My Life In Beauty: Jess Hunt
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@JessHunt2
Make-up is such a fun, creative outlet, but it’s also a form of self-care. It allows you to bond with yourself and others. I grew up watching my grandma, who always looked immaculate and would never go anywhere without her make-up bag. As a child, I was fascinated by the process of her applying powder and slicking on lipstick, and I’d be thrilled when she’d occasionally let me wear some.
Back when I first started experimenting with beauty, it was often to draw attention to my appearance. If I wanted my make-up to be really obvious, I’d apply Bourjois’s Little Round Pots really liberally on the apples of my cheeks. I went for lip glosses in sickly pink shades, and as much mascara as I could possibly get on my lashes – they looked like spider’s legs.
My brows have come a long way since then. When I was at school, I used to feel quite self-conscious about them because they were so fair, so I’d fill them in with a pencil in a shade that was far too dark for me, and they’d look blocky and awful. To think I actually launched a successful business initially focused on brows is insane. When we launched Brow Sculpt, REFY’s first ever product, that felt like a full-circle moment.
@RefyBeauty / @JessHunt2
When I first began posting on Instagram, I was in my late teens, working as a personal assistant within the NHS. The app was still so new, and it felt quite easy – certainly easier than it is now – to grow your following. I was posting selfies and photos of my outfits because I loved it. I didn’t understand that Instagram could be a job. Gradually, brands started to reach out to offer me clothes or beauty products in return for exposure. I remember one brand contacted me, asking to send me some clothes and asked what I charged. I made up a number, I think I said £20 for a post! From there it just snowballed, very organically, and it was exciting being there at the start of all that.
I love that brushed-up brow look. In my early 20s, my routine was seriously extra, requiring two gels and three brushes to get them how I wanted. One day I did a photoshoot where the make-up artist allowed me to do my own brows because I was so particular about them, and that was when I met REFY’s co-founder Jenna Meek. She was equally intrigued, and on the lunchbreak, we drew a sketch of our dream brow product – something that could create that lifted, laminated look, but would actually last. Around six weeks later, she got back in touch with me and said she’d given it to her product developer and they were going to see if the lab could make it.
It took two years to get Brow Sculpt to a standard that we were happy with. We had to place a minimum order from the lab, and we were terrified in case it didn’t work out because of what we’d invested. Our dads helped us work out a forecast of how long we could expect that first batch to last – we predicted nine to 12 months. When we sold out the entire quantity in six weeks, that was when I fully came to appreciate the power of social media.
Lockdown was an awful time but as a brand, it gave us breathing space. The initial packaging design was so different to now: it was pink and blue with my face on it. Just before the launch we had a moment to pause and we asked ourselves, ‘Do we love this?’ The answer was no, so it was back to the drawing board. REFY is all about simplifying, making beauty approachable and unintimidating, and we wanted that to come across in the branding. It’s an extension of me, very minimalist. My house is the same: pared back and simple.
@JessHunt2
I’ve been on a bit of a skin journey over the past year. I was dealing with bad breakouts and trying all sorts of active ingredients and facials to try and solve them. I stripped it back with our new Skin Collection and it calmed everything down. It made me realise that overcomplicating your routine can actually be really unhelpful. The key to great make-up is a fresh, glowing base and I swear by the Blur & Hydrate Primer. It’s my non-negotiable – I don’t look alive until I’ve worked it into my skin.
My beauty approach is ‘less is more’. Today, I’m wearing Brow Tint to create that natural, fluffy-looking finish with a little pencil in the sparser areas. My favourite hack is to apply concealer and wait for it to dry slightly before blending – this allows for a fuller, more even finish. I’ve also got on mascara, a wash of ‘Malaya’ on my cheeks – the shade I always go for when I need a pick-me-up – with Blur Liner and Lip Gloss layered over the top. I used to find walking into the beauty section of a department store quite intimidating. I’m not a make-up artist and there’s so much choice – we’re lucky of course, but it can be overwhelming. My aim with REFY is to let the products do the hard work for you.
A real pinch-me moment was the London Pilates pop-up. We weren’t even selling products, it was just an opportunity to meet our community in real life. I had no expectations, but my taxi dropped me around the corner and when I saw a queue of people down the street I burst into tears. I was just so overcome by the fact that all these people had come to support REFY. The queue was four hours long. Our community is everything – they influence all that we do. We’re constantly listening and taking on feedback because it helps us improve and sparks so many new ideas.
One of my biggest brand inspirations is Fenty Beauty. When that brand launched, it felt really cool and innovative, and did so much for inclusivity. With Rihanna at the helm, it made me realise you didn’t need to be a professional make-up artist to have a successful brand. Obviously, she’s a powerhouse in her own right, but it helped me see that beauty is for everyone. Growing up, I used to love watching YouTube tutorials, mostly US make-up artists, and I’d follow them step-by-step. By the end I’d be trying to figure out where I’d gone wrong, and in a way that’s what spurred REFY. I’ve always been fascinated by make-up, but I’m not an expert – I need products that are quick and, easy to use and will make me look fresh.
Follow @JESSHUNT2 & visit REFYBEAUTY.COM
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