Spotlight: Ultra Vixan Cosmetics
Because I am all about Girl Power, I want to start interviewing girl bosses from all over the world to feature them here on my blog. First up is my fellow Boriqua, Annelise Marceline, a Latin American model who founded the small-but-growing cruelty free cosmetic brand called UltraVixen Cosmetics. Here we ask her a few questions about her brand, it’s ethos, and the new products she will be dishing out!
What is your background?
I am Uruguayan & Puerto Rican, I grew up between the U.S. and Uruguay! I spent my late teens, and early 20s bouncing between Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles.
Which one of those cities was your favorite?
Los Angeles of course! I currently live in Malibu, before moving I lived in New Orleans. I have very few family members who live in the United States, like only 4, but they live in Texas. So I do spend a great amount of time in Texas as well, it’s beautiful there!
You live in the LA area, closer to Malibu, specifically Topanga Canyon, how do you like it?
I love it!
Despite my glamorous appearance, I am a total granola head. If I could describe my style, it would be Bohemian Regency; Old Hollywood mixed with the hippie era of the 60s & 70s! Who says you can’t go rock climbing in red lipstick?
I also have two rescue dogs, a Doberman, and a Dachshund, they like nature. Living in Topanga allows me to take them on hikes and such, without dealing with outsiders, the privacy of this area is a huge plus.
Any eras of fashion in particular you like more than others? Do you have any fashion rules?
My favorite eras are the 30’s, 40’s, 60’s, early 70’s, and the early 90’s! The supermodel era (pre-Kate Moss) is fantastic! I reference these eras quite often in my cosmetic collections. My outfits reflect these eras, I will interchange them of course, creating a whole new look all together!
I strongly dislike patterns. There are exceptions, like soft florals, but it is very rare that I sport a pattern. I am a minimalist at heart, so the less clutter the better.
There are a lot of fashion aesthetics I do not favor, but It is not my place to judge, or tell you what to like. They are things that simply don’t work for me. I am sure there are things that I love, that you cannot stand!
Also, even though I don’t dig rockabilly, I can still look at somebody who is decked out in a super rockabilly look and think they are beautiful!
For example, I do not like how the Kardashians dress; casual sport is not my style, BUT I can recognize that they look beautiful & slay those looks! Those looks are simply not for me.
Just because you do not like a certain aesthetic, does not mean you cannot appreciate somebody when they are rocking it! Nothing wrong, just different strokes for different folks. As long as you are being genuine, and not playing a role. Authenticity is key.
Now that we know what inspires you, why did you want to start your very own makeup line?
Well as a Latina who spent years working in the modeling industry (I was scouted at 16) I experienced first-hand what the world of beauty DID NOT want, and that was me! What I mean is that, women of ethnicity tend to be used as “tokens” or novelty items, we are never actually represented by major brands. It is very typical for casting agents to go “well we already have one ethnic person in the show/campaign, everybody else can go home,” and they’d send all the ethnic women packing. So my goal was to create a brand that kept every person in mind, and did not trivialize WOC. I also want trans, and non-binary folks to feel included when shopping! I want everybody to be included!
I also like to feature a lot of history in my products and campaigns. We have collections inspired by women from various periods of history. It is important to give people access to role models. Your makeup should be inspirational, not something you do to feel pretty. They call it war paint, after all! And you can’t fight a proper battle, and win, unless you’re inspired!
You seem to have a very glamorous aesthetic, how does this play into the creation of the ULTRAVIXEN brand?
As a little girl I was always fascinated by Old Hollywood! I cannot speak for other cultures but I know that Latinas are naturally more inclined to be glamorous; it is part of our culture. My mother never left the house in sweatpants, it was Gucci, or death. Growing up in America was hard because my peers obsessed over Brittney Spears, while the only person who I could relate to was Cher, or Raquel Welch.
As an adult, every time I would go shopping for makeup all the companies kept selling me trends, trends, trends! Thanks to social media, trends have a faster turnover, and consