Can you please share with the AILLEA audience a little background about yourself, both personally and professionally?
I am a total late bloomer! I was a stay-at-home mom to my 3 daughters until I was 40, and then with literally no experience in the beauty industry at all, I found myself training as a professional makeup artist and getting signed by a big international agency 3 weeks later. I started doing celebrity, commercial and editorial work, then developed my first line of makeup brushes, started getting a lot of press for them and for the makeup classes I offered in Chicago, somehow wound up doing a lot of on-camera beauty expert work in LA, which led to me getting a book deal (for my book Lazy Perfection) which led to me doing national TV and speaking gigs. And now here I am with my rapidly expanding line of beauty tools. It’s been a 13 year-long whirlwind.
What was your inspiration when initially launching the Jenny Patinkin brand?
Everything for me was about three key things - 1) My Lazy Perfection philosophy that makeup and beauty don’t have to be as complicated and overwhelming as we have all been trained to believe; 2) Age-awareness instead of “anti-aging”, because the reality is that skin changes over time, but aging isn’t a disease that needs to be cured. Good tools can enhance the performance of your skincare and makeup and make you feel great about how you look at any age; and 3) Luxury + Sustainability, meaning that you can have a gorgeous, high quality product that doesn’t negatively impact the planet when it’s sourced, produced or sold.
What is your personal favorite Jenny Patinkin product?
Oh man, that’s a tough one. I’m really, really proud of our makeup brush soap. It’s honestly so fun and gratifying to use and works so well on brushes and sponges. And I’m also in love with my makeup sponges – they are so soft and luxe and make your makeup look so natural and pretty.
Can you share any pro tips for how to use your favorite product?
Get the sponge fully wet, squeeze away all of the excess water, and then do a second squeeze into a tissue or cloth. Apply makeup to your face with fingers or a brush, and then lightly bounce the sponge all over to lift away any excess product, blend and smooth out any streaks. I also like to dip a damp sponge into a tiny bit of loose powder to blot shiny areas like the forehead, nose and chin. This prevents a heavy or cakey look.
Your line is both sustainable and vegan; can you share why this was important to you when developing the brand?
It was a safari trip in Africa that crystalized what I already was feeling – animals, biodiversity and all the many fragile ecosystems on our planet are so intertwined and remarkable, and so incredibly important to protect.
What are your favorite non-Jenny Patinkin products or brands at AILLEA
There are so many! Anything Maya Chia, but a drop or 2 of The Highlight of the Day gives life to any foundation, Kosas Concealer is one of few that doesn’t crease on me, Alpyn Beauty Plant Melt Moisturizer is lovely and light under makeup, Osmia Organics Purely Mud Cleanser is my go-to after a very sweaty workout, and RMS Beauty Un-Powder is always in my kit for photoshoots, but I could go on and on and on!
