Photo: Courtesy of Newby Hands
Watch the full conversation between Newby Hands and our Beauty Director Stephanie Saltzman on The Fashionista Network.
When it came to Newby Hands’ career path, “there was never a plan,” she told Stephanie Saltzman during a live chat on the Fashionista Network. (Watch it here!) “There was never a vision board — there was quite a lot of luck and a lot of hard work, but it was quite old-school.”
Now going on 10 years at Net-a-Porter (currently as its contributing global beauty director), Hands previously straddled two unique avenues of the beauty industry. She experienced the “old school, glossy magazine print” world as the beauty director at Harper’s Bazaar UK, then gained early-stage retail and e-commerce experience at Feelunique.
“If you love beauty, then [e-commerce] is absolutely fascinating to see,” she said. “At Net-a-Porter, we actually see — without any marketing or PR — what women around the world, what people are buying. I remember coming from this glossy magazine world where you don’t really get any feedback, and then suddenly, there’s no escaping it. That, to me, was almost like the real beauty industry, and that’s what got me completely hooked on the real day, the real women and the real products that they like.”
Hands talked about how one of the biggest eye-openers about fully transitioning from editorial to e-tail was that there was no room for ego. Today, much of Hands’ job “keeps surprising” her, especially when it comes to interacting with shopper: In a world full of algorithm-driven micro-beauty trends and an overwhelming amount of product choices, she’s found it interesting “how confused [Net-a-Porter’s top customers] are.”
“I would say the confusion is getting worse for them,” she explained. “The most common question now is ‘What routine? Just give me a routine. Just tell me what to use.’ Because there’s so much out there. So I think it’s that thing of the reality — what women really want as opposed to what we’re told they want… Take these micro-trends that come up, particularly on TikTok: They’re just something fun, but we never really see them relate to people picking up on them. It’s almost like digital life and real life when it comes to beauty. We love it for entertainment and inspiration, but I think I feel very much rooted in that global reality of what women want.”
Hands forecasted that, this year, beauty is “about a reality check.” She highlighted smaller trends, such as the increased preference for blush over eye makeup and embracing certain elements from the “mob wife” aesthetic. She also doubled down on the idea that most shoppers are opting for less and are on the hunt to achieve healthy, glowing skin.
“The most requested result when women go to a dermatologist — and this is pretty much globally apart from a handful of countries — is to have skin so good [you] don’t have to wear makeup. And I think everything is working towards that,” she said.
For aspiring creatives looking to work in beauty, Hands’ biggest piece of advice is to stay aware that the industry is a business. “You can know your product, but get to know all the different lanes in the industry,” she advised. “Having that knowledge is what will separate you apart from just somebody who’s passionate about makeup or passionate about skin care.”
For entrepreneurs who want to start a beauty brand: “It’s hard, hard, hard work and it’s even harder now because there’s so many [brands],” she said. “However, there’s always something that we want, and there’s always a better version of what we have.”
“The other thing I say to people,” she continued, “is to hear what people say and then make your decisions… Decide what you’re going to do and stay with it. Be open to suggestions, but if it doesn’t ring true, then stay doing what you’re doing and just have real faith.”
This conversation was hosted on “The Fashionista Network” powered by interactive media platform Fireside, where viewers get the chance to participate and speak directly with industry figures. Learn more about “The Fashionista Network” here.
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Source: Fashionista.com
