Ep 305 | Jeanine Lobell

Written By Yasmin Nouri

From Highschool Dropout to Beauty Legend, Doubling Down on a Growth Mindset, Overcoming Self-Sabotage & Taking the Road Less Traveled

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In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Jeanine Lobell, founder of Stila Cosmetics & Neen.

After dropping out of high school and trying to forge her own path in the world, serial entrepreneur and world-renowned celebrity makeup artist Jeanine Lobell fell in love with cosmetics. Thanks to her try-anything attitude and strong work ethic, she quickly moved up the ranks to work on famous faces like Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman for the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair.

When Jeanine founded Stila in 1994, with its professional-grade colors and ultra-wearable formulas in recyclable packaging, it took the makeup world by storm and earned a cult following almost overnight. She saw unprecedented growth in the first five years and had numerous investors scrambling to buy the company, which she ultimately sold to Estee Lauder in 1999.

Now, she is disrupting the beauty industry all over again with her direct-to-consumer brand, Neen, the first-ever subscription-based card that offers new ways to play with makeup and experience tutorials. In this episode, Jeanine speaks to us about how she discovered her purpose as a high-school dropout and someone who was regularly fired from jobs early in her career.

We discuss how Jeanine finally realized her worth, what her superpowers were as a first-time founder when she launched Stila, and the advice she has for women who are looking to make a similar leap in their careers. We also take a look at the importance of having an abundance mindset, owning who you authentically are, finding your own voice, and so much more! 

Show Notes:

  • What Jeanine means by the “prisons” we build out of the opinions of others. [03:24]

  • Some of the ways Jeanine has stayed true to herself throughout her career. [04:38]

  • The dichotomy between her inner wild child and her strong work ethic. [05:59]

  • Why Jeanine decided to go to mime school in Paris. [07:47]

  • A look at her first forays into the world of makeup. [10:30]

  • What a hot dog stand taught Jeanine about entrepreneurship! [11:39]

  • Why she believes that none of the stops on your journey are a mistake. [13:20]

  • How Jeaine stood out and moved up the beauty ranks quickly. [15:31]

  • Advice for having compassion for yourself as a first-time founder. [17:14]

  • Innovations in the Stila origin story. [22:12]

  • How Jeanine thinks about competition, comparison, and abundance. [27:01]

  • The perspective that came with being a first-time mom and a first-time founder. [30:02]

  • The conflict that can come from projecting your values and ideas onto others. [32:07]

  • A tip for dealing with intrusive thoughts: tell yourself “that’s not true!” [38:13]

  • Jeanine reminds us that we are all works in progress. [39:37]

  • Insight into the experience of selling her first company to Estee Lauder. [41:02]

  • Seasons of hardship in Jeanine’s journey as a serial entrepreneur. [44:19]

  • Finding new ways to play with makeup and experience tutorials with Neen. [45:10]

  • The unique magic of Neen’s subscription cards. [48:06]

  • Expectations of success versus the truth of what you’re doing. [50:06]

  • Top mistakes that first-time founders make in their businesses. [52:41]

  • How Jeanine holds herself accountable without putting pressure on herself. [57:52]

This episode is brought to you by Beeya:

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Ep 306 | Alisa Vitti
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Ep 304 | April Gargiulo