Rea Ann Silva was working as a makeup artist on the set of "Girlfriends" when she had a lightbulb moment. Tasked with applying flawless makeup for an unforgiving HD camera lens, she engineered the now-iconic egg-shaped sponge by cutting corners. Literally. She developed the first-ever prototype of the Beautyblender by taking a pair of scissors to a wedge-shaped makeup sponge that otherwise left unsightly streaks behind.
Cut to 2021, and Silva’s deceivingly simple idea has grown into a multi-million-dollar business, generating a reported $215 million in 2019 (no big deal). Her product has won 11 coveted Allure Best of Beauty Awards (!), is a favorite among celebrities by the likes of Kim Kardashian, Meghan Markle, Emma Roberts, and Selena Gomez, and is sold at major retailers from Sephora and Ulta Beauty to Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. But don't let this list of impressive accomplishments fool you, this entrepreneur is just getting started.
Ahead, Silva, along with her daughter Erica Dickerson, Beautyblender's "CEO in training," tell Create & Cultivate about how they're pushing the beauty industry forward, what keeps them inspired and motivated on their toughest days, and why you should always welcome competition.
You have single-handedly changed the beauty game with the simplest of tools—a sponge! Your product won an Allure Best of Beauty Award last year, is a favorite among celebrities, and a quick Youtube search pulls in nearly a million hits. Take us back to the beginning—what was the lightbulb moment for Beautyblender and what inspired you to pursue this path?
REA ANN: My light bulb moment was when I realized that a cosmetic sponge had never been developed by a makeup artist to help with makeup application. It had always been given as a complementary application tool in a compact or in a box of foundation but never engineered or designed to actually help you put your makeup on.
You have really democratized beauty by giving all of us backstage access to the tools and tricks of a celebrity makeup artist at home for just $20. How are you making a difference with Beautyblender and pushing the beauty industry forward?
REA ANN: I feel I'm making a difference by creating products that are professionally approved and used on sets and backstage across the world, but at the same time, making them simple and easy to use and understand so that everybody who wants to wear makeup can do so in a way that's not intimidating.
ERICA: I'm making a difference by helping my mom create products that are making it easy for the everyday woman to do her makeup and also by making sure we're always keeping inclusivity at the forefront of our brand. We are a WOC-owned brand. I'm a Black Latina woman and creating products that translate and speak to our community is something I'm very passionate about and bring to the brand.
Entrepreneurship is all about taking calculated risks—What’s the most pivotal risk you’ve taken, and how did it change your path?
REA ANN: The most pivotal risk I've taken on my entrepreneurial journey was leveraging all the equity in my homes and every other part of my financial wellbeing to create Beautyblender. It was a huge risk, and I did it at a time when the entertainment industry was on strike. Directors, makeup artists, and actors were all not working. The timing gave me the availability to work on my project, but it literally took everything I had. That was the biggest risk for me, especially being a single parent.
ERICA: The biggest risk that I've taken was stepping away from my career as a working actor to really dive into my mom's business. I really believe in legacy, and if I can contribute to securing the future for our family to come, then that really really feels impactful to me in my life. It’s also impactful for my daughter seeing how when family comes together, we can create anything.
2020 presented everybody around the globe with new, unprecedented challenges. How did you #FindNewRoads + switch gears towards your new version of success?
REA ANN: 2020 has been a super challenging year for everybody on this planet. Putting that into perspective made me focus on what I needed to do to move forward. There weren't new roads for me, my focus was to stay on the same road. This meant creating products that are easy to use and that inspire consumers while cultivating a culture in my company where we all take care of each other and look forward to the future.
ERICA: My mom is my mentor, so I've taken her lead and supported the decisions that she's made for our company. I'm just in awe of the way she moves with such grace! Honestly, my mom is always as cool as a cucumber, and watching her navigate through moments of uncertainty has been nothing short of amazing and inspiring. Listening and removing ego is what I have taken from her, and I think always continuing to apply that during these strange times is what I have taken from these challenges.
Going after what you deserve in life takes confidence and guts. Does confidence come naturally to you or did you have to learn it? What advice can you share for women on cultivating confidence and going after their dreams?
REA ANN: Confidence did not come naturally to me. I was a little girl of color in an all-white neighborhood, and I was very aware of the differences. I had to learn to ignore negativity and stay focused on whatever my goal was with the dream of succeeding.
