IL MAKIAGE

The ask: Write for IL MAKIAGE and run their social media and marketing campaigns.

The work: When I began as a writer at IL MAKIAGE in August 2018, the brand had 60k followers on Instagram, our core social platform. By the time I became the brand’s Senior Manager of Copy & Creative Marketing in 2022, my team and I had hit 1.2M on IG (81% increase from my prior role) and 150k+ on TikTok (450% increase). Our emails also generated 35x the amount they did when I first started working with the brand.

My role: Developing the “story” of new products, naming them, strategizing for and writing PR packages, promotional brochures, web copy, emails, social media content, and more ⁠— while ensuring every decision remained on brand and fit the world of the product.

DIRTY TALK LIPSTICK LAUNCH: TeASER VIDEO

DIRTY TALK LIPSTICK LAUNCH: LAUNCH VIDEO

DIRTY TALK LIPSTICK LAUNCH: web

DIRTY TALK LIPSTICK LAUNCH: SOCIAL posts

DIRTY TALK LIPSTICK LAUNCH: instagram stories

LIP SERVICE LIP GLOSS LAUNCH: teaser video

LIP SERVICE LIP GLOSS LAUNCH: WEB

LIP SERVICE LIP GLOSS LAUNCH: SOCIAL POSTS

LIP SERVICE LIP GLOSS LAUNCH: INSTAGRAM STORIES

LIP SERVICE LIP GLOSS LAUNCH: pr brochure

EVERGREEN marketing emails

My co-writer, Jenn and I have written about 6 retention emails per day, every day, for the past 3.5 years. I’m no mathematician, but that averages out to a LOT of emails. Here are a few of my favorites:

A COVID CRASH COURSE

2020 taught us a lesson in adaptability.

We scrapped everything we had planned across all marketing platforms to create a hybrid voice that brought our sassy, maximalist style into a more authentic, empathetic realm while remaining witty, extra, and aspirational.

Unlike most brands during the pandemic, our sales actually went up from 2019. Way up. And as of November 2020, we reached $150 million in net sales, making 2020 our second year of hyper-growth since our launch in 2018. Now, IL MAKIAGE is on pace to reach $500 million in 2 years.

#SlayItForward & #SlayInside

We couldn’t do what other brands were doing on social, i.e., promoting low-key self-care and sweet “we can do it” quotes since we’re all about full-face makeup and being over-the-top in all situations. So, my team and I came up with two initiatives that enabled us to maintain our brand voice and identity while actually doing some good.

Through #SlayItForward, we paid it forward, hiring hundreds of makeup artists who had recently become unemployed due to store closings. We also sent beauty products to essential workers as a small, complementary treat to make them feel beautiful in the midst of so much ugliness.

With #SlayInside, we brought the fun and reminded our Maximalists that we love a (socially responsible) showoff. We challenged fans and influencers alike to partake in the challenge and show off how they slay at home.

These campaigns led to 3k organic #SlayInside and #SlayInsideChallenge posts, and #SlayItForward spurred our highest engagement rates of all time.

#SlayItForward & #SlayInside: pandemic posts

#SlayItForward & #SlayInside: Pandemic emails

All the holi-slays

We love a good celebration at IL MAK, so we’ll cheers to everything from NYE to Hairstylist Appreciation Day and JLo’s birthday to keep our content light, fun, and current.

holi-slay banners

holi-slay INSTAGRAM posts

HOLI-SLAY STORIES

Holi-Slay Emails

IL MAKIAGE ft. Rico Nasty

My role in this celebrity-driven eye makeup collection launch included everything from developing the hybrid IL MAKIAGE x Rico Nasty voice, product names, product descriptions, and marketing materials to co-creative directing the distanced pandemic photoshoot.

I also spearheaded the social campaign launch — from writing captions to crafting the stories alongside our design team, working with and managing the illustrator, developing and promoting the #TheRicoEffect challenge, and maintaining our relationship with Rico and her manager.

Within a week, we completely sold out our first round of products.

IL MAKIAGE FT. RICO NASTY: web banner

IL MAKIAGE FT. RICO NASTY: instagram POSTS

IL MAKIAGE FT. RICO NASTY: INSTAGRAM STORIES

IL MAKIAGE FT. RICO NASTY: EMAILS

Carli Bybel Collection

The Carli Bybel Cosmic Lip Collection was our very first influencer collaboration. We leaned into Carli’s love of all things celestial with a cosmic theme that extended from photoshoots to social captions, emails, product and shade names, web copy, PR materials, and more

The launch was a huge success, and the collection sold out in just two days. So, a few weeks later, we re-launched and sold out of every product and bundle. Again.

carli BYBEL X IL MAKIAGE: SOCIAL POSTS

carli BYBEL X IL MAKIAGE: EMAILS

The PowerMatch Concealer Quiz

The team:
Design: Lauren Lee, Doug Rodas, Andrés García
Copy, Social, & Marketing: Rachel Landau, Jenn Shelton