"I tried several times to send my resume to salons, but nobody wanted to hire me."
Photo Credits: Lucas Mennezes
Graphic Design: Matheus Hooks
Life has its challenges, as we all agree. However, few possess the wisdom to turn difficult moments into real opportunities. Mari Maria is one of those women who make us reflect, as to achieve success, all it takes is to take the first step.
In just a few minutes with the CEO of the Mari Maria Makeup brand, we realize that beauty and elegance are just some of the numerous qualities that Mari carries on her path to success.
Indeed, her "freckles" were one of the incentives for her to seek ways to emphasize beauty in cosmetics and also to shield herself from the bullying she suffered during childhood.
Mari recalls using her mother's makeup to try to hide what would become her differentiator in the future. Without pretension, she began to share her ideas on the Internet and currently boasts more than 50 million followers on her social media platforms.
Married to entrepreneur Rudy Loures and mother to the little ones Noah and Davi, Mari Maria granted an exclusive interview to Hooks Magazine, revealing how she became a global force in the beauty market, an example of a woman, mother, and entrepreneur, making it to the top 10 of the highest-paid influencers in the world for 2022 according to the British platform Cosmetify.
Read the full interview below:
Talita Akemy (Hooks Magazine): We already know you through social media and know your story. But now we want to know what was your start, what made you start to become interested in makeup?
Mari Maria: Since I was very young, I've always liked makeup, but there came a time when I wanted to work in this universe, but I didn't see how. I tried several times to send my resume to salons, but nobody wanted to hire me. I started doing makeup for my friends and then started doing makeup on myself to gain more experience, after all, if you like makeup, you have to gain experience on someone, right? And every day I would do my makeup and take pictures. Until one day my husband said, "why don't you record it and I'll edit it for you." And that was the first time I recorded. He edited it and in the beginning, it was very simple, but we were happy. We released the first videos, which were more difficult, and then we started to get the hang of it.
Talita Akemy (Hooks Magazine): Did you ever imagine reaching where you are? What dream do you still want to achieve?
Mari Maria: We never imagine. Since it's something very new, I think every achievement we have is very great. When I had 100 people watching me, I was very happy. The launch of Mari Maria Makeup was a milestone for me. So with every achievement we think, "I've come this far, I want to see more, can I do it?". And we keep fighting to break down the barriers which are the most difficult in our area, because we have to open people's minds, since the influencer, although being part of many people's lives for quite some time, sometimes isn't recognized and doesn't receive the necessary attention.
Talita Akemy (Hooks Magazine): And speaking a bit about your brand, what is your creative process like? What do you think when launching a product?
Mari Maria: I test a lot of products from brands that end up hiring me abroad and want my feedback. So, I end up knowing about the novelties abroad and see that it matches a lot, because today the world is globalized. People are looking to satisfy the same desires and challenges regarding makeup. So, we start to see new formulations and ideas, we join them with what's new in Brazil, we test them, and we discover many possibilities. The creative process starts when I'm testing other products from brands that want to innovate in the market, that's the focus of my creative process. We go to the factory and start opening the formulations we want, mixing the products. This always works out very well.
Talita Akemy (Hooks Magazine): Do you have any advice for those starting out on social media?
Mari Maria: My advice is to start, because if you put too many obstacles like: "I need the perfect camera and all the makeup," maybe you won't be able to. If you know how to do a nice eyeliner, film it with your cell phone. Everyone has their own differential and beauty, each one is unique and there's plenty of room. I'm a big advocate of this democratization. I love seeing people doing their makeup and I learn a lot, because it's an exchange, right? For example, if I do an eyeliner on myself that I saw someone else doing, will it look good? And if I pull it a little more? So, this way, there's always an exchange. I think social media is much more inclusive, so if I were to give advice, it's that everyone can start, there's room for everyone.
Credits: Lucas Mennezes
And of course, as the cover of Hooks Magazine, we couldn't miss the chance to invite Mari Maria for a super challenge. This time, she joined the game and showed that she is up to date with the various fashion and makeup trends. See everything by clicking here.
