Lipstick On The Rim: Cassandra Grey AKA The Rotten Tomatoes of Beauty Is Serving Insider Tips To Picking Hero Products, The Key To A Perfect Skincare Routine, & How To Build A Trusted Empire

By Mollysims.com

Episode #32. Have you ever wondered what makes a hero product a hero product? Violet Grey, AKA The Rotten Tomatoes of Beauty, is the Iconic Beauty Site that has become the industry’s go-to resource for the BEST IN BEAUTY. Today we sit down with the founder, Cassandra Grey, as she explains what it takes to make the Violet Code – a rigorous testing process and a set of standards where their community of top makeup artists, hairstylists, estheticians, dermatologists, and celebrity influencers distinguish the finest beauty products in the world. She shares exactly what it takes to get the seal of approval, her unexpected #1 beauty tip, & the key to why hero products become and stay hero products. Cassandra discusses why Violet Grey only approves 1% of the products, while we all bond over our love for chic packaging.

Listen to the full episode here:

[Cassandra] On Becoming Violet Grey

Cassandra begins the episode by explaining how she was reading an article where, “the head of Net-a-Porter described how she was combining to addictive activities – reading a magazine and buying products.” Cassandra had to do the same. She explains that the hardest part was, “about becoming the trusted source.”

@cassandragrey

[Cassandra] On The Violet Code

“I’m pretty good at spotting quality,” explains Cassandra. “I believe in quality, but with beauty, you can’t just spot quality. You actually have to know about ingredients and how they work. Learning beauty is really another language. My goal was to create a community of authorities that could tell us what the best products were.”

[Cassandra] On Hero Beauty Brands

“Hero products are always hero products for a reason”

“We approve less than 1% of products we get sent, and we get sent everything. Which I won’t complain about, but there’s a lot of crap out there. You can have a good product, but we’re really looking for those hero products. Hero products have to have multiple benefits. It’s great if a product is hydrating, but if you’re spending $200 on a product that will last for 6 months, it needs to be doing more than just hydrating your skin.”

Cassandra shares the brands below that are consistent hero brands:

1. Augustinus Bader
2. La Mer
3. Eighth Day
4. iS Clinical
5. 111 Skin
6. Dr. Barbara Sturm
7. Royal Fern

[Cassandra] On Perfecting Your Skincare Routine

“The average consumer of beauty buys too many products”

“This could be bad for business, but most of my best skin care tips are free. 50% of skincare is sleep. I’ve invested a lot into my Hastens mattress. It’s expensive, but it lasts a lifetime, and it’s a great investment. My next tip would be a consistent skincare routine. You need to use products that train your skin to think that it is healing. I have started going to people’s houses, and we take out all their skincare and ask them what they love. And it’s usually 2 things – perfume & a random drugstore product. Then I like to walk through with them and build a routine and label it all. Then they only have what they’re using. Everything in your life has to add value. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It really just needs to be quality. Everything should be considered & quality.“