Welcome to the Beauty Bureau
It’s another rainy day in New York City. I’m not a shaman but I do believe the rainy weather can be blamed on voting for EA… hopefully a new mayor brings in sunny days and someone with a backbone. Consider this my endorsement for Zohran Mamdani.
In other news, I’m pivoting the substack (yes, I know) one more time. I know you’re sick of my bullshit and I am too.
But stick with me (or not)…
It’s been six months of personal exploration and now sis gotta get back to work. My horoscope this month was clear: no one is coming to save me and I am absolutely capable of saving myself. This I already knew and getting married to a liberal rich man isn’t a great strategy (even though trad wives would disagree). While the job market and society is figuring itself out, I’m back to building my own lane, but differently this time.
Now that I’ve been stripped bare, I’m going to be honest about a few things.
Photography is done. I had a great run (10 years) and now I’m ready for more. I’ve deleted over 80 posts and kept the best 45 articles archived that cover marketing, pricing and negotiation best practices. Although the industry is combusting there are clear ways to run a profitable photography business: niche down, price for profit, confidently negotiate and sell, and have an exceptionally organized and easy to follow customer experience. All the other shit like what kind of camera you use, why a prospect “ghosted” you, who charged what and why, is NIKE hiring, is irrelevant. Stay focused and consistent. If you want a blueprint, grab my book The Photo CEO: Earn More, Work Smarter and Create a Photography Business You Love.
I want to matter. I’m going full Timothee Chamalet and saying I want to be acknowledged for my contribution to society, big or small. Say whatever you want but I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to be celebrated for my particular brand of genius by the masses. I think most people lie about that but I’m not one of those people.
Making money should be fun. I turn 40 next year and life is too short to dread the job that keeps you fed. I know I carry a particular privilege: no student loans, no kids and I live at home. Therefore: this is the perfect equation to go hard in the paint.
New work parameters. The beauty of building something once is you gain confidence to build again without the struggle. My new work parameters: is not reliant on social media buy in/support, doesn’t require a lot of $$$ to start, isn’t based on any past personal traumas, allows for location freedom and flexibility and is both parts fun and purposeful.
Is niche specific. I thrive with clear parameters and structure because once set I have the freedom to explore and deep dive. Which leads me to the Substack pivot… the business of beauty.
I gotta commit. Choosing a niche requires becoming committed. Even when it’s quiet, no one is cheering you on in the stands, for however long it takes. Beauty is such a big and nuanced category with endless opportunities to go deep. That is what gets me excited to keep showing up.
Follow the Money…
In a past life as a buyer and product manager I was taught how to review and analyze sales reports to make predications and decisions on what stayed in stores and what was markdown into oblivion.
80% of my photography clients were beauty and I was given an inside peak into how and why brands built their businesses around one to two hero products vs brands that were building whole product lines, not because the product was good but because everyone else was doing it.
Even during a failing coup, the beauty industry buoys along for 3 reasons:
Black beauty: Any whitewashed trend started in Black neighborhoods: overdrawn lips, box braids, “slugging”, “kendal jenner tank”. Baby it’s giving “Bring It On” every week. Without Black brilliance (and violence), the beauty industry wouldn’t be the mammoth it is today. Quote me on that.
Insecurities: We desire to fit in, stay relevant or adhere to western society’s idea of beauty by any means necessary. The beauty industry and their marketing teams know this. When you follow the money, it’s easier to see how some trends take hold over others. An example: Pilates, the pursuit of thinness, the vitrol response of Thomas J. Price’s sculpture “Grounded in the Stars” from Black women… it’s all connected.
Politics: Black beauty IS resistance and a means of survival. “Recession Hair”? I don’t know her! A Black woman’s body is one of the most policed bodies on the planet. From head to toe, Black women can’t just exist without someone having an opinion. I’ve been on the brunt end of hair microaggressions whether on set or in the cubicle. First, shut the f*ck up. Second, nobody asked you. Nevertheless Black women still move the culture forward (see point one) and express themselves through beauty.
My goal with Beauty Bureau is to share beauty news, stories, shopping behaviors and trend spotting without the filler (no pun intended… okay maybe a little bit).
I don’t expect to get too HEAVY and WEIGHED DOWN like hair oil (shade) but it will be an invitation to think about why some beauty trends become popular or co-opted while others fall flat by following the money.
There will be some fun features as well that’ll roll out as I press forward. I gotta catch up so the first post goes out tomorrow morning and the new schedule will be every Friday. Also paid subscriptions will be turned back on.
Sometimes I’ll pop into the chat (for paid subscribers only) to share some beauty news I’ve seen on the inter-webs. If you have beauty tea or tip, send me an email at tamera.darden@gmail.com with the subject line Beauty Bureau tip.
Alright, let’s go!!!
Tamera