GUIDE BEAUTY is the brainchild of Terri Bryant, a makeup artist who noticed a big gap in the beauty industry: Inclusive products for beauty lovers of all abilities.
Terri, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a few years ago, has developed a beautiful line of eye makeup products with integrated tools to break down the barriers of the world of beauty, one eyeliner at a time. With packaging thoughtfully created to provide an easy grip, GUIDE BEAUTY combines effective formulas with a sensible list of ingredients devoid of the major no-nos in the industry.
In our book, the world of beauty offers a unique chance for self-expression, and we are extremely happy to have found a brand that supports all types of beauty lovers. We sat down to chat with Terri about her new kid on the block, which is already making big waves in the larger conversation about inclusion in the world of beauty.
{Spoiler alert: This is a story about how an eyeliner, a brow filler, and a mascara are making a big positive impact in the world.}
When did you start GUIDE BEAUTY?
After over 2.5 years of research and development, GUIDE BEAUTY launched in February 2020.
You have a background as a makeup artist. What motivated you to create an inclusive makeup line?
As a professional makeup artist and beauty education executive, I have devoted my career to helping others learn how to apply makeup. Makeup artistry often requires a high level of precision and fine motor skills. Drawing a straight line of eyeliner and defining symmetrical brows are just a few examples of techniques that many makeup users find challenging and time-consuming.
Five years ago, after noticing some struggles of my own, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. My personal experience and that shift in my ability has allowed me to actually feel where traditional tools and products can fall short in achieving great results. Though it comes with challenges, my diagnosis has given me an unexpectedly beautiful gift. One that I am grateful and excited to share.
I am now able to approach makeup and how we apply it from a unique lens. GUIDE BEAUTY allows me to reimagine the world of makeup with formulas and tools rooted in a culture of inclusivity which are universally designed to make applying makeup a joyful and welcoming experience for everyone.
Beauty lovers of all abilities can have problems applying makeup. How did you settle on a final ergonomic design?
We partnered with our design team, ergonomic engineers, and test users across a diverse range of abilities, skill sets, and needs. Following the principles of Universal Design, our process was highly collaborative as we engaged users in exploring what currently existed in the market along with our working prototypes. We were able to observe where people struggled using traditional makeup tools and formulas and discover ergonomic and design preferences to improve the user experience. We applied those findings into our designs to create tools that could perform as an extension of the user’s hand, along with custom formulations that enhance the tools performance.
While we focused on innovation and ease of use, the aesthetic was of equal importance. We wanted the user to delight as much in the beauty of the components as they do in the joy and confidence they experience when applying them.
The combined effort was a culmination of 2 ½ years of research and development, over 200 test users, 39 eyeliner formula submissions, and over 100 eyeliner tool (GUIDE Wand) iterations with a similar process for our LASH WRAP tubing mascara and BROW MOMENT brow gel.
We see that you do not include nanoparticles, as defined by the EU. What inspired you to make that decision?
While the FDA regulates packaging, labeling and color additives in cosmetics, the onus falls on brands to establish and define their ingredient standards. Using the most reputable data, we screen every potential ingredient for information on specific hazards across global research and standards. While the research is still somewhat inconclusive, there was enough concern by EU findings to flag nanoparticles as a potential hazard. Adhering to our ingredient standards means we will not create formulas with nanoparticles.
Is your eyeliner suitable for sensitive eyes, and can it be applied on the waterline?
I love a good tightline! It’s a universally flattering technique that goes back centuries.
Amongst other techniques, I knew I wanted to make tightlining and waterline application easy and accessible for all. We planned for it in the development of both our GUIDE Wand and our GUIDE Line Luxe, Long-Wear Eyeliner. The Wand’s soft, flexible, precision tip applicator was designed for a gentle and smooth glide across the eye. For our uniquely pressed eyeliner we selected (and excluded) ingredients with eye sensitivity in mind. It is ophthalmologist, sensitivity, and safely tested for use on the waterline.
Currently, your line concentrates on the eyes. Are you planning to expand it with other products?
Yes, exciting things are happening in the GUIDE Lab! We started with the products and techniques (eyeliner, brow and mascara) that create definition. Products that create definition are not only the most impactful but also tend to be the most challenging for the everyday makeup wearer. We wanted to tackle these challenging techniques first and offer a range of products that allows the user to wholly define the area around the eyes. From there we will be expanding our color range as well as continue focusing feature-by-feature to create a full GUIDE Beauty face.
Where does GUIDE BEAUTY retail?
We are currently sold on our website at guidebeauty.com
Is GUIDE BEAUTY a family company, and where do you manufacture your products?
Our company is 100% owned by my husband and me along with two individual entrepreneurs with whom I have a long relationship. Our formulas are manufactured and filled in the USA and Canada.