THIS MUCH I KNOW
Shen Beauty's influence in the industry is thanks to the eye of it's owner, Jessica Richards, who seriously has her finger on the pulse. Here she shares her tips and the mistakes people make.
How did your career begin in beauty? Was it a calling?
I didn't necessarily set out to have a career in beauty, I was a fashion stylist at Vogue. I founded Shen in 2010 after a calamity with a face cream when I realised there was no beauty in Brooklyn. I would say that my love of beauty really came from my best friend Rachel, growing up her mom always had the best makeup and we used to play with all of it all the time. I can do a smudged eyeliner and a red lip, I can apply foundation but contouring and the rest of it I'm absolutely terrible at. I would say I'm more of a person who likes beauty items that aren't intimidating to use which is why I veer more towards skincare.
When did you open the store? How do you select the products?
About four months after I had my son, my face cream broke. I realized I was always going into Manhattan to get a new one, which wasn’t as easy with an infant, so I decided to open a beauty store in Brooklyn in 2010 focusing on ‘organic’ beauty products from around the world that were not sold in the US. Shen is a curation of the best with a focus on newness and innovation.
Who was your first celebrity client?
The first celebrity client for SHEN was Jemima Kirke.
What do you love the most about makeup?
I love the way makeup can transform the way you look and ultimately feel. It's an expression of ones self in the way they want the world to see them that day or moment.
What are your tips for maintaining great skin?
Maintaining great skin is by far the most important thing, its the canvas for your makeup. The first way to maintain great skin would be your diet and exercise, what you put in your body is what shows on the outside, after that its ensuring you are using the proper products for your skin type and getting monthly or at least quarterly facials to really care for your skin, after all we all only have one face.
What are the most common mistakes people make with makeup?
I think the most common mistake I see is people wearing the wrong colour foundation, it can make the person look more orange, more pale, or more tan. Sometimes we need two foundations in order to match properly.
What 3 makeup items should nobody be without?
Mascara, red lipstick, and my brows tinted by Josh at SHEN.
What’s in your personal makeup bag?
I always have the MOB Mascara, the RMS Luminizing Primer, a red lipstick, currently it's the Maarks Lip Rouge one and a brow brush from Otis Batterbee.
Shen Beauty, 138 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
Open Monday - Saturday 10am - 7pm, Sunday 10am - 6pm
Phone: +1 718-576-2679
shen-beauty.com