Carrie Barber has a visionary approach to modern beauty. The former art director at Glossier, Sephora, and Violet Grey eventually struck out on her own with MAKE Beauty, a modern, multifunctional makeup and skincare line rooted in personal expression. But Carrie wasn’t always interested in beauty. In fact, the Colorado native grew up wanting to play volleyball before choosing to study art direction and advertising. She certainly made the right choice.
We caught up with Carrie to talk Lady Gaga, the athlete to beauty entrepreneur pipeline, and art directing our favorite beauty brands.
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Who are the important women or matriarchs in your life?
"Ugh there are so many! I have been so lucky to be surrounded by inspirational, strong women who have been generous in supporting, mentoring and guiding me in my personal and professional life. The first being my Mom. Her and I are connected in a way that is hard to explain, although some psychics have told me we’ve been together in past lives. She is tough, determined and no bullshit, yet sweet, empathetic and generous.
The other woman I have to mention is Lady Gaga. When I was finding my way through college, I watched an interview with her and Nick Knight that opened my mind and approach to creating art in a commercial world, and how to do it with meaning and emotion."
From life and business, what lessons have these women imparted that you keep with you?
"My Mom has always said things to me that stick with me. The first being ‘knowing what isn’t for you is more valuable than knowing what is, and you won’t know until you try.’ This shift in perspective when something doesn’t work has given me the freedom to try a lot of different things and move on quickly if it doesn’t work out, without a second thought...and I attribute a lot of my career success to this.
And Gaga...that creativity is a gift, and to treat it with care and attention. Also that it’s one of the most powerful tools for emotional connectivity."
"It sounds dramatic, but in my early 20s, Gaga was my everything and helped shape so much of who I am today. I guess that makes me a little monster *paws up.*"
How did an aspiring pro volleyball player from Colorado end up a beauty
entrepreneur?
I spent most of my college years trying to find a school/degree that made sense for what I wanted to do, until eventually I landed at The Academy of Art in San Francisco. I was technically in the advertising program, but I took graphic design, film, art history etc. because I wasn’t interested in marketing or strategy. At the time I wanted to be a fashion film maker and move to London to find a way in at ShowStudio. I ended up getting a job at Sephora because I thought it was the coolest and closest thing to fashion in SF...and I never looked back.
At that time, I didn’t even know you could have a job in beauty. I became obsessed with beauty, the product, the editorial, and the way that people connect over a shared love of a product. This was 2012, Instagram was just under 2 years old, Into The Gloss was new, Violet Grey had just launched and Sephora was making a huge investment in ecommerce. When they say timing is everything...
Starting in digital allowed me to accelerate in my career because there weren’t very many creatives working on digital first. After Sephora, I moved to NY because I wanted to find a way to work at Into The Gloss, even though I was not a writer or a photographer (this was before Glossier). After about a year
and a half in New York, Glossier’s Creative Director reached out to me and asked if I had heard of the brand and if I was interested in a Digital Art Director role the brand had open. I replied... ‘There is no one more interested than me.’ After Glossier, I went back to Sephora because I wanted a more senior role there, but it was hard to go from a startupenvironment back to corporate and eventually I moved to LA. Violet Grey was the only other place I wanted to work, Emily introduced me to Cassandra Grey and the next week I was on their team.
In the summer of 2019, I got a DM from Ben Bennett, my now business partner, asking to get on a call with me to discuss potential freelance projects. At the time I was so busy I couldn’t take on more work, but we had a phone call, ended up staying in touch, and became friends over the next few months. In January of 2020, we had lunch at Sunset Tower, it was Grammy’s week, and we were surrounded by celebrities (so LA!) when he asked me to partner with him on acquiring and relaunching the brand. I had never considered owning a brand and was caught off guard, so I said I would think about it. Hours later, I thought to myself ‘What are you thinking?! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.’ and I texted him ‘I’m IN. LFG!’
And four years later...here we are! Ben changed my life that day. I could have never imagined owning a brand I loved when it launched (2013) and bringing it into this era of Beauty we are in."
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
"Don’t be so shy!"
What’s the one step in your beauty routine you can’t skip?
"Magnesium and my Inner Tube Lip Treatment!"
Carrie's Ritual:
