Name: Laura
Location: Brooklyn, NY
IG handle / website: @fluidebeauty / www.fluide.us
Sum up the mission of the work you do:
Tell us a little more about your background and what you did in your “past lives.” What ultimately brought you to Fluide?
I started my career working in start-ups and then spent 15 years at interactive agencies. My last job was at a health and wellness e-commerce startup, where I developed content and community around our product line, which I loved doing. In starting my own company, I wanted to create a community and a platform for underrepresented faces and voices in the beauty industry to come together. I felt that we could create a beautiful and intimate online universe where everyone is comfortable being themselves.
From start to finish, how long did it take to launch?
9 months
What was the best part about this process?
From the beginning, I was so excited about creating a brand that celebrated gender expansive identities and queer beauty, so the whole process of getting started was fascinating. Since I didn’t have a background in cosmetics or skincare, the first year was a crash course in product development, manufacturing, and packaging.
Where can we find Fluide?
We are available at a small number of boutiques nationwide and on our website http://www.fluide.us
Which Fluide product do you reach for the most often?
Liquid lipstick in Candy Bar is my personal fave. My other everyday go-to is our Wet lip gloss — a non-sticky, shiny, clear gloss.
What’s a big misconception about the beauty industry?
The beliefs and ideology around beauty are continually shifting. One of our goals, as a company, is to showcase beauty at its most expansive and inclusive and to locate makeup outside of the paradigm of cis-female beauty.
By opening up the potential for makeup to be an empowering form of self-expression for all people, rather than a representation of out-dated ideals of “feminine” identity is liberating for everyone.
What part of the process was surprisingly easy?
I was surprised by how many talented young people have jumped in to support us — as interns, photographers, stylists, models or writers; I have been so fortunate to work with smart, dedicated folk who love our mission are contributing to our success in a significant way.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on this journey? What would you differently if you were to create another beauty brand?
If I had known how difficult it would be to launch a beauty brand in such a saturated market with so many celebrities and well-capitalized companies in the industry, I would not have taken the leap to start my own company.
That said, I am so glad that I did it! In this environment, I think it makes a lot of sense to partner with someone who already has an audience, and to build a product company around that community.
Let’s talk about productivity! How do you keep track of everything?
From Trello to Basecamp to Asana, I feel like I’ve tried everything, but my go-to platform is just Google —Gmail GoogleCalendar, GoogleDrive and GoogleSheets.
There’s so much to do on a day-to-day basis. What are your best methods for prioritizing?
Prioritizing is key—and, a big struggle, always! It is so easy to use up time on the less important tasks and neglect the projects and tasks that will really move your business forward. I am a listmaker and a spreadsheet creator and always trying my best to stay on top of things!
Software/tool/app(s) you can't you live without?
Shopify,QuickBooks, GoogleDrive and Instagram
How do you wind down for the night, especially after a hectic day?
A hot bath with Slumber Bath Salts and a glass of wine.
Where are your favorite chill-out places in your area (BK/NY)?
Fort Greene Park is a lovely place to take a head-clearing walk. My favorite local restaurant, Café Paulette, is conveniently right across the street from the park.
What’s in store for 2020 with Fluide?
We are so excited about the multi-function products we are currently developing for our “Universal” line—all based on feedback from our makeup artists, models and customers. We just launched our first product in the line—our Universal Gloss, which is a shimmery eye gloss that works great as a highlighter and lip gloss too.
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