Hey, Glams!
This week we’re joined by Toni Bravo—the comfort creator, consultant, and beauty industry’s unofficial CEO of Blush. You probably know her from the viral purple blush video that changed the conversation around deeper skin tones, her collaborations with Rhode, or the fact that she’s quietly become one of the most influential voices shaping the products you now see on shelves.
What surprised us most wasn’t her success (although buying two homes before 30 is objectively impressive). It was how refreshingly honest she is about everything from why beauty brands keep missing the mark to the financial advice every creator should hear, and why she refuses to let algorithms dictate her career.
Keep reading for highlights!
The beauty industry has spent years talking about inclusivity, yet launches still regularly miss the people they’re supposedly designed for. Toni doesn’t believe every misstep comes from bad intentions. Instead, she argues that brands become so consumed by their own products that they stop listening to the people they’re creating for. “I think they’re just a little ignorant,” she shared.
It’s the same philosophy that turned her viral purple blush video into something much bigger than a product review. Representation isn’t about adding deeper shades at the end of development—it’s about including those voices from the very beginning.
It’s easy to credit Rhode’s success to Hailey Bieber, but one of the brand’s biggest advantages may be its willingness to collaborate with creators who spend their careers testing makeup. “Cool people tap cool people,” she told us. Toni has consulted on multiple launches, living with formulas, refining shades, and giving feedback long before products ever reach consumers.
Brands often hire creators to market a product after it’s finished. Rhode invites them into the process while it’s still being built and that difference shows.
“We’re not all just flat people. We’re not two-dimensional. We have shape, we have body, we have tone and we have undertone.”
Toni broke down why bronzer belongs in every makeup bag, not just for lighter skin tones. For years, deeper complexions were largely ignored by bronzer launches, leaving many shades muddy, red, or simply unusable. Her explanation was such a smart reminder that makeup isn’t about changing your face—it’s about enhancing the natural dimension that’s already there.
Toni has zero mounted TVs anywhere in the house. Instead, she has a Swedish-designed rolling cart TV she wheels out only when she actually wants to watch something — patio, living room, wherever — then puts it away.
Her reasoning doubles as a mental health philosophy: she’s on screens constantly for work, so her home is deliberately built to not extend that. Same logic shows up in her actual screen habits — no phone an hour before bed or after waking, and a genuinely clever hack where she has to scan a physical barcode (hers is on a tin of fish, obviously) to unlock certain apps, forcing her out of bed and into the kitchen before she can even check a notification.
Her kitchen, meanwhile, was designed to look timeless on purpose — she didn’t want it dateable to 2026, wanting something that could “live through many iterations” of her life. Custom color, custom cabinetry, and her single biggest home splurge — no regrets.
Toni bought not one but two homes, and when we asked how she’s avoided the classic creator financial horror story, her answer was blunt: get a financial advisor, a financial planner, and a good tax person immediately. Not eventually — immediately.
“I don’t think it’s ever a waste of your money when you start bringing this kind of money in to have someone that knows what to do with it,” she said. Her bigger point: creator income is inherently unstable — big month, then nothing — so having someone tracking and moving that money monthly isn’t a luxury, it’s the thing standing between “I made it” and “I blew it.” Her biggest warning for peers: not having professional help at all is the single easiest way to sabotage the opportunity in front of you.
Would you try the barcode screen-time trick? What is your go-to bronzer? Do you have a financial advisor?!
You can watch and listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
DANESSA MYRICKS BEAUTY | Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder
DANESSA MYRICKS BEAUTY | Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder - 9
RHODE SKIN (RHODESKIN.COM) | Pocket Bronze
DIOR | Backstage Rosy Glow Powder Blush
RHODE SKIN | Pocket Blush 5.3g
L’ORÉAL PARIS | Infaillible Setting Spray
CHARLOTTE TILBURY | Airbrush Flawless Finish Blurring & Setting Powder - Deep
RHODE SKIN | Peptide Lip Shape the Contouring Lip Shaper 0.75g
Shop more of our favorite products here.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.