We were lucky to catch up with Maybelline Jerez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maybelline, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

One of the most exciting trends we’ve seen over the past few years is the rise of immersive, lifestyle-driven pop-ups, especially from larger brands. These aren’t just product showcases; they’re carefully curated experiences that aim to spark belonging and emotional connection. Brands are moving beyond the transactional, inviting their clients into full-sensory environments that reflect their identity and values.
And here’s the opportunity: this isn’t just a space for global names. Smaller, founder-led brands have a unique chance to tap into this trend in ways that feel even more personal and community-rooted. In fact, they may be better positioned to do it with authenticity.
We’re living in a post-pandemic world, and now entering the AI era, where people are craving what can’t be automated: presence, texture, human connection. Clients aren’t just looking for a brand to buy from; they want to feel like they’re part of something. That’s where intimate, thoughtfully designed gatherings come in. Whether it’s a 30-person tasting or a team appreciation retreat, these moments allow brands to communicate who they are by how they make people feel.
At Vita, we see this shift not just as a trend, but as a signal: the future of brand engagement is emotional, immersive, and deeply human.

Maybelline, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My background blends a deep love for hosting with years of experience managing creative teams, brand strategy, and high-touch client relationships. I launched Vita Curated with a clear intention: to help brands create emotionally resonant experiences that feel personal while being deeply strategic.
Vita specializes in intimate, sensorial, brand-aligned events that are intentionally designed to spark connection. From client appreciation dinners and milestone celebrations to immersive team retreats and product launches, we support founders and teams who want their values to show up in real life. Our services include full event planning and execution, design consulting, and strategy-only sessions for those who want clarity but prefer to execute in-house.
What sets Vita apart is our ability to hold both the heart and the strategy of an event. Our gatherings aren’t about grandiosity, they’re about how people feel when they walk into a room. We apply slow design principles, rooted in hospitality and purpose, to create environments that encourage presence, trust, and meaningful dialogue. Every detail is intentional: from the way a guest is greeted to the texture of the table linen.
We’re not just producing events, we’re helping brands communicate who they are through lived experiences.
What I’m most proud of is the quiet impact these gatherings leave behind. A client reconnecting with an old collaborator over dinner. A team that walks away with renewed energy and clarity. A founder seeing their vision reflected, not just in a space, but in the way people engage within it.
If there’s one thing I’d want potential clients or collaborators to know, it’s this: Vita isn’t just about planning an event, it’s about creating moments of connection that move your brand forward.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Reflecting on this question, I realized that the past five years have been the pivot—both personally and professionally.
I moved across three major cities, first from New York to Los Angeles, then from LA to Miami. Each transition marked a shift not just in geography, but in vision. Every move required letting go of what was familiar and leaning into the unknown: new networks, new industries, and new versions of myself.
Vita Curated was born out of that evolution. It’s the result of years spent listening to my own creative instincts, to the types of work that energized me, and to what people were truly seeking in their brand experiences. It emerged from a desire to bridge my love for hosting, storytelling, and strategy into something intentional and deeply human.
The journey taught me what I value most, and those values now live at the heart of Vita:
Intention over excess. Connection over noise. Presence over performance.
We serve founders, boutique brands, and creative leaders who want to create moments that reflect who they are and why they do what they do.
Pivoting gave me clarity, not just about what I wanted to build, but how I wanted people to feel when they interacted with that vision.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Ironically, one of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is that life will always go according to plan.
As an event planner, I thrive on thoughtful timelines, attention to detail, and experiences unfolding with intention, ideally 80% to plan. But in life, things are rarely that neat. There were seasons where no matter how carefully I mapped things out, they changed anyway.
This became especially clear over the last five years, as I navigated three cross-country moves from New York to Los Angeles, then to Miami. Each city came with a different pace, a different version of me, and ultimately, a different path forward. What I thought would be permanent turned out to be transitional. And what felt like a detour often revealed itself as the beginning of something better.
Vita Curated was born from those pivots. I had to let go of the script to make space for something more aligned and that unlearning has become part of how I now guide clients, too. Not everything needs to be perfectly mapped to have meaning. Sometimes the best experiences come from what we allow to unfold with trust and clarity of intention.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vitacurated.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curatedvita/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maybellinejerez