Interview with trèStiQue co-founder Jenn Kapahi

How did you and Jack Bensason (trèStiQue co-founder) meet?
We used to work at the same company about 8 years ago. Jack worked in a different office location than I did but we occasionally bumped into eachother.

What made you decide to go into business together?
We shared a very similar vision for a brand and a product line. We also felt that our professional strengths complimented eachother. Jack is a genius at supply chain and operations and I have more know-how in product development and marketing.

What was the goal when you launched the brand?
To simplify the real women’s everyday makeup routine.

What makes trèStiQue different to other color brands?

We made the first stick based makeup routine for everyday- combining color essentials + tools for application + the perfect bag to carry everything on-the-go.

Can you talk us through your creative process in creating the collection?
First comes the concept and identifying the problem we were trying to solve (in this case it was trying to simplify the real women’s makeup routine). Then we try, evaluate and develop the formulas and the packaging. Once we had the products we worked on the branding, website and creative assets to bring the vision to life.

What were the first products in the line when you launched?
We launched with the entire Essential 8 collection which includes: Tinted Face Stick, Concealer Crayon, Bronzer Stick, Blush Stick, Shadow Crayon, Brow Pencil, Eye Pencil, Lip Crayon + our Le Pak Bag. We also launched our Mini Lip Crayon and Mini Shadow Crayon which we sampled to help generate the consumer trial and brand awareness.

Can you talk me through when other SKUs were introduced into the line and why?
New essentials were launched because we wanted to round out the collection. We launched the highlighter a few months later and other Mini products (mini blush, mini bronzer, mini concealer, mini highlight) to continue to generate consumer trial and brand awareness. Year two we launched 2 new lipstick shades as a result of customer requests and the matte stick with Sephora which was to introduce a primer and travel touch-up stick. Our products are lifestyle built- we are made for girls on the go, travellers and gym buffs.

How did you feel on launch day? Do you remember where you were?
I was in LA prepping for generation beauty, which was our first event and first time showing the product line to real customers face to face. It was exciting!!

What was your first big piece of coverage? Can you remember what they said?
An article with WWD focusing on our approach with simple direct to consumer beauty products.

What have been some of the press pieces that you are most proud of over the past two years?
All of them have been awesome. Its rewarding to see your brand loved by beauty editors (who are product experts) The Today show last Black Friday, Allure, WWD, Forbes, Travel & Leisure, Refinery 29, SELF, Oprah…

Do you remember the first time you saw a customer wearing trèStiQue? How did that feel like?
Yes! At generation beauty LA. It was a proud and happy moment.

You did your first Generation Beauty by IPSY the month before you launched. What was that experience like?
We did it one day after we launched the brand online.

You won the Foundermade competition just a few months into launching. Can you talk to me about that?
We jumped into the pitch competition last minute and it was a scramble to produce the video and to get our products and deck ready. Standing on that stage looking at a ton of press and beauty experts in the room was daunting! When we won it was pure joy.

Your first retail offering was through Birchbox. How was that experience?
Awesome! Seeing your product babies on shelf and watching real women pick them up and try them and then buy them was a dream come true.

You were live on the Today Show on Black Friday. What impact did that exposure have on the brand?
Our website crashed we has so many visitors! It was unexpected and scary but great for business.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve encountered over the past two years and how have you and your team overcome them?
The biggest challenges are always having enough capital and finding the right people to join the team.

What were the biggest highlights of year one?
The today show, first IPSY glam bag, Generation Beauty, & winning the Foundermade competition and the CEW award.

What were the biggest highlights of year two?
Being on- air with QVC, launching our highlighter and matte stick and launching with Sephora!

One of the big moments of year two must have been seeing the brand on shop floors at Sephora. What was that feeling like?
A brief moment of accomplishment and then the realization that you need to start sprinting… you have to work harder, faster and become more agile to be a good partner in that environment.

What can customers look forward to as you enter into year three?
More innovation! We have SO many cool products coming.

