What was once a tiny and mighty beauty blog called Into The Gloss has become a bona fide NYC startup: Glossier, with a ragtag team of 35+ jogging up and down the stairwell of our Soho office building, spread out across three floors. Why are we here? We're creating a new kind of beauty company from the ground up—one that acknowledges the hopes, dreams, and desires of women today, and gives them the tools (both digitally and physically) to take ownership over their beauty routines. Who are we? Well, a lot of us began like you: as readers. And we'd like for you to get to know us a little better—what we each do, where we come from, and what we're excited about. Meet Morgan Von Steen:
'My first internship was at Fashionista.com, and at the time, their office and the Into The Gloss office were in the same building. My editor introduced me to Emily one day—It wasn’t even a networking thing, I just wanted to meet her because I admired her work. A few years later, when I heard they'd raised the funding for Glossier, I was like, ‘Oh damn, this is about to be something.’ That’s how I started to realize that I had a passion for how businesses are run, especially startups, so I was desperate to get an internship here. I interviewed in March, started in May as an intern for six months before there was a full-time opening. Then I was like, ‘I want to be here more!'
I was really drawn to the Executive Assistant job because it feels like the best way to see all sides of the company as we create it from the ground up. It feels like my version of business school—even the miniscule things I do are all a learning experience. And everybody is working towards a common goal. We all want the same thing, that's what I love.”
Where are you from?
Greensboro, NC
What do you do at Glossier?
I'm the Executive Assistant to Emily Weiss, our founder and CEO, and Henry Davis, our president and COO, so I do a lot of scheduling and day-to-day tasks on their behalf. Some days I'm booking travel, other days I'm planning our board meetings and company chats, but overall most of my time is spent communicating and aligning with everyone on the team.
What’s your Gloffice uniform?
I'm all statement pieces: leopard-print coats, thigh-high snakeskin boots, multi-color baja hoodies. Not all at once though.
What could you eat every day and not get tired of?
Pizza! Usually with prosciutto and basil on top.
Which five products can you not live without?
Frank Body Scrub, Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint, Stila Stay-all-Day Liquid Eyeliner, Glossier Boy Brow, and Restorsea Rejuvenating Day Cream.
Best piece of professional advice you’ve received:
It's really, really important to remember names. It's the smallest way to make others feel valued.
What’s your ideal Sunday?
Wake up at 6am to drink coffee and be productive for a few hours before spending the rest of day walking around Astoria or Manhattan with my best friends and my camera. Then later, dinner at Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown.
Favorite flavor of ice cream?
Chocolate with cookie dough
What’s your favorite IG account to follow?
Mostly just really cool ladies— @alyssainthecity for style and brunch inspiration, @margaret __zhang for life inspiration, and @tashoakley for vactionspiration.
Last lesson you learned?
I've started to learn how to balance that “never doing enough' feeling with slowing down. I've always put an immense amount of pressure on myself to succeed (and to do it quickly) so right now I'm trying to chill out, stop comparing myself to others and remind myself that I'm in my early 20s—there's no need for a midlife crisis.
—as told to ITG
Morgan Von Steen photographed by Tom Newton.
_ay hello to Founder and CEO Emily Weiss—and get acquainted with the rest of the team over here.
