VIP Pass to the Industry: Lippe Taylor

I'm so excited to introduce you to Lauren Marfoe of Lippe Taylor!  She's one of my best friends (in life, not just at work) and is extremely talented.  She's been working in beauty PR since she graduated college and transitioned into social media.  Currently, she's a Senior Account Executive on the Digital Team who's obsessed with Justin Bieber and stays grounded by noting, "It's PR not the ER!"  Meet Lauren: What college did you go to and what did you major in?

I attended Florida State University and majored in Fashion Merchandising (and will take any opportunity I can to remind people that when I don’t know something it’s because I went to Fashion School.)  :) This is applicable in both work and in real life.

How did you land your first job in PR?

Florida State University has an amazing internship program and for the last half of your last semester you are required to successfully hold a 3 month internship at a location and with an employer of your choice. A close friend of mine helped me get into the industry and I landed my internship at Alison Brod Public Relations. There I was able to learn the in’s and out’s of the Fashion, Beauty, Consumer and Lifestyle PR world and quickly discovered my love for all things beauty – from there, ABPR hooked me up with a former employee of theirs who was working at Lippe Taylor at the time and I’ve been here ever since.

What’s a typical day like for you?

A typical day for me is anything but typical – I can be seen doing anything from creating a social media strategy for a brand to brainstorming new ideas for Facebook applications. I love all the beauty bloggers so I’m constantly emailing with the girls, talking about the newest product launches or the latest news and gossip in our lives. I also help out with bringing new ideas to the table for new business pitches and work closely with all the teams on coordinating and executing our events. But ask me this tomorrow and I’m sure I’ll be giving you a totally different answer.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is the environment I work in – I love coming to a place where everyone is here for the same reason, because we’re passionate about what we do. It’s great to have people around you who you vibe well with and who know how to do their job well without taking themselves too seriously – its PR not the ER, people!

What’s the best advice you would give someone trying to get into the industry today?

The best advice I could give to someone is that being a reliable, solid, hard working intern will pay off more than you think – there’s nothing like having a great intern who is excited to be there and who is willing to learn. You’ve already got your foot in the door so make sure your next step is remarkable!

Confess! What’s your biggest beauty sin?

My biggest, nitty, gritty beauty sin is that…I find my face and my skin look their best when I don’t wash my face before bed. It’s terrible – I’ve committed the carnal sin of the beauty world, but it’s true!

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

My guiltiest pleasure….the new Justin Bieber nail polish from Nicole by O.P.I. I’m obsessed with the My Lifesaver color. Goodbye, street cred.

VIP Pass to the Industry: Beauty Bank PR

This week's introduction is someone who's pretty good a flirting!  Meet Holly Bernesser, the PR Manager of Beauty Bank, which is a division of Estee Lauder.  She works on brands like Flirt! Cosmetics (one of my favorite) and GoodSkin Labs.  After being in PR for 4 1/2 years, she definitely has a lot of great insider advice. How did you land your first job in PR?

During my last semester at Syracuse, our program took us down to New York for informational sessions at a variety of PR agencies in the city. Most of the agencies they took us to were large in size and had very corporate accounts on their roster. I was hell-bent on working in the Fashion or Beauty industries (I am a girly-girl after all!) so was most excited when they took us to Marina Maher Communications which is a PR Agency that specializes in marketing to woman and has big P&G Beauty Accounts like CoverGirl, Herbal Essences, Clairol and more. I networked with a few of the women who worked there, sent my resume and stayed in touch. I ended up landing a post grad internship that turned into a full time position after only a month, working on the MAX Factor and Secret accounts. It was a dream first job for a beauty junkie like me!

What's a typical day like?

A typical day in PR? Is there such a thing? I always say I wear many hats in my position and it’s the truth! One day I can be working on a communications strategy for one brand, planning a celebrity launch event for another all while tweeting, posting on Facebook and writing our next YouTube video script for FLIRT! Cosmetics, the brand which I play "digital spokesperson" for! (Yes, I am the the “Flirt! It Girl” –  you can follow me @FLIRTItGirl)

What's your favorite part of your job?

I love being creative and brainstorming new ways to reach our consumer and the media in out-of-the box, breakthrough ways.  I am a true digital media junkie so I also love being able to tweet on behalf of FLIRT! and appear as a host in our "Flirty How To YouTube Series."

What's your least favorite?

It may sound cheesy but I really don't have a "least favorite" part of my job! I will say however, that tracking down lost UPS packages of beauty product send-outs wouldn't necessarily be classified as fun. But hey, it comes with the territory!

What’s the best advice you would give someone trying to get into the industry today?

Intern, intern, intern! It’s all about gaining experience as an undergraduate and getting a foot in the door. When I was in college, having one- two internships was definitely recommended but now, I'd say it’s practically necessary! Today's digital age makes it even easier to get in touch with companies and brands you are interested in working for. If you can't commit to a full summer or semester internship because of where you live or your financial situation look into "shadowing" an industry professional you admire for a week or even just an afternoon. In PR and career building it’s all about networking!

Confess!  What's your biggest beauty sin?

This is terrible but sometimes I don't take off my makeup at night. I really try to but every now and then I’m a little lazy about getting off the eyeliner/mascara especially!

What's your guiltiest pleasure?

It would have to be consuming hours and hours of terrible reality television on a weekly basis! I am a sucker for all of The Real Housewives franchises, The Bachelor, Millionaire Matchmaker and even sometimes JerseyShore and Teen Mom! It’s important pop culture “research” for my job and a mindless way to unwind after a busy day - well, at least that's my excuse!

VIP Pass to "The Industry"

Hi BeautySweetSpot readers!  I'm starting a new feature called "VIP Pass to The Industry," to give you an all access pass inside the industry.  From what's happening behind the desks of top national magazines and on the laptops of the hottest bloggers to the truths of working at some of the craziest public relations firms. Each person featured will share their favorite beauty products, inside industry information, advice on how to get in and of course, their guilty pleasures.  If you think it's anything like The Devil Wears Prada, Olivia's stint at Elle on The City or Whitney's at DVF, think again.