ERICA: I come from a long line of very strong women, and so I would say that confidence is something that, fortunately, I was always in the presence of. However, I'm still human, and of course, I go through moments and times where I don't feel confident. I think some of the ways that I've cultivated confidence in those moments is by leaning into my support system and asking for advice. Not being afraid to ask questions or make mistakes is also a huge one. The fear of failure used to be a huge block in my life but being able to push past that, despite the discomfort, is often what cultivates confidence for me.
When you separate yourself from your job title and the bells and whistles of your business or career, who are you and what do you like to do?
REA ANN: When I separate myself from my brand identity, I am a mother, I am a daughter, I am a friend, I'm a grandmother now, and I am a partner to my husband. Those are the areas that always route me back down to earth and how I feel stable on a day to day basis.
ERICA: When I separate myself from business, and all the bells and whistles, I'm working on my side-hustle which is my podcast “Good Moms Bad Choices.” Normalizing different facets of motherhood and womanhood is something I’m passionate about. My podcast has enabled me to connect with guests from all walks of life in honest conversation that most people have behind closed doors or not at all.
You will also find doing everyday mommy stuff. My daughter is five and is my everything. Being a mother and entrepreneur makes self-care even more of a priority for my sanity, so you can often find me somewhere near the water hanging with friends, dancing with tequila in hand. I love my alone time, but I can also be the party starter. A true intro/extrovert!
With success comes opportunity, but that also means you have your hands full. What keeps you inspired and motivated to keep going even on your most challenging days?
REA ANN: There are always going to challenges on any journey, which is a good thing because that means you're learning. But you have to keep in mind that, at the end of it all, whatever that goal is that you’re trying to achieve, you will find satisfaction. Both factors are equally important to your self-development, your happiness, and your personal development.
ERICA: My daughter and my mom keep me motivated. I've seen my mom's relentless drive and grace. My father is also an incredible human who has accomplished so much, so when I look at them, I know that all things are possible. My daughter keeps me in check. I know she’s watching me, and that responsibility keeps me motivated. With all the social injustices against my people, I have really been thinking so much about my ancestors and how much they sacrificed, endured, and persevered to see me to this moment. The odds have been stacked against my people on both sides, and yet still I’m here being recognized by a major brand like Create & Cultivate. So, on my low-energy days, I think about that and I feel activated.
What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs? How can they achieve the same success you've experienced?
REA ANN: I don't know that anybody can ever achieve the exact same success as I did. There were people I would look to as #goals, but I always knew that my journey was not going to be identical to theirs. This is a really important thing to understand because, if you reflect on someone else's journey and their success, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Your success is unique to yourself, all you can try to do is level the amount of satisfaction, happiness, and growth that you feel like you're getting as compared to someone you might have idolized.
ERICA: Every day, do something that helps push your ideas forward; it can be something as small as writing a list. Surround yourself with people that motivate you and inspire you. I also encourage you to take time for yourself; take breaks because you're useless if you are not taking care of yourself. Also, recognize that success looks and feels different for everyone. You may achieve every single thing I have and still not feel fulfilled. Fulfillment really starts within and without comparison.
What's the one productivity tip or work hack that truly changed your life?
REA ANN: Creating a routine. I’m a creature of habit and having a routine has proven to be a very good thing for me! I like to work out first thing in the morning. I like to get a good night's sleep. I like to spend most of my day working. My body likes what my brain likes, and when I disrupt myself and start traveling a lot, that's when I really know that I am a creature of habit.
ERICA: Honestly, setting boundaries at work. That means that, if I say I’m only working on something for two hours, then I only work on that thing for two hours. I’ve found that belaboring a task doesn’t always result in my best work, so sometimes, I even set an alarm so that I’m reminded to stop and take a break or move on to the next task.
What is the #1 book you always recommend and why?
REA ANN: I have two! The first is “The Road Less Traveled.” The first paragraph of that book is so freeing. It essentially says that life is difficult, and once you really understand that, it becomes a lot easier. I really took that to heart, and it really does help me when I have challenges. It helps me realize that life is not supposed to be easy. Challenges are essential to our happiness and our growth, so you have to welcome them.
The other book is “The 20 Immutable Laws of Branding,” and that was the book that I read while I was dreaming about launching my Beautyblender business. It taught me about competition. It taught me about branding. It taught me about how to welcome competition if you’re a category creator. You can't stand in a category by yourself. That's why Pepsi needs Coke, and why IBM needs Xerox. You need to have competition to succeed as a brand. As a young brand owner, that was really important information to understand because anytime you're successful there are going to be people that want to copy, emulate, and replicate your business. Generally, your first instinct will be to be offended by it, but really you need to learn from it and use it to your benefit.
