was like a Monday or Tuesday. Right? And then Friday, I remember was the first day where I felt like I could kind of come up from air.

And then I started sobbing and I called Elliott and I’m like, I get why you were crying so much. Like now it’s [00:28:00] happening to me.

Aliett: I posted that crying video on TikTok the same night, And my fiancé’s like, Why would you post that? And I was just like, I don’t know, Like,

Courtney: happened.

Aliett: I’m putting it out there into the universe. The video has 14 million views. That was the video that was converting people to our website for sales, which like, thank God I posted that.

Um, it was like, people now realize this is Fazit’s glitter freckles that she’s wearing. And the people will comment on that video saying like, Oh, why are you crying over a celebrity? And I mean, I’m a swifty, like it is really cool. But the other part of it that people don’t realize is that this was like our, our moment of our business.

Like this was like that make or break time. Um, it’s like, you know, the peak of the hero’s journey. And this, I knew from that moment, everything was going to change. And like, that’s where the emotion came out of it was six years of being an entrepreneur and the grueling full days and [00:29:00] no results. And like, this was the result.

Courtney: Yeah, well, yeah, and I mean, I think that a lot of people responded so well to the crying video just because one, it’s authentic. You know, that’s what happened. And that’s how you felt. But it also highlighted that this was a small business that got their product onto Taylor Swift, which is, who’s arguably the biggest,

Aliett: person in the

Courtney: yeah, in the, in the world for, you know, probably a decade, she’ll be the most famous person in the world.

And the small scrappy business was able to get their product onto her face. And it’s not because it’s because the product was good. And it’s because the founders were scrappy and that’s like, just, that’s the American story. That’s the American

Aliett: Yeah. And alignment. I have so many people asking me, like, how can I get my product on Taylor Swift? I was like, Oh, well, I’ll tell you how to do it. But it is like, not every, there’s a lack of alignment between celebrity and product and company endorsements. And glitter freckles are like so Taylor, like that [00:30:00] makes sense, right?

Like there is total alignment there for her to be wearing this product. And I think that’s like what some people miss. And I think that’s the reason why it, that moment performed so well for us is because like, it’s not just her, but it’s her fans and her community base that also really resonate with what we’re selling.

Courtney: Yeah, that’s such a good point. Cause I also think that, and this is true of people doing influencer marketing where they’re like, I just want to get the biggest influencer to talk about my product. And that’s what you need to be looking at is who are their audience? Like, and does your, do their audience want to buy your product?

And usually you don’t want to go to the biggest influencer because the biggest influencer has the broadest audience and you want to go definitely more niche. Um, But I also want to just reiterate to all of our listeners that this was not luck. I think a lot of times when this kind of like moment of like, you know, this peak it sometimes you’re like, wow, that’s really lucky that [00:31:00] Taylor Swift happened to like buy

Aliett: Mm-hmm

Courtney: and like wear it.

But you guys did, you hustled for that. You thought really creatively about, okay, we can’t send directly to Taylor Swift, but we really want to get it on Taylor Swift. So let’s just like flood everyone around her. And maybe something will happen, but I think that hustle is, it’s something that I really appreciate because it, it shows that like being successful in business is not luck.

A lot of it’s like where you are at the time and having that idea and being at like, being at a time where Taylor Swift is dating a football player. So there’s like more people that you can reach out to, but knowing to do that. And then, Being active about it. Um, it’s very impressive.

Aliett: Thank you. And I think it’s also like money can’t make that happen either. Like even if you like pay for that endorsement, like it also might not land.

Courtney: right,

Aliett: Um, like we had Rita Ora and Lisa from [00:32:00] Blackpink, the Korean pop star, they both wore our products. Hilary Duff has worn it. I mean we’ve had so many, like Bethany Frank, like so many celebrities, Whitney Cummings.

And it, there has not been that same, probably no conversion from those people wearing our products. But like it’s, it’s Taylor and it’s the community that she has created, um, that creates that endorsement. Let’s say a successful endorsement.

Courtney: Yeah. That’s that’s actually a really interesting point. So now with those kind of other influencers or artists that you’ve worked with, um, are you, how have you shifted your strategy? Are you saying, I don’t, we don’t need to go after these, you know, famous people. We want to really focus on like, how, how do you adjust where you’re sending your product?

Aliett: Yeah, it depends on the product, the campaign, the product purpose. Like, so right now, like one of our main strategies is sports and team spirit. We have a team spirit collection with all the different colors that you represent. You know, let’s call it [00:33:00] a football team. So it’s been sending to the wives and girlfriends of the players to mega fans.

Um, and that’s like such a niche niche audience.

Courtney: yeah,

Aliett: It’s very specific to what we’re trying to go after female athletes, uh, women in sports, uh, broadcasters who are reporting about sports, um, owners of teams, uh, sisters and wives and girlfriends of the players. Uh, so that’s really specific. Um, I think musicians are another category for us because the nature of the product is long lasting.

It’s, Performance makeup really because it is waterproof and sweat proof or those are perfect spokespeople or influencers for us So, I mean every strategy we have is with intentionality And I think the reason why we were able to disrupt in those really tiktok and have virality is because we were going after specific people for a specific reason like I don’t ever send to like The makeup influencers of [00:34:00] TikTok, like they’re receiving every product under the sun.

But if you’re sending to someone that like it relates to their life and how it can be incorporated into their daily life, like that makes sense.

Courtney: Yeah, I love your I was going to ask you about the team spirit launch because not only are you like you’ve been very intentional about these are like for sports teams, but I also think you’re kind of serving and like an underserved community of like women’s sports fans and like women athletes. And so that’s such a cool opportunity.

I think women’s sports in general as having like a really. Good moment. So it’s just excellent timing. How did you come up with that idea of it’s gonna be sports teams related?

Aliett: Yeah, I think after we launched the glitter freckles back in April 2024 over Coachella weekend. So we had the festival goers, the concert goers. Summer is always like a hit time for beauty. And we were going to go after sororities in the U. S. that are like perfect for like their [00:35:00] rush outfits. And they have all these fun like costume themed events.

And once we were on the college campus, we were at UT, um, Austin, Texas. Uh, I was like, wow, like actually like we need costumes. This in different colors to represent to represent the different school teams or the NFL teams. And Nina and I always have this conversation of, we both grew up with brothers. I mean, I was always on a field on the sidelines with my brother of ill fitted female merch.

Like, why are jerseys just for men? Like, why are these things so ugly? Like,

Courtney: ugly. They’re so

Aliett: with like this, like, wags movement, which like, I feel like a lot of people don’t like the term wags. But it’s, these women are showing up so chic to these sporting events. Like these outfits are phenomenal. And this is like an elevated way to show your team spirit and your fandom.

Um, and you still look really cute. Like you don’t have to wear a baggy Jersey and like cut it into a crop top to like Show, you know, [00:36:00] fandom so that it just like it felt fitting and this all was a concept before Taylor even wore to her boyfriend’s football game. So now like she has really connected the dots for women and we have green, orange, purple, blue, red, um, and yeah, it’s been, it’s been super fun.

Courtney: Amazing. Amazing. And, um, so you had this huge moment with Taylor Swift. So what, how did that change the way that your business operated? Because I’m sure that I know that you guys, I believe you didn’t run out of product, which is huge. Um, but how has that changed the way that you operate and do inventory and all that good stuff?

Yeah.

Nina: like, success and moments like that are not just luck, that’s where this also really comes into play. Um, you know, there was obviously some luck involved in this, but like 95, 99 percent of it was really strategy too. And we were growing at a, you know, pretty strong pace even before Taylor wore the freckles.[00:37:00] 

Um, so we had to escalate and elevate our inventory cadence. Um, you know, make sure that we were able to keep up with the growth and have enough for like, we kind of projected out, okay, if we have sales like this at this growth rate for the next three months, what kind of inventory do we need? So that’s kind of the structure we were looking at for inventory.

Um, We were kind of choosing between doing our own warehouse shipping or bringing in a 3PL and we decided to, to work with a 3PL, um, for the time being, just because of the, the order volume we were doing, it actually wasn’t that much more expensive to work with a 3PL and that way we can kind of offload that and not worry about running a warehouse because that’s a whole other job.

So we had a warehouse in place and I had just placed a pretty huge inventory order. Um, to kind of pull this out for the next two to three months in sales. And I think the, the products literally arrived to our warehouse like three days before Taylor wore them, which was kind of crazy timing, [00:38:00] like the timing of all of it was, and maybe that’s where like the luck kind of comes in a little bit is like the timing of it, um, was, was really, really magical.

And. That held us over for like the first week of sales that were coming in from the Taylor moment. Um, but we had to work with our manufacturer. Like, I think communication is the biggest thing. So like that first night we were handling PR and Reddit, Elliot was more front of house. She was like, okay, what do we do to like, make this like a huge PR moment brought on a PR person.

