A WORD WITH THE FOUNDER: TOUGH GIRL BEAUTY BASICS
Tough Girl Beauty Basics is an emerging indie beauty brand engineered with long-wearing technology made to empower women on the go. If you’re a busy mom, college student, or simply someone that’s always moving–this brand is for you.
“In the midst of the athleisure movement, I realized there wasn’t a brand completely dedicated to the active lifestyle of today’s woman. Spending most of my time working in the city and going to the gym after work, I would get frustrated to see my face smeared with runny eyeliner and flaking mascara while working out. My gym friends and I, who were all having the same problem, agreed that it was time to create a brand of makeup that would last through our stressful days and tough workouts. That’s when I decided to recruit a product development and packaging team to develop Tough Girl Beauty Basics!” -Jo-Anne Greco
I had the opportunity to interview Jo-Anne Greco, founder of TOUGH GIRL Beauty Basics, about her up and coming beauty brand made for the toughest girls. Jo has over 25 years of experience working in the beauty industry. After spending several years on the customer side of the desk working with packaging and purchasing, she switched gears and began working with manufacturers and suppliers of color cosmetics and primary packaging, servicing top tier customers.
Here’s more on our in-depth talk about the brand:
Tell me about TOUGH GIRL.
Jo: “We started working on the brand approximately three to four years ago, launching in June of 2018. In the midst of the athleisure movement, I realized there wasn’t a brand completely dedicated to the active lifestyles of today’s woman. It was frustrating to be at the gym watching my eyeliner and mascara smearing under my eyes. Socializing after a workout was almost impossible unless you had an extra make-up kit with you to reapply what just slipped off! That’s what pushed me to recruit my amazing team of product and package developers to create Tough Girl Beauty Basics. The product line is portable, convenient, easy to use, and helps to keep you feeling and looking fresh throughout your tough days.”
The line consists of a long-wearing eyeliner that doesn’t budge, a volumizing mascara for dramatic effect, an energizing setting spray infused with watermelon, cucumber, and mint, and a multi-use lip and cheek tint. For the fitness enthusiast who loves a good workout, there is also a plush Tough Girl towel perfect for the gym or removing makeup. The products can be purchased a-la-carte or in predesigned kits which are cost-effective.
You can read more about TOUGH GIRL and find the products mentioned above here, along with the rest of the brand’s products.
What inspired you to create your company?
Jo: “I was inspired to create the Tough Girl brand based on my frustration, and my community of gym friends frustrations, with make-up that wasn’t performing well. We all agreed that we were having to reapply, remove, or fix our make-up too often, post workout. It became a personal goal of mine to create a brand to address this issue. With Tough Girl products, we’ve given time and confidence back to the active woman!”
Additionally, Jo stated that this inspiration also comes from working alongside incredibly independent and strong women who push themselves to overcome their weaknesses and adversities no matter what, which is what drives the passion to create at TOUGH GIRL.
How do you distinguish yourself from other beauty brands? What makes you unique?
Jo: “I believe that TOUGH GIRL products are unique in that they are long wearing and allow women to stay fresh and beautiful throughout their busy day, enabling them to stay focused on their daily tasks without the worry of not putting their best face forward.”
How do you define beauty?
Jo: “To me, beauty comes from within. A woman who is strong, confident, pleasant to be around, and comfortable in her own skin is a truly beautiful woman. It doesn’t matter if you have the prettiest hair, eyes, or body, it’s about how you feel about yourself, what you project, and how you treat others. With our products, we want to enable women to feel and look their best throughout their busiest days. As many of us know, when we look and feel great, we are more confident and productive in everything we do.”
Which of your products is your bestseller?
Jo: “Our Tough Wearing Eyeliner in “High Impact Black” is our best seller. With its precision tip, our eyeliner allows you to go super thin or as thick as you like for a more dramatic look. Many fitness models have posted about how they love the way it doesn’t budge, even during their toughest workouts.”
The Tough Wearing Eyeliner can be purchased here.
Are your products suitable for acne prone skin/ people with skin allergies?
Jo: “The products are not considered to have treatment ingredients.”
Do you have plans to extend your products to skincare?
Jo: “Yes, as the brand becomes more successful, we would love to develop treatment products for active women. At the moment, the closest item we have to a treatment product would be our Energizing and Setting Spray. This product is infused with watermelon, mint, and cucumber, which provides a quick refreshing boost at the beach or gym; or use it as it was originally intended, to set your make-up and go about your busy day.”
Can your products be purchased internationally?
Jo: “Not at this time; right now we just have US distribution.”
Lastly, what advice would you give to a young, aspiring entrepreneur?
Jo: “My advice would be to start working on your dream as early in your career as possible. It is important to network and find someone that can mentor you and give you valuable advice based on their past experiences, saving you time and empowering you with priceless guidance. Many of us, like myself, spend most of our careers working for and making money for everyone else. I truly believe if we work as hard and diligently for ourselves, we can all be successful and realize our dreams. Surround yourself with people that want to see you succeed and help you to realize your dream.”
Be on the lookout for new products from Tough Girl on The Beauty Marketplace’s website. The company is working on extending the shade range for the Lip and Cheek Tint and the Tough Wearing Eyeliner. A new concealer and foundation stick is also on the way, along with the possibility of a new treatment product.
Have any more questions or comments? Feel free to send them to info@thebeautymarketplace.com.
