As horse girls, we don't take the time to beautify ourselves... instead, we put our effort into our horses. It is important that we put our horses first, but that doesn't mean you can't look beautiful too! To improve confidence about yourself, you need to feel beautiful on the outside. This small business aims to help women in the show ring feel confident and beautiful, and that is Blue Ribbon Beauty Cosmetics.
Blue Ribbon Cosmetics was created to have makeup that was built for the show ring. Rachel, the creator and founder of Blue Ribbon Beauty started showing horses at 13 years old. Rachel grew up with two brothers, and had nothing to do with makeup. It wasn't until she started showing, she realized that first impressions make a huge difference in the show ring. The problem with most makeup was that it wasn't created for a typical day of horse showing.
Rachel wanted to create a makeup that would survive through sweat, tears, and anything that you may face during a show day. All of the makeup available at Blue Ribbon Beauty is cruelty free and contains no paraben, so you do not have to worry about what you are applying to your face.
I asked Rachel a few questions to help us learn more about why she started Blue Ribbon Beauty and what she offers.
Q: When did you start your small business and what inspired you to start Blue Ribbon Beauty?
A: "We started BRB in 2021 officially, but I began working on the concept back in 2017. Working full time while riding and showing horses made the "concept-to-launch" period a little long, but it was worth the wait! Honestly, I was inspired to start the brand when I was showing horses and noticed that I wasn't the only one struggling with knowing what to wear, and how to wear it. I'm a really visual person and I love art, so once I had the idea I started getting excited about packaging ideas and that's when I started to run with it!"
Q: Your makeup is known to hold up to the lifestyle at the barn and at horse shows. Can you tell us a bit about how this makeup is different than others?
A: "BRB makeup is built to last! I'm a horse girl myself, so I know how hard it is to keep makeup on your face when you are at the barn or showing. I wanted something that would go on and stay on, but at the same time be easy to apply. We work with a great lab, and our products are really resistant to heat and sweat, but they blend well whether you are a beginner or pro!"
Q: What is your goal with Blue Ribbon Beauty, and what do you hope for in the future for your business?
A: "I'd love for BRB to be a household name in the horse industry! Like Ariat is for boots, or Tailored Sportsman is for breeches. We want girls to be able to access makeup for the show ring easily, no matter what their level of riding is. Makeup should be a fun addition to our riding that gives us confidence, and that's what we love to see BRB makeup being used for! You don't have to be a world champion to have fun, and look cute while doing it."
Q: As you may know, horse owners are usually not perfectionists when it comes to makeup. What advice would you give someone that is just starting out with this makeup?
A: "Have fun! Don't worry about it being perfect, it's just like anything; you have to start somewhere. Just start out with natural looks, and you can get more bold after you feel comfortable."
Q: This makeup is known to be equestrian-inspired, can you tell us a bit about how you relate makeup to equestrians? What inspires you to create the certain palettes of the makeup?
A: "Ooh this is a tricky question! I want everyone to have freedom to wear as much or as little makeup as they feel comfortable, and to wear the colors they like the best or what looks best on their skin tone. However, there are some "classic" looks that we see in certain disciplines and riding styles, and that's how we picked our color palettes. If you look at the back of the eyeshadow palettes, you'll see little tutorials on examples of appropriate looks for different classes. For example, a ranch look is very simple and natural, while a pleasure or horsemanship look might be a bit more bold and flashy. You can absolutely wear the "Hunt Seat" palette in a western ring though, and vice versa!"
I thank Rachel for taking the time to tell us a bit more about her small business, and I look forward to what the future holds for Blue Ribbon Beauty! You can go to here to learn more.
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