ERICA: “The Power of Now” and “The Artist's Way.” I know those are self-help textbooks, but they really changed my life.
If you could go back to the beginning of your career journey with the knowledge you have now, what advice would you give yourself?
REA ANN: I would tell myself that I don't need a business partner to be successful because I am enough.
I also would advise my younger self to pay myself from the beginning. I didn't take a paycheck for about eight years, and I realize now that, in a proper business, that's not the right way to do things. It would have definitely made my life easier, but the struggle was real.
The third thing I would tell myself is to listen to my instincts. Sometimes we convince ourselves that our instincts are tricking us and may not be correct. I wish I listened to myself more.
ERICA: Enjoy the journey and trust your intuition.
Fill in the blanks:
The best career advice I always give is…
REA ANN: It's so easy to become distracted while you're on your journey, especially if you're having to work, as I did, as a single parent. At the same time, I was trying to be a good girlfriend, a good partner, a good mother, and a good daughter all at once.
When people ask me this question, I generally say to them, just keep moving forward, because it's so easy with all these distractions to stop moving and not do the work. Every day, you must do something to move yourself a little bit forward, even if it’s simply reviewing a list or networking with one person. That little bit of work will make a difference in the long run.
ERICA: Follow your intuition and never make a big decision when you are unclear.
The three qualities that got me to where I am today are…
REA ANN: My ability to dream and dream big. I also have a special ability to get along with most types of people, and I think there's evidence in that with the success of my makeup career. If you have any doubt that any of your most famous hair and makeup people don't know how to work in a room together or get along with people, you are sadly mistaken. It's one of the main qualities we need to have to be successful. I also learned to not take “no” as an answer.
ERICA: Honesty, patience, and integrity.
The change I’d like to see in my industry is…
REA ANN: Our industry needs to get rid of HATE. It's something that has become more and more prevalent over the last couple of years. The boldness of people to be rude and voice their opinions about topics they know nothing about is not okay and really damaging. The cancel culture and the rapid spread of misinformation on social media needs to stop. It's so easy to start a rumor about some crazy story and then really have it affect another person's life.
The world needs to be more understanding and appreciative that people have different tastes. People have different things that they like, and just because somebody likes something different than you doesn't mean they're wrong or they’re bad. People want to be polarizing all the time and that's a problem and has to change to better society and our industry.
ERICA: The end of cancel culture, and more transparency between brands and consumers. The consumer doesn’t really understand why brands make the decisions they make and often that can result in brands being “canceled.” My hope is that transparency can humanize brands more to consumers and, in turn, people will have more care and foresight before they destroy a business that people have put their blood, sweat, and tears into.
My perfect day begins with…
REA ANN: A cup of coffee.
ERICA: My perfect day begins with waking up before my daughter wakes up and having at least 30 minutes alone to myself. Followed by a huge cup of coffee.
The craziest thing I’ve done for work is…
REA ANN: The craziest thing I did was right after I had my son, Cruz. I went back to work about three weeks after having him. My first job after giving birth was shooting an album cover with the singer Mya in New York, so I had to figure out how to get to New York, arrive in time to be at the studio in the morning, and then catch a red-eye flight in time to be back on the West Coast that the evening so that I could breastfeed. It was insane, and I did it a couple of times in the very beginning of starting work again after having my son. It was really, really crazy; I remember the flight attendants putting my breast milk in the refrigerator so that I could keep it cold for my son. The things you do for motherhood! Now, I would stay home and turn the job down.
ERICA: I think the craziest thing I've ever had to do was defend my diversity as an Afro-Latina because of “cancel culture” and the general public's lack of research and knowledge before attacking my brand’s intentions and integrity. I've, unfortunately, come across people that have tried to come at my brand for lack of inclusion, and as a Woman of Color, that feels crazy. Diversity is my everyday existence. My mother is Latina and my father is Black. Both parts define me in major ways. We created an entire line of foundations addressing undertone in a major way because of my mom’s experience as a consumer and makeup artist who could never find the perfect shades for herself, her family, or her clients. I watched her masterfully mix makeup like lipstick and foundations to create shades that just did not exist. When we launched makeup, addressing all the nuances of multicultural and Black men and women was a major part of our mission in creating our shade range. Being a Woman of Color is my everyday experience and I find it quite crazy that sometimes I feel like I must defend the core of my being especially amongst people that are not of color.
