Newsroom: GlowJob on How the Bleph Became the Biggest Procedure in the World, How Girlboss Culture Crushed The Outset, and Why Everyone Loves Touchland

Jessica Matlin (0:06)

Hey, everyone, welcome to Fat Mascara. I've got a great Newsroom episode for you today. I've got the girls from GlowJob. Yes, GlowJob, GlowJob, GlowJob, Julia and Sasa. We're going to be talking about a number of topics. We're going to be talking about everything from brand closures to trademarks. I mean, that is the hot topic of the season, isn't it? Target's beauty studio, how people are shopping today.

We've got it all, so without further adieu, let's bring in Julia and Sasa.

Julia Bellary (0:38)

Hello, hello, hello.

Jessica Matlin (0:41)

We are here with the GlowJob gals. First of all, the name is just very arresting.

Sasa Li (0:48)

That is the purpose.

Julia Bellary (0:50)

Yeah, we always get a little eyebrow raise when we share the podcast name.

Jessica Matlin (0:53)

There's nothing wrong with that. We want to get a little attention. We want people to understand what we're trying to do here in this world. I have to say first of all, thank you so much for coming on the show.

Sasa Li (1:01)

Jess, wait, we have to say thank you to you because for us, you are the OG. You are the OG, especially within the beauty podcasting space. So for us, this is so awesome.

Jessica Matlin (1:11)

Thank you. OK, so Sasa and Julia, anytime anyone calls me an OG, it's like, thanks. I have to say, it makes me feel a little bit old. I don't know.

Sasa Li (1:19)

I need to probably just embrace it. OK, then let's say that you're the best in the space then. That's why we're so thankful to be on.

Jessica Matlin (1:28)

Let's move on. Let's move on. Let's move on. OK, so you started your show how long ago?

Julia Bellary (1:33)

It's been about a year and a half, a little more than that at this point.

Sasa Li (1:36)

Yeah, February of 2025

Jessica Matlin (1:38)

And I've taken notice of the show. I know what you're talking about. I know who you're talking to. But I want to hear from your point of view. What is GlowJob all about in this very, very dynamic beauty space?

Julia Bellary (1:51)

Yeah, so when we started GlowJob, both Sasa and I, we were really beauty outsiders. Sasa's background is in finance, mine is in tech and business development, but we've both been beauty obsessed. So our thesis for the show is what would happen if two girls outside of the industry get into a room with founders, scientists, chemists, brand builders, and what would the normal girl ask these professionals?

Jessica Matlin (2:17)

Well, I'm definitely not normal. So you've carved out your own niche.

Julia Bellary (2:21)

There we go.

Sasa Li (2:22)

Yeah, I think for us also, it was really about tying beauty in business. The beauty industry is what? Like a $65 billion industry, which is one, a global industry. Two, it moves markets. But people don't give beauty the same reverence they do as other industries.

Julia Bellary (2:38)

Like sports, for example.

Sasa Li (2:40)

Yeah. Yeah. Here's one thing.

This always grinds our gears. You know when guys meet new guys for the first time and they grow out and they bond? So oftentimes the way they grow out, these starts, I know it's like so awkward. They start spitting like the sports stats, right? They're like that baseball hoop, whatever. I don't know. And they're bonding. But they have this common language right off the bat. One thing Julia and I noticed is women, we also have a common language, but it's not the dialogue that's referenced as much, but it is this conversation around beauty.

If you meet a girl and you say, hey, your hair looks fabulous. And then her eyes light up and she'll go off and be like, oh my God, I just tried this new styling cream. I had this new conditioner, da-da-da-da-da. And you can go with that conversation for 10, 15 minutes and women get very excited. You can run deep or you can run shallow, but the way that Julia and I talk about it, we realized was that we were so obsessed with the business behind all of the beauty products that we loved.

Jessica Matlin (3:38)

And you have that business background, right?

Julia Bellary (3:40)

That we do.

Sasa Li (3:41)

Yes, we do.

Jessica Matlin (3:41)

Okay, so you're saying you're a beauty outsider, but I also think that you are just lending a different perspective. And something that I find really fascinating is how, I just, I use this example a lot. But when Elf acquired Rode, that was something that people who, yes, it wasn't like a man on the street is going to be like, hey, did you hear about Hailey Bieber? She just sold her company. But people who are just even casual pop culture enthusiasts or may know about Hailey Bieber or kind of into beauty, they knew that something big was happening with Rode. And that to me is years ago, just super nerd, super Wall Street Journal headline. Nobody really cared about the back of the business. They just cared about the product or the picture, who's the face. And now people are super interested in what's going on under the hood. And why are they that interested? I'm sure we could sit here and talk about that for hours. We'll talk about it a little bit. But I think that is very, which is not strange. It's just remarkable that now people are so interested in what's going on behind the scenes. They're taking the business of Beauty seriously, even if they're just an enthusiast.