As you look back on the past two years, what are the biggest lessons you’ve learned?
Trust your gut, you know what’s right in the end. Also all things pass, both good and bad so you just need to keep pushing forward and keep the passion alive for what you are building.

What are you most proud of?
Creating a routine that actually simplifies real women’s makeup.

Top beauty travel tips for short flights? 

I always bring wipes to clean the seat, something to read (since most short flights don’t have a movie) and in my purse I carry my hand cream, contact solution and glasses and a few trèStiQue essentials- the Matte Stick for blotting, the Concealer Crayon for touching up pre-landing and the BB Lip Balm (on the end of the lipstick). 

Top beauty travel tips for long haul?  

I always bring my own warm cozy socks and a cashmere travel shawl that can double as a blanket. I also bring some extra skin care products to keep my skin hydrated in the dry air  & a toothbrush! For long trips I keep my entire Essential 8 Set with me in case my bag is ever lost.

What are the products you always keep in your carry on and why?

I always have my lipstick- I use the BB Lip Balm for travel since its loaded with moisturizing ingredients such as argan oil, coconut oil and peach seed oil. I also keep my Concealer Crayon for spot touch-ups, my Brow Pencil which makes you look pulled together and awake and the Matte Stick to blot shine.

What beauty travel tips have you learnt since travelling with a baby?

I have much less time to touch up in flight or care what I look like. The most important thing is keeping the germs away because he puts everything in his mouth.  I keep hand wipes in the diaper clutch and in my purse and wash my hands a ton. I love Elizabeth Arden’s 8 hour hand cream and keep that handy along with my lip balm.

You’re heading from the airport straight into a meeting. What are the products you turn to and why?

If I have to go to a meeting I always add a touch of Eye Liner, a swipe of Highlighter and I layer a bit of bright Lip Crayon on top of my BB balm (which acts as a hydrating primer).

Any on the fly emergency in-flight beauty tips?

The bathrooms are so tiny in the plane so I like to put my makeup bag and skin care in a hand held clutch with a wrist strap. I hang the strap on the door so it says clean and out of the way.

Teacup piglets, baby Jordans, Clementines. Is there anything cuter than pretty much anything in miniature form? We think not. But while you may find yourself ooh-ing and aww-ing over all things teeny-tiny, pint-size picks might not always be the best. (Seriously, we never understood those “fun-size” candy bars.)

What we do understand is how many things you need to fit in your purse and how quickly all that room gets claimed. So even though our 2-in-1 products are as space-saving as they are time-saving, we wondered if we could create even smaller makeup crayons that were just as good. The answer, we discovered, is yes.

Introducing, tréMinis — our junior-size products with big-time benefits!

Read on for all the reasons we love our mini makeup crayons just as much as our full-size sticks — and think you will, too:

They’re $10 each.

Need we say more? Yes? Ok, how about this: Try getting a box of macaroons for 10 bucks!

They click shut nice ‘n tight.

Meaning you’ll never have to worry about more of your makeup ending up on the lining of that zippered pouch inside your purse than on your face.

They’re pocket-sized. 

We mean this quite literally.

They may be small, but they’re still mighty.

You know that completely creamy, wonderfully buildable texture of our full-size products? Same here! All the tréMinis also have the smooth cream gel texture that glides on beautifully and blends seamlessly — even the matte lip crayon feels buttery soft. The only difference? We removed the tool at the end to make them more microscopic — no problem, since you can blend all of our high-performance formulas with your finger whenever you need to.

They’re berry bright…

See what we did there?

…and the variety makes us very happy.

Mini lip crayon? How about eight colors! Mini crayon concealer? A given. (In three shades, no less.)

But we didn’t stop there. We also made a mini bronzer stick, a mini highlighter stick and a mini stick blush (in two cheery shades). The coup de grâce? A mini eyeshadow stick — in six colors! Who said bigger is better?

You can buy them in ready-to-tote combos.

When each makeup stick is just $10, you can feel free to go â la carte or mix and match. More set in your ways? Purchase a Mini Trio for $28, or go for all five Mini Essentials for $50 — plus a mini Le’ Pak bag complete with mirror.

