March is Women’s History Month, or as we like to call it here at BEAUTY BAY, the month of calling out your hype women and supporting the women around you, no matter what. This is the month to feel empowered, inspired, and be the hype woman you wish you had. It’s all about being a cheerleader for your girl gang and embracing all women.
To celebrate this iconic month, we’ve been chatting to inspirational women, from brand founders to activists about what International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month means to them, how they use beauty to empower, and their biggest inspirations.
Read below for our interview with Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills.
What does beauty mean to you?
I believe that what makes you feel powerful is also what makes you beautiful. Running a business, seeing people around the world use my products, hearing from others that I am their inspiration on their own road as an immigrant, as an artist, or as an entrepreneur — that’s what makes me feel beautiful.
Who is your biggest inspiration in the beauty industry?
The rising generation of beauty enthusiasts who are so eager to find new, unchartered ways to express themselves.
What beauty product makes you feel empowered?
I never leave home without an Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. It handles both shading and fine detail, can fill areas of sparseness as well as add extremely soft and natural dimension. Expertly crafted arches are my signature, and this ensures I can create perfect brows no matter where I am.
When do you feel the most empowered?
Getting positive feedback when we launch a new product is the best feeling in the world. We really try to listen to our community, listen to what they need, and then develop something to fill that niche. We stay committed to quality and never launch anything that we are not completely in love with ourselves. If we wouldn’t use it daily or recommend it to our closest of friends, it doesn’t roll out.
As a brand founder, how do you want women to feel when they use Anastasia Beverly Hills products?
I want every woman to feel like the best version of themselves. I truly believe that makeup has the transformative power to affect someone’s life. Customers are essentially inviting us into their homes, their routines, the way they choose to present themselves to the world. It’s a very intimate experience, and I’m so proud that ABH gets to be a part of that for so many people.
How to you think the beauty industry can grow to empower all women?
By supporting individuality and reinforcing the belief that makeup is not about hiding a part of yourself, but about showing off who you are. This translates to making sure everyone has the tools they need to make their vision come to life, whether that means an extensive range of foundation shades for every skin tone or products in every colour to embolden your inner artist.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given by another woman?
That I needed to open my own salon. When I was getting started in the beauty industry, I was in a position where I relied on the support of other women. It was my clients who stood by me, spreading my business through word of mouth, and I cherish those relationships — some of them decades long. I owe everything to the strong, vibrant community of women I met along the way.
What is the best piece of advice you could give to another woman?
Never take one person’s ‘no’ as a reflection of your potential.
How will you be celebrating International Women’s Day?
Sending messages to my friends and shopping women-owned brands.
Who is your hype woman?
My mother. She always encouraged me to fight for my dreams.
