We are beyond exciting to share this latest #HerHustle interview with you!
Jessica Matlin is the Beauty Editor at Harper's Bazaar and the co-host of the Fat Mascara podcast. Jessica shares her journey to getting where she is today, her top advice for overcoming adversity, and a little about her skincare routine.
Okay, let's get to the good stuff:
What was the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“Run your own race.” My boss at Cosmopolitan, Leah Wyar Romito, told me this one day when I really needed to hear it. She said I would do well to focus my energies on figuring out what makes me different and channeling the energy into the career I want, rather than worrying about what other people in my position might be doing. It’s wasted energy, she said. It seems like simple advice, but it clicked for me. I realized I didn’t have to adhere to the same “beauty editor playbook” that I thought I did, and I found it liberating.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up?
I am lucky to have good friends and family who let me whine and moan to them for way too long. Getting an outside perspective from someone who knows me and sees me as someone bigger than the moment is a good way to keep the challenge in perspective. Then it also helps to take a little time by myself. That’s difficult these days, but time to pull back and do things that feed me, whether that’s listen to podcasts or books I like, lose myself in TV for a bit (inspiring films or documentaries), or just be quiet for a bit. Sometimes the answers come when I’m not as wrapped up in my head.
Did you always know you wanted to work for a fashion magazine and start your own podcast? If not, what did you dream of doing growing up?
I’ve always wanted to work in a creative industry, and my first internship at Jane magazine cemented that I wanted to work in magazines. I loved fashion, beauty, and music, but it was the beauty department that gripped me the most. Seeing that there was an entire department devoted to covering the beauty industry? It blew my mind. I’ll never forget seeing the beauty assistant’s cubicle floor covered in samples, her desk overflowing with invitations to new product launches—the envelopes looked like they were for a wedding, not the reveal of a new mascara. I wanted in.
What is your biggest challenge as a podcast host and/or Beauty Director for a big fashion magazine? What is your favorite part of what you do?
The biggest challenge is getting things done on a tight deadlines, made more challenging in this new remote environment. Our work is highly collaborative and very visual. To create a magazine or a podcast with a team who is dotted across the globe is a feat. My favorite part is working with people and hearing their ideas and having that moment where you say, “Yes!” or “Right?!” or “Love!” or you go quiet because you’re learning something new and feel that sense of connection, even if it’s over Zoom.
What tips or advice do you have for other women who would like to start their own businesses or host their own podcast?
I would recommend that they stay curious (about the past and the future) and listen more than you speak.
Do you have a regimented skincare routine? If so, what are some of your favourite products or steps in your routine?
My job is to try a lot of different products, so I’m not that regimented, but I keep it pretty simple. Cleanser, serum, eye cream, moisturizer, that’s it. A mask here and there. Oh, and SPF during the day for sure. Some OG favorite products are Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream and Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate.
Follow Jessica Matlin:
intagram: @jessicamatlin
podcast: Fat Mascara