They come in handy in, well, a clutch!

Yup! We went there… and so should you! For maximum merriment, go big on small today.

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Mini Essentials, $50

Wanna glow like, well, J. Lo? You already know you don’t need to log long hours on the lounge chair to get that sun-kissed look. (And health note: You probably shouldn’t!) But there are a few other things you don’t need much of — namely, time, money or precious, precious space in your makeup bag.

We put together a little something we like to call Beauty on the Fly, a.k.a., the Mini Contour Travel Set. Each $28 kit, available exclusively at Sephora, contains three makeup crayons: a Baby Bronzer Stick, a Baby Blush Stick and a Mini Highlight Stick. They’re all nestled into a Le’ Pak Mini bag so the face sticks are always at your fingertips — all the better for on-the-go touch-ups or a five-minute face to start your day. Oh, and like our whole line of products, it’s all TSA-approved. So you can also stick the kit in your carry-on and say, Bon voyage!

Not sure how to use a bronzer stick or a highlighter stick? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered there, too.

The whole look is super easy to do:

• Start by gliding the creamy Brazilian Bronze stick under your cheekbones and on your jawline. Blend with your finger until it melts into skin. For extra contouring power, draw vertical lines down each side of the bridge of your nose, blend.
• Dab the Bora Bora Coral blush on the apples of your cheeks. Blend and build as desired.
• Apply the Maldives Luminescent highlighter on upper cheeks, under browbones, to your inner and outer eye, your cupid’s bow — wherever you want a little sparkle.

Perhaps you’d rather watch a quick video of our very own Sara showing you how to get the look? Why didn’t you just ask!

That’s it! Shine on, superstar. You deserve it.

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If you’re anything like us, you’ve at least entertained the fantasy of quitting your job, saying ‘buh-bye’ to the day-to-day and moving to Paris, where you’d spend your afternoons wandering cobblestone streets, baguette sticking jauntily out of bag. Mere mortal Janice MacLeod is proof that heroes live amongst us — she made the dream her reality.

Six years ago, the Canada-native decided she needed a change, so she left her copywriting job in L.A. to travel through Europe. Flash forward to 2017 and she has authored two books (her first, a New York Times bestseller), launched a successful online business and, oh yeah, found time to get married and have a baby. She and hubby Christophe — whom she met in Paris, naturally — welcomed daughter Amélie Mackenzie earlier this year. (“She’s adorable,” notes Janice. “Do all new mothers believe this about their own babies? Because I really think she’s the most beautiful baby ever created.”)

The warm and vivacious travel writer, whose second book, A Paris Year: My Day-to-Day Adventures in the Most Romantic City in the World, was released this June via St. Martin’s Griffin press, took time out of her busy schedule to share inspirational life advice, her thoughts on Parisian style and French beauty — and the secret to packing the perfect TSA-approved carry-on. (Hint: It’s all in the face sticks!)

Here’s Janice, with her whole life in one suitcase, getting ready to embark on her adventure!

Living in Paris seems so glamorous. How did you get up the courage to move there?

Easy. I hadn’t intended to move to Paris! I only planned on staying there for a month, then moving on to tour other places in Europe. But inside of that month I met the lovely Christophe. I still left to tour Europe, but he convinced me to return for another month, then another, then finally to stay and live. It was a gradual process. I only decided one month at a time, and Christophe was very convincing. I lived in Paris for four glorious years.

How hard was it to change your life around to travel?

The year before I arrived in Paris, I had slowly cleared out my apartment while I was saving up cash to leave my job. At first the idea of quitting my job was what required the most courage. I was so scared at the prospect of just flinging myself to Europe without a plan for afterward. But by the time I saved up enough and cleaned out my apartment, I felt I was careening toward the next step and the only thing standing in my way was my job. By then it was easy to quit. Well, the moment of actually walking into my supervisor’s office was difficult, but the day after was PURE BLISS.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to do the same?

Save up a bundle of cash first! And while you’re at it, start paring down your life. You don’t want to have to look after a bunch of stuff at home while you’re on the road. I also found writing down plans in my journal every day was helpful. It kept me on track, plus it was a good place to list the tasks I needed to do to pare my life down to one suitcase.

