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 Alex and Anthony:
How do you build good-looking, efficient code?
Alex Amyot, Back-End Engineer [left]: “We’re building machines, but humans are working with them, so simplicity has to be in the design. Somebody else has to be able to look at it and understand it. I like code to be as simple as possible, so when you look at it, it tells you a story—it’s not just code. It’s a language.”
Anthony Gonzales, Front-End Engineer [right]: “Programming is essentially writing. You’re dealing with syntax, you want it to be legible… It’s very much in between an art and a science. You’re translating an idea or an opinion into an actual project, so something I do is set standards on some of those opinions and say, ‘This is probably not a good idea, this is probably a better idea...’ Good code is about communication—conversations with your team members, asking as many questions as possible, and then writing something readable and accessible.”
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Alex Amyot
Where are you from?
Montreal, Canada
What do you do at Glossier?
My official title is Back-End Engineer. Basically, I'm working on what’s ‘behind the scenes’ on Glossier.com and IntoTheGloss.com. It can be as simple as supporting a new shipping method on Glossier.com, or dealing with the site’s interface.
What’s on your desk?
Post-Its, a notebook, sharpies, lip balm, and a few Larabars
Favorite Glossier product?
The Moisturizing Moon Mask. This works best in a bath, with the newspaper. You can also top that with a whisky, but never in the morning.
What emoji best represents you?
🐳... It's long story.
Usual Seamless order?
What's Seamless? This probably shows that I'm not yet a New Yorker, but we don't really do food delivery at home. I live with a trained chef who cooks pretty much everyday. And it's always amazing.
Current favorite song:
Hit ‘Select Artist,’ then ‘Beatles,’ then ‘Random Play.’ While dancing with my two kids, Éléonore and Henri.
What was your best idea ever?
Visiting New York for the first time with some friends, more than 10 years ago. We had an amazing time, and I fell in love—twice. With the city and with my wife.
Anthony Gonzales
Where are you from?
Auburn, CA. Skip the In-N-Out and go straight to Taco Tree.
What do you do at Glossier?
I'm a Senior Front-End Engineer. I work with the back-end devs and the designers to make sure that new features on the site look fantastic across all devices. I love finding solutions and creating unique experiences.
Favorite Glossier product?
Milky Jelly Cleanser. Winter on the East Coast can be brutal, so I was stoked to find a product that doesn't dry me out.
What’s on your desk?
A coffee cup from the Brimfield Antique Show. It says, "Salem: Home of the American Witch," with a witch riding her broomstick. It caught my eye.
What emoji best represents you?
👽
Usual Seamless order?
Indian food. It's one of those things I don't know how to cook. Tikka masala + aloo gobi + garlic naan = win.
Current favorite song:
I've been pretty stuck on Machinedrum's albums. I'll pick his song "Infinite Us" as a go-to.
What was your best idea ever?
Binge watching every episode of The X-Files this winter before the new season came out.
—as told to ITG
Say hello to Glossier's VP of Engineering Bryan Mahoney—and get acquainted with the rest of the team over here.