And my job was more like, okay, how do we make sure we don’t run out of stock? What do we need to do from an inventory perspective? So. Um, had a very candid conversation with my 3PL and said, Hey, this might blow up like whatever you have to do. Bring in more people. Like you got to train people tonight. Um, cause they also were pretty small three PL and weren’t necessarily used to orders of this volume and magnitude with one company.

So I mentally prepared him for that. So the next day he could kind of start getting his ducks in a row and a team in place. And then [00:39:00] I also spoke to my manufacturer and kind of said the same thing. Um, And said, I know typically our lead times are, let’s say a month, but we need more products in like 5 days.

So whatever you can do to try to make that happen, we’ll pay expedited shipping. Maybe you got to bring in more people or even work with a connected manufacturer to help make this happen. So a lot of those conversations went into place and luckily our team’s amazing. Everyone, you know, felt like, I feel like our team just kind of feels like a family.

Everyone knows like our success is their success, vice versa. Everyone was on board to make it happen. Um, and we, we made it happen. We didn’t run out of stock, which is kind of crazy. Um, you know, maybe we had a day or two of, of shipping delays, but other than that, we were, we handled it.

Aliett: And I think.

Nina: it was very lucky.

Aliett: Having like the team and processes in place for when these moments do arise, that everyone knows exactly what their job is to do in order to support the viral moment.

Courtney: Yeah. Yeah, systems and processes are like, [00:40:00] I think for a lot of people, like a lot of founders, it’s the most boring part because it’s not Directly related to like the fun thing that you like you like makeup and you you want to do the skin care But the processes and the systems are so important. They’re so integral and they’re my favorite part actually um, but I love that you had that set up already ready to go and I think, Lena, what you’re saying is that you had to call, you know, your supplier, you had to call your 3PL, and you really had to rely on these, like, third parties to work with you and do what you needed them to do, and I’m sure you had been developing your relationships with these people over a long time, and those relationships probably really came into full, full effect, uh, during that time, so, um, it is really scary, I think, um, as small businesses to have to rely on other, third party people, but ultimately it seemed like it all worked out for you guys. Yes.

Nina: very, that’s where we were lucky to as we, we did have a [00:41:00] good team and a hardworking individuals. And we always say like the best team are kind of people who also have entrepreneurial spirits and are not there to just do a, you know, the bare minimum job they’re there to, to grow and to expand as well.

Courtney: Yeah, so if we zoom out a little bit, we think about kind of phase it as a whole and your entire journey. Um, you both have had very different previous experiences. Elliot, you’ve done a lot around DTC. You had a whole agency around that. You’ve done a lot of modeling. You’ve I feel like you’ve had kind of like a very Creative side look at the world.

And then Nina, you had always been working in this like product development in skincare and things like that. How have your experiences in your previous lives, um, prepared you for all the challenges that you faced with phase it?

Aliett: Yeah, I think for me, um, in the really early days of, I don’t think the actual job of being a model has come into play, obviously, um, for [00:42:00] what we do.

Courtney: did mention that that rejection really set you up to be able to like, you know, mindset.

Aliett: You’re right about that. And actually, my father in law called this out. He’s like, uh, when you’re going into a casting, you’re trying to, Play a role of what that person wants to hire you for.

So dressing the part and he’s like, I see you in conversations or at cocktail parties, being able to like tailor who you are for that conversation. So then maybe there’s a part of that. But I think for me, it was really the behind the scenes of working with the top hair and makeup artists, the top creative directors and chief marketing officers and really being a part of a whole set in order to create.

An advertisement and like that’s what I I remember like being so young and asking so many questions and like that’s not the role of a model is to like, you know, be so inquisitive of what’s going on and I just loved seeing how things come to life of all of these people’s. Really specific talents, [00:43:00] um, to create this like overall project.

So probably a bit of that. Um, and I think that’s like fast, like a fast paced environment of, um, it was, you know, always. On the go traveling. I mean, I think work ethic, I mean, to like be, I had to be an adult at a very young age and it was working with adults and people expected me to act like an adult.

And I think I just grew up, you know, incredibly fast and I lived many lives by the time I got to to university and started, you know, my consulting company.

Nina: Yeah, I think for me, I mean, my past career experience was really building my first company, La Bruna Skincare, and I had started that early days of college, so I was doing that from like 18 years old, really. And at first it was more of a hobby, you know, I had started like mixing and making products in my dorm room and just testing them on my friends and giving them little facials.

