Perhaps you’ve heard of a little magazine called Harper’s Bazaar? Mmmmmyeah, THE Harper’s Bazaar. Well I just interviewed their senior beauty editor, Ms Jenna Rosenstein. *squeal!* She is the former senior beauty editor at Refinery 29 and Allure Magazine. So when she agreed to do this interview I was SO excited!!
How do you think social media has changed the world of beauty?
Social media is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to this industry. Every woman can now be armed with the tools to become her own makeup artist, which is great, because it really democratized the whole world of beauty. Yet it also stripped some of the power away from traditional brands and makeup artists and handed it over to a new guard. I don’t think anything can replace the years of experience and artistry that backstage editorial, and runway makeup artists have earned. Trends—if we can even call them trends—now move so quickly on social media that I think it can be overwhelming to the average woman. And of course, there’s Kylie Cosmetics. I don’t even think I need to mention how much that has changed the game, too.
Who is your current favorite beauty influencer?
I love Huda Kattan and Jen Atkin so much. I just think they’re both such genuinely kind and positive people, and I love how honest they are with their followers. I really look up to them as female role models and leaders. Plus, I use Atkin’s like Ouai haircare almost every single day of my life. That Texturizing Hairspray is a total game changer.
What is your favorite emerging brand?
Drunk Elephant is a skincare brand that I am obsessed with. It’s a natural skincare brand with adorable packaging and stellar formulas. Their products are free of all the nasty stuff you might want to avoid but they honestly work better than similar products three times the price. Plus, I just love the name (it refers to the legend of marula plants making elephants tipsy).
What trend is not your cup of tea?
Matte lipstick! My lips are perpetually dry and matte lipstick feels terrible. Plus, it’s always washing away at my waterline so the color gets patchy. I would much rather have soft, glossy, or conditioned lips.
What is your idea of classic beauty? Describe the look.
There’s nothing more classic than a red lip, and I love that it’s something women can universally wear—no matter your age, race, skin type, what have you. There is a red lipstick for every woman and it exudes such confidence and power. I personally love Dior’s 999; the gloss version is amazing.
You’re getting married (congrats!). Do you have a specific makeup look you’re going for on the big day?
I want to look flawless and classic. I will probably do just a bumped-up version of my everyday makeup look: glowing skin, a black cat-eye, thick lashes, and a pinky berry lip.
Celeb with the best makeup look on the regular?
Emma Stone, by far. Her makeup artist Rachel Goodwin is a genius and always manages to make her look classic and trendy at the same time. She’s fearless with color but never looks overdone.
Do you have any advice to aspiring beauty editors on how to break into the industry (like me 🙂 )
I think it’s important to realize that beauty editors are just journalists whose beats cover the beauty industry. It’s a true writing and editing job, and you need to develop a strong POV and writing voice in order to excel. I always had a strong writing voice but I didn’t really know how to write for a magazine when I started at Allure years ago. I thought you could get away with silly alliterations like “perfect pout” or “sleek strands” and quickly learned just how wrong I was. In fact, I think the words “pout,” “pucker,” “tresses,” and “strands” should be banned forever. Since beauty is such a repetitive subject matter, you really need to approach it from a place of refreshing honesty and intriguing writing. Don’t be afraid to get a little weird with your analogies or ideas. To date, my absolute favorite story I ever pitched and wrote was about Star Wars and beauty. Thinking outside the box with beauty will get you so much further than just your basic red lipstick round-ups and best eyeliner videos (though we need to do those, too).
Join the discussion!