Meet The Founder

Make Up Maestro Jerrod Blandino Talks All Things Too Faced

The 90s brought us many things to be happy about: Biggie Smalls, Björk and that treasured body spray that accompanied us to every school netball tournament: Impulse 02. But this decade also heralded a new era in make up with the launch of {Too Faced}. Created as a tongue-in-cheek response to the more ‘serious’ cosmetic lines out there, the brand have since gone from strength to strength, on the back of their stand-out shades, squeal-inducing packaging and miracle-working formulas that are second to none. Plus their famous mascara (called {Better Than Sex} – what’s not to like?) is the number one prestige selling mascara in The States – natch. And don’t get us started on their bronze-hued blusher (that looks good on everyone!) called … wait for it … {Papa Don’t Peach}. Aw SNAP! (Click {here} to read which other products Team CB can’t live without.)

If you haven’t already heard, {Too Faced}. has just landed at CB Towers – and to celebrate, we sat down with co-founder Jerrod Blandino (pictured below left with co-founder Jeremy Johnson) to find out more about this totally divine make up line…

{Cult Beauty} First up, would you mind telling us a bit about the brand’s back-story? How did Too Faced come to be, and what do you think’s key to its iconic status?

{Jerrod Blandino} I started my career working behind a make up counter and I think in the beginning working with so many real women – not models or actresses – was really the key to my success. It allowed me to be really connected to what women want and need. {Too Faced} is a really emotional brand, we want you to win. We are the make up equivalent of your gay best friend!

{CB} There’s heavy emphasis on humour with your cheeky product names. Where do you get your ideas from, and which comes first – the product or the name? Do you ever dream up a great pun and think: ‘we have to come up with a product that works with this title’? 

{JB} I get ideas from absolutely everywhere! Thanks to social media, I can get immediate feedback from my fans and hear what they like and don’t like. Thinking of a great name like – {Better Than Sex}, {Born This Way} or {Hangover Primer} can really either start with the name, which then inspires the product, or vice-versa.

{CB} Everything looks super cute, or edible, or both! How did you arrive at the Too Face aesthetic? Did you have a Too Faced ‘muse’ in mind when you conceived the brand’s identity 

{JB} When I started Too Faced my muses were all the women that I worked with in the beauty biz mixed with the most iconic women of style, from Audrey Hepburn, to Liz Taylor, to Madonna.

{CB} And where do you find inspiration. Do you find you have a brainwave when you’re least expecting to, or does it take a lot of conscious effort to come up with all your brilliant ideas?

{JB} I find inspiration everywhere—from a chocolate facial in Hawaii, which inspired my bestselling {Chocolate Soleil Bronzer} to the bust-waist-hip ratio of an iconic silver screen blonde bombshell that inspired the hourglass shaped brush of my {Better Than Sex} mascara.

{CB} Why peaches? Why chocolate? And which one would win in the battle of foodstuffs (we’re choc all the way)

{JB} Chocolate is actually one of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet and of course is indulgent and smells divine. Peaches are one of the most sexy fruits. Which would win? You need both!

{CB} Same goes for your heroic, {Born This Way} Foundation (we’re obsessed). For the unfamiliar, can you sum up what makes it game-changing?

{JB} It has this amazing natural finish that leaves skin looking beautiful and radiant. The formula is infused with coconut water so your skin looks healthier. It’s make up that works for you!

{CB} When it comes to beauty trends, which make up crazes do you think are tipped for major things this year? What’s the new ‘contouring’…?

{JB} The next major beauty trend is a return to natural beauty – but with a really modern, sexy way of doing it. No boring flat nudes and browns but vibrant neutrals that have textures and colours that are really innovative.

{CB} Finally, we’re so excited to add Too Faced to our beauty ‘Hall of Fame’ – we think we’re a really great ‘fit’. Which facets of Too Faced and ‘Cult’ do you think are the most complementary? And what about our new BFF status are you most excited by?

{JB} I love how cool, adventurous and groundbreaking Cult Beauty is with the way it markets, presents and curates brands. It makes it so easy to shop and it’s so much fun. They have all the coolest brands under one roof. My friend {Huda} [Kattan] is the one who introduced me to Cult and I’ve been addicted ever since!

TOO FACED>>



Verity Douglas

Verity Douglas

Content Editor

Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...