Tell us about your packing strategy, especially for carrying on cosmetics.

I don’t want to carry anything I don’t need to carry. I used to pack a tiny face cream, a tinted moisturizer and a stick for my cheeks, lips and eyelids. That was it. Now with the Essential 8, I don’t have to choose between taking one makeup over another on my travels. I just grab the carrying case full of everything. I love love love the Blush Stick. I like the coral color and the creamy texture. There’s a light, creamy feel to all the makeup so I feel moisturized without feeling greasy. I also like that I have the choice to use the tool to contour because I definitely don’t like packing an extra brush.

There was a time I used eyeliner and mascara, but when I travel I walk, walk, walk and walk more. With all the sweating and random weather, the eye makeup gets smudged and itchy, so I gave it up.

As for a carry-on bag, I use the Rick Steves’ Europe Classic Back Door Bag because it’s light and it opens all the way — flat, like opening a book — rather than just at the top. I can keep the whole situation more organized and it’s easier for me to find what I need.

Any easy makeup tricks you’ve picked up as a traveler?

I’ll often use the same makeup crayon for my cheeks and lips. Really, my lipstick and blush are probably going to be similar in shade so why not just use the one? The trèStique lip crayon has a lip balm on the other end though, which is so my thing. I find I use the lipstick first, then top up with the lip balm on the other end throughout the day. I’m a big fan of the all-in-one makeup.

I use cosmetics in stick form because they’re easy for traveling. None of it is liquid. This makes all the difference when I’m in line going through security at the airport. It’s all tucked in nicely in its carrying case, so I don’t have to put anything in a clear sealed bag.

On Janice’s latest visit to the City of Lights, for her A Paris Year book tour, she took baby Amélie along for the ride.

What’s your general beauty philosophy?

Work with what you’ve got, and keep it simple. If you were born with straight hair, don’t spend your time trying to make it curly. It’s just never going to be the way you want it to be. And too much makeup doesn’t look as good as you think! It’s not all about hiding wrinkles and looking younger. It’s about enhancing the present. What’s so wrong with wrinkles? I’ve earned every single line.

What did you learn about French beauty while you were there?

Parisian women don’t wear a lot of makeup — just enough to enhance the look. They also know that the best way to deal with hair is getting a good haircut rather than dousing their hair with products designed to wrangle it into a shape that won’t work and won’t keep.

When did you know you were an artist?

I knew I was an artist when I started my copywriting career. Writing is my first true love. My first Paris book, Paris Letters, is a really a love letter to the written word. As for the visual arts, I had always put illustration, painting, collage and photography in the ‘hobby’ category of my life. But when I was creating A Paris Year, all these arts came together with my writing as a visual love letter to Paris.

How has your life changed now that you’re working for yourself?

The days are glorious. I realize now that I was an introvert living in the extroverted world of advertising. I did it, I’m proud of it — and so very glad now to only do it from time to time from the comfort of my home computer. I remember how hard it was to get out of bed in the morning back when I worked full time in advertising. Now I bounce out of bed easily. I work on my Etsy shop where I sell my Paris Letter subscriptions (painted letters sent in the post to those who crave fun mail), and I’m always working on book writing. I’m also currently designing stationery to sell on my shop because it’s so very fun to treat oneself to a set of pretty stationery. All fun things — that’s the biggest change. I’ve allowed myself to follow my curiosities: What would my line of stationery look like? What would my next book look like? All great questions I have the freedom to ask myself now that I’m not commuting to a job and using up all my mental energy in an office.

What other memorable trips have you taken?

I didn’t travel anywhere until I was an adult. The first airplane trip I took was to see Disney on Ice in Philadelphia because a friend was skating in the show. It was thrilling to be on a plane. Since then I’ve had the travel bug. If I had to pick one trip out of all the memorable trips, I’d have to choose Rome, where I lived for two months. The glow of the orange and yellow buildings, the warm days and nights, the vibe, the food, the language… oh, how I love Rome. My skin even looks and feels better in Rome. I can’t explain why except that being extremely happy looks good on a person.

(Portraits courtesy of Janice MacLeod.)

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Nkenge Brown always looks cool — and it’s not just her killer clothes or sweet shades. The style blogger and FIT student has mastered the art of summer makeup, a.k.a., how to wear makeup when it’s hot and humid and your morning masterpiece wants to slide off your face by noon. “I don’t go for the dewy look in the summer, it eventually just turns into that,” the influencer jokes.

She knows what she’s talking about. As a New York City native, Nkenge’s first superpower is handling heat and humidity like a boss. (“I love the weather!” she says. “I also feel like people are a bit nicer in the summer.”) Her second? Figuring out how to tote everything she’ll need for the day — her favorite summertime activities include eating outside and going to rooftop parties — while looking effortless.

So we asked the ace photographer (seriously, check out her trèStique Instagram takeover) for her thoughts on all things summer beauty. Read on for Nkenge’s tips and tricks to staying shine-free and pretty in a hot summer in the city:

First of all, what are your thoughts on wearing makeup before you go swimming?

I have to put on makeup. Well, nobody has to, but honestly because my mom is a designer and a tailor, I grew up in the fashion world. She was always around beauty and would bring it home and teach me.

What’s your poolside beauty routine?

I’m always okay leaving the house as long as I can do my eyebrows first. So before going to the pool, I do my eyebrows, 100 percent. Then I’ll do a tinted foundation and add some highlights. Blush isn’t 100 percent necessary but I’ll put it on if I have the time.

What about on a hot day around town — how do you keep your makeup in place?

Have a really good primer like the trèStique Mattifying Duo or a setting powder. And the less makeup the better! Because then, you don’t have to worry about it sliding.

Do you consider yourself a makeup minimalist maximalist?

When I started wearing makeup, I thought it was about a full face and that’s it. I started with eyeshadow, then I added a minimal foundation, then I started using a highlighter. Soon, I was doing a full face every day.

Then I started cutting back. When I saw what trèStique was going for — go-to products that you can take on the go — I started enjoying that aspect of makeup. Now I’m like, What are the things I can do to make my routine 10 minutes or less?

How do you transition from day-to-night?

I’m just getting obsessed with lashes. If I’m going out to dinner with my friends, I’ll bring the lashes with me if I didn’t already put them on in the morning. I’m just getting the hang of it. It takes me 30 to 40 minutes to do, depending on how long it takes for the glue to dry. And then I would add blush and lipstick.

What are your specific must-have products?

Popping these trèStique sticks into a Le’ Pak bag is the best solution for my on-the-go makeup. They’re all the essentials I need for the day:

• Brow Pencil in Espresso
• Mattifying Duo
• Concealer Crayon in Toffee
• Blush Stick in Bora Bora Coral
• Highlight Stick in Maldives Luminescent (“I just love highlights.”)
• Lip Crayon in Florence Fig (“It’s really nice for going out to dinner or out with friends after the pool. I also like Belize Bordeaux or Tuscan Wine for nighttime.”)
  

What do you always have in your bag?

I used to carry a lot. I would be the person everyone would come to whenever they needed a backup item. A mini sewing kit, hair ties, safety pins — I would have them all just in case. Now I’ve been very inspired by Parisian style. A big part of it is, apparently, that they don’t carry a lot.  I wanted to see if i could do that, so I switched out my big wallet for a card holder, my big bags for mini bags.

But especially in the summer I always have a lipstick to touch up my lips throughout the day, and I carry the Mattifying Duo with the blotting sheets so I can wipe off shine.

Most important question: How do you always manage to capture that summer glow in your photos?

If you’re taking a phone selfie, you don’t want to do it at night. There’s a lot of visual noise at night and camera phones don’t have the greatest day/night controls.

Take your selfies in the best natural light possible. The sun sets after 8 p.m. in the summer, so you have more selfie time, which I really appreciate.  

(Portraits courtesy of Nkenge Brown.)