Um, But really, [00:44:00] I think that kind of laid a foundation and basic understanding of entrepreneurship, not just like logistically and operationally of like how a company is run, but also emotionally. I think running that company, especially solo for quite a few years until Elliot came in, really mentally prepared me for what was to come with our company phase it.

Um, and there were a lot of things, a lot of mistakes I made with LaBruna that I took and applied to phase it. I remember one of them being You know, I love the products I made with Labrunna. They’re my babies. I really, but they are very inconvenient. There’s a million ingredients. I’m mixing, matching them myself.

I’m like doing all this labor. It’s really heavy. It’s very expensive. Um, the, the sourcing was a nightmare. Like I’m going to streamline everything, every product I make in the future with Faze It. I want it to Have like very simple basic ingredients. I want it to all be done in one facility. I want the lead times to be two weeks.

I don’t want to touch these products. Like, although in the beginning, I was packing stuff too. [00:45:00] It’s a whole other story, but, um, yeah, I think, I think you take those lessons and, and what I did that was a little challenging. I remember because emotionally, I was very involved in that first company and it was hard for me to let go.

And I still, we still own that company. We still have it, but we really have let it go for the time being and put it on the sidelines. And that was a kind of scary pivot because here we had this brand that was making some money that was doing well. And we could have just continued putting our energy and focus there.

But we, we kind of looked at each other one day and said, look, we’ve learned a lot with this company and we’ve made a bunch of little mistakes with it. Like let’s put it on the side and let’s, Almost start from scratch and that’s a scary thing to do as a founder. Um, but I think in our case it was necessary and we wouldn’t be where we are without having like, let go.

And kind of, you kind of have to let go sometimes and know when it’s time to move on and you can always go back, but

Courtney: That takes so much maturity and like, like, again, belief in yourself. Because I think [00:46:00] a lot of founders struggle with this where, you know, When something’s not working quite right, it’s really hard to like, it’s like that sunk cost of being like, but I put so much into it. But the thing is, is that you took everything that you learned and you put it into phase it.

So it’s not like you’re completely leaving it. Like you’re just taking all the good parts and

Nina: Yeah, we basically got our MBA with LaBruna, you know, and that was, uh, and then we, we use that knowledge for our new brand and then it kind of keeps going that way. Keep taking and you keep growing.

Courtney: Um, For new beauty brands, um, who are just getting started, is there any low cost, high impact marketing tactics that you would recommend to people just starting out?

Aliett: Yeah, I mean, going back to our initial conversation of TikTok, I think something we didn’t do in the early days that I wish we would have is documenting, you know, The founders journey from the early days, and I see a lot of young women doing this now, and I find it inspiring, [00:47:00] and they have just started their company, uh, and showing the hard day, showing the tips and tricks, the lessons, exciting moments and really gets your customers, uh, really emotionally attached to what you’re building and makes them feel like even more wanting to buy and support your product even more because it humanizes it.

Um, so I wish we would have done that. I think, and I don’t know if it’s like a generational thing of we’re like on the cusp of millennial Gen Zs, both born in 1996, of Like this perfectionism mindset and this we’re like, we were born in the age of, you know, when Instagram first launched, like depicting life in the most perfect way and set, you’re selling a different version of yourself and on tick tock, it is the utmost vulnerable stream of consciousness, social experience.

And we were just waiting for like the PR moments or [00:48:00] our first retailer to announce to the world to make us feel legit. But like what we were doing from the early days were so legitimate.

Courtney: well, and the thing that really worked is you crying on the internet, so

Aliett: come on.

Courtney: that’s enough of it. Like, I think that, I think you hit it, hit the nail on the head when you said it’s kind of this generational thing. And I think Gen Z really craves authenticity and TikTok has made authenticity the most viral thing you can do.

So, um, But I agree like founders are so scared to put anything out there because what if it’s wrong like what if it doesn’t work

Aliett: yeah, I think like a fear of being canceled or, um, I did not put your best foot forward or not, you know, you’re wanting to launch when it’s perfect. And that’s like the like iconic tech quote of like, you launched too late if you were waiting to perfect it. Um, so yeah, I would like to suggest anybody, and even if you’re [00:49:00] uncomfortable with the camera, it does not matter.

Just like start documenting the journey of the brand. And that is probably the lowest acquisition cost of a customer.

Courtney: and then they’ll be able to use it for the documentary when you’re a huge success

Aliett: Yeah.

Courtney: Um, so what’s next for faze it it’s a pretty crowded industry out there But you guys have been pretty disruptive so far. What’s what are some new products coming out? What do you guys have planned for the new year?

Aliett: There is so much good stuff. Um, there, we are launching like seven products in the next six weeks. Uh, we’re doing holiday drops. We have, we just launched our limited edition snowflake speckles that have been like such a hit, um, a bestseller. Uh, we’re launching two new products for Valentine’s day that will be exclusive to our website and to Urban Outfitters.

We have a really exciting retailer launch beginning of March. We have an even more exciting, uh, brand collaboration we’re announcing. Uh, they’re There will be so many new product [00:50:00] categories that we’ll be introducing, uh, there will be at the intersection of beauty and sport. I mean, there’s, there’s so much.

Like, Taylor might have been like, You know, a peek in our personal, you know, career lives of our journey we’ve been on, but it really has opened the door to so many new and exciting things for the world of Faze It. If it’s where you can purchase Faze It, international , expansion, and Nina’s incredible product development.

Courtney: It sounds like you’ve been pretty busy. So many

Nina: We both have been, yeah, there’s, um, I mean a lot behind the scenes that, that happens and yeah, we’re excited to share it all this year.

Courtney: Amazing. And I don’t think Taylor was your peak. I think that’s the wrong word. I think she’s the catalyst

Aliett: Ooh, that’s a much better word.

Courtney: so much more to go from. So,

Nina: I always say like she did put us on the map and a lot of like people really know who FaceIt is now because of that moment.

Courtney: Amazing. Um, so to wrap up, I always ask the same question. [00:51:00] Um, if you could give yourself one piece of advice when you were just starting out with Fazeit, what would it be?

Nina: I think, you know, Elliot kind of hit a nail before when you said, like, just get started. I think that’s 1 piece of advice. Really say 1 that I always like to say to is, um, no, just not take things so seriously. I think. Like, Sometimes it feels like every meeting, every, um, every product launch, like everything you do when building a business is super intense and super, um, high risk, but just take a step back and try to have fun with all of it.

I feel like for me, it still is anxiety inducing. Don’t get me wrong. Like I do have a lot of anxiety, but I try to actually enjoy my days. And. Be a little more lightheaded lighthearted about all of it and find the fun in it too, because that’s why I started this career. That’s why I got into product development.

Um, and like keeping that four in front forefront of like, why you started the business. [00:52:00] Um, so that you don’t get so stuck in the nitty gritty like nuances and. The aspects that aren’t as fun.

Courtney: Amazing. Great advice. Great advice. And at the end of the day, you guys are making a really fun product too. I mean, there’s a lot of very like cool products that solve a lot of really great problems, but. It’s, you know, glitter freckles, so you can have fun.

Aliett: so serious.

Nina: so serious. Yeah, just have fun. 

Aliett: Um,

I think mine would be, uh, what we do is a really isolating career choice and there’s not a lot of people who understand what you’re going through to try and surround yourself around more entrepreneurs or founders or someone building something. Um, because your friends are not going to understand what your day to day is like, and you’re going to want to talk to somebody about it.

Um, and I wish that’s something we would have done earlier on.

Courtney: That is very, very good advice. Um, I’ve never heard that one, but that,

Aliett: I’m still working on it, but

Courtney: it’s hard to [00:53:00] do. But honestly, I mean, who you surround yourself with, that’s, that’s kind of like what level you get to in your life. So surrounding yourself with people who are going through the same thing, other founders. Um. Is so important. The problem is is that founders are so freaking busy.

Aliett: know, I know, but at least like having a meetup here and there, especially with women, I think being a female entrepreneur is Complex layer to everything and just having, if it’s not a friend, maybe it’s bringing a mentor or an advisor onto your team who can help you navigate these new challenges you’re facing for the first time.

Courtney: great advice both of you, um, so to wrap up where can people find face it online

Aliett: You can find us across all social channels at phase of beauty. And then we do talk a lot about, um, the founder and entrepreneur journey on our personal channels. And mine is Ali at butts.

Nina: And mine’s just my name, Nina Labruna.

Courtney: Amazing and we’ll tag you guys in our social posts people can [00:54:00] go and follow you both of you as such Really like, um, insightful things to say, which I’m not surprised by based on your business, but I really enjoyed this conversation. So thank you so much for being on the show.

And thank you to everyone at home or on the go for listening. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please make sure to subscribe, share with a friend, leave us a review. And if there’s anything you’d like to hear on an upcoming episode, please just let me know. Uh, for more insights, please check out our website.

Um, please follow us on LinkedIn or visit rightleftagency. com and we’ll be back next time with more stories of success, innovation, and marketing strategies to help you grow. Thank you.