We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jamie Greenberg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jamie below.
Jamie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I’ve been a Celebrity Makeup Artist for over twenty years, and it was a job I stumbled into that unexpectedly combined my love of artistry, makeup, and, most of all, people. It was great, but as the years went by and social media started to blow up, I realized I wanted more. Starting my own makeup line seemed impossible. Where would I get the money, and how would I get people to buy? But I played the long game, staying true to my personality and style as I developed a following on social media and listened to what my clients and audience really seemed to want.
My producer/advertising genius husband has referred to me as a turtle – slow and steady, but winning the race. There have been times where I’ve thought about changing my style to stay more trendy, going after different clients to social climb, but none of that has felt true to me. Remaining authentic can feel like the biggest risk we take, but it has allowed me to get to where I am now.
After years of growing a following through down-to-earth beauty videos (a genre I don’t think we see enough, especially for women over 40) I took the risk of launching my own products. I thought long and hard about what my clients and audience genuinely needed, and instead of launching with a product everyone knows, I created something completely original. I even called it something new: the “Blighlighter” a blush + highlighter combo that gives you the glowy cream finish so many of us want. I wanted all my products to be easy, accessible to any makeup skill level and any type of schedule. As we’ve grown, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support of those who have followed me since the beginning, and we seem to reach people who wanted a fun, accessible, high-quality and unpretentious brand that brings Hollywood to EVERYONE. It’s crazy and I’m so grateful. I can’t wait for where we go next.
On paper the biggest risk has been the launch of this line. Believing in myself and my team enough to make the dream a reality. Investing in myself. Trusting my own skills and the support of those who work with and follow me. Now I realize the risk that hung above it all was remaining authentic. Believing that I did not have to change or compromise my identity in order to start a successful company, despite the pressure of what’s popular and the trends of everyone else. Being a disruptor means being yourself, and it does not feel easy. But it is better for your brand in the end, and I am so grateful for every experience that helped me stay true to myself.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
For most of my life I’ve been a celebrity makeup artist. And a mom. And a wife. And a total workout addict. And now, a business mama. I created JamieMakeup to bring that bespoke, makeup-artist treatment to anybody, anywhere. I want to cram all my red carpet knowledge into your bathroom or bag or wherever you get yourself beautiful. I’ve built these products with all my heart, and hope you love ‘em as much as I do.
I’m originally from Maryland but have been based in sunny Los Angeles for the last twenty years. In college at Ithaca, I actually studied Film while playing soccer. After graduation I lived in New York and tried stand-up comedy…while doing my friends’ makeup before we went out every weekend. Soon I found myself working at the beauty counters of Ulta and Bloomingdales, which is where I started to learn everything about products and really connected to my passion for makeup. I moved on to assist Celebrity Makeup Artists (I didn’t even realize ‘Celebrity Makeup Artist’ was a job!) and eventually started gaining clients of my own. My secret to success has been community – everyone knows everyone in this business, and while you hear horror stories about Hollywood, I have made the most incredible friends and collaborators. We look out for each other, and I credit my friendships for my success as much as my skill and artistry.
As a makeup artist, my expertise ranges from iconic red carpet looks, to natural makeup and real beauty. I’ve had campaigns and collaborations with brands such as Almay, Burt’s Bees, Glossier, Sisley, Makeup Forever, and Ren Skincare. My clientele includes Kaley Cuoco, Rashida Jones, Kristen Stewart, Elisabeth Moss, Kathryn Hahn, Lizzy Caplan, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jane Levy, and Judith Light. As a personality I’ve been featured on PopSugar, Refinery29, and my own social media – @jamiemakeup across all platforms. I have been an Allure Insider, and frequently create new content for Joyus, E! News and StyleCode on Amazon. Additionally, I’ve done editorials for Allure, Esquire, Elle, Lucky, and Harper’s Bazaar.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I have been grinding on social media for YEARS. I’ll compile a list of what I’ve learned into some bullets. This barely scratches the surface!
– ADAPT. Platforms change, and you need to work with that. It may feel daunting but it doesn’t have to be. Recycle old content, or re-shoot old content for the new platform. If a platform introduces a new feature (example: TikTok just added TikTok Shop), find a way to utilize it quickly (I just went live on TikTok and told the audience I wouldn’t get off until I sold a certain number of my product through TikTok Shop. My audience loved it, TikTok loved it, and I had one of my best sales days of the quarter). Look at changes in media as opportunities, not obstacles. Be like a shark – the minute we stop moving forward, we’ll die!!
-FAIL. You have to try new ways of connecting with people on social media, and they will not all be successful. That’s ok. Sometimes I make a video that answers a very specific question someone has about makeup or skincare. It doesn’t go viral, but the person who asked that question expresses how grateful they are that I helped them. That’s successful in my eyes, even if it didn’t result in thousands of new followers. Other times, I’ll try a new series and it just won’t take off. Great…what did I learn from that? What small thing can I change about it that DOES make a difference? You can’t get discouraged over trying a piece of content that doesn’t immediately pop off. You’re building a platform – people might find it and connect with it later, or you will at least learn from it.
-IF SOMEONE UNFOLLOWS YOU, GOOD. I would rather have ten followers who engage with my content than a million followers who don’t. Engagement is more important than quantity of following, so focus on the audience who is dedicated to you, not the ones who aren’t.
-PEOPLE WANT A STORY. Your product needs to be incredible. That’s a given. But giving someone a story sets your brand apart. When someone gets a compliment on their Jamie Makeup products, they don’t just get to say what it is. They get to say that it was founded by a busy mom of three they relate to, or a Celebrity Makeup Artist they’ve learned from for years, or that the bottle artwork was designed by an illustrator they just learned about, or that their favorite celebrity just wore the same product to the Oscars. Think beyond the item and into the connection you can make with your audience. Sure, we love a flawless makeup look, but we love how it makes us FEEL even more.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Figure out what every member of your team is super passionate about. We all have tasks we don’t want to do sometimes, but when you give people the freedom to tap into the strengths they enjoy, they’re going to love the work more! I had an incredible graphic designer helping me post on my Instagram at first. They were good at it, but I could tell they weren’t innately passionate about social media. I course-corrected, delegating social media to another member of the team who adores social media, and put my graphic designer on more projects in their wheelhouse – email marketing, website design, product design, merch…suddenly the energy changed within the whole team. You have to get to know your team and sometimes people will surprise you, but when you work in a “start-up” type of environment, adapting and collaborating is key. Everyone has strengths and passions they may not lead with. A good leader seeks those out and presents the opportunity for those to flourish.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jamiemakeup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiemakeup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiemakeupgreenberg
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemakeup/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/jamiemakeup
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jamiemakeup
Image Credits
Jamie Greenberg