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 Cherie and Lynley:
How do you build company culture from the ground, up?
Lynley Flanagan, Associate People Manager:' It's pretty natural, actually. We've already formed a culture that's inclusive and actually leans very strongly feminist, so now we're just building upon it. And, we're friends! Everyone that works here is so close knit. When we're conceptualizing a new product, everyone can impact the process. I could go downstairs right now and talk to Dilan about packaging and be like, ‘This could be cool or that could be cool,’ and he would run with one of the ideas.”
Cherie Camacho, Administrative Coordinator: 'A lot of people here really enjoy what they do, so that’s why you sometimes see people getting here at 7:30 AM and leaving late. It never feels like, 'Oh man, I’m going to work… ' Everyone enjoys collaborating and learning about all the different departments. And I think the team here does a great job of communicating and staying true to the natural, inclusive culture that's already organically forming, which is dope.”
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Cherie Camacho
Where are you from?
PG County, Maryland
What do you do at Glossier?
In two words—'It's handled.” I'm the office's Olivia Pope and I oversee all Glossier team fun!
What emoji best represents you?
The 'Maria Maria, she reminds me of a West Side Story' aka the 💃
What’s your motto?
Presence > productivity. I used to be so obsessed with being productive. I've decided that I want to stop measuring my happiness by degree of productivity. I want to be fully present. I want to experience everything in real time, IRL. Post now, not later.
Which five products can you not live without?
Glossier Boy Brow in Brown for a natural look (Black when I feel like doing more) and Cetaphil Body Lotion for my dry skin. And I love fragrances—I just think they're more fun than makeup products. I like Escentric Molecules Molecule01, Comme des Garçons BLACK [ed note: no longer available], and Kiehl's Essence Oils Rollerball.
What’s your ideal Sunday?
I spend most of my Sundays at home with my roommates. I usually sing and dance around in my kimono while my roommate Azza makes candles. Oh, and I drink a lot of coffee on Sundays. Sundays are for nine cups of Colombian coffee and dance-offs.
Current favorite song:
brotherKAMAU, Hey Ya — Interpretation
What was your best idea ever?
I say, “This is my best idea ever.” at least three times a day. My most recent one was a Gloffice Karaoke/Lip Sync Battle-themed Happy Hour...
If you didn’t work at Glossier, what would you be doing?
I'd want to be Dr. Spencer Reid. #criminalminds
Lynley Flanagan
Where are you from?
Rancho Cucamonga, CA. You may know it from such film classics as Ice Cube's Next Friday and Comedy Central's Workaholics.
What do you do at Glossier?
I'm the Associate People Manager, which means I'm equal parts camp counselor and vice principal. I get to dabble in a whole host of things, including but not limited to: recruitment, hiring, company culture, team building, HR, business operations, etc. I get every question imaginable sent my way from “How can I develop my career here.” to “My jeans turned my white leather desk chair blue, what do I do.” and I figure it out.
What emoji best represents you?
🐙
What’s your motto?
'That's not the solution to that problem.” That's not to say there is no solution, but that you can always think of a better one. Think harder. At least that's what I tell myself when problem solving and it produces pretty good results.
Which five products can you not live without?
Glossier Priming Moisturizer, Skin Inc. Collagen Serum (for acne scarring), Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint in Light, Glossier Boy Brow in Brown, and mascara (any brand as long as it's not waterproof—who wants to try to get that off their eyeballs at the end of every day? No, thank you).
What’s your ideal Sunday?
Wandering around buying furniture I don't need. I'm obsessed with Craigslist, I check it every day and I've developed a bad furniture collecting habit. I once moved into an apartment and I had three desks. People barely need one desk—I had three.
Current favorite song:
The 1999 superhit “Smooth' by Santana ft. Rob Thomas, because every time Sandra jokingly plays it in the office, someone starts dancing.
What was your best idea ever?
Moving to NYC
If you didn’t work at Glossier, what would you be doing?
Working on getting my own home improvement show á la Fixer Upper or Rehab Addict.
—as told to ITG
Cherie Camacho and Lynley Flanagan photographed by Tom Newton.
Say hello to Glossier's design team Adriana Deleo and Dilan Walpola—and get acquainted with the rest of the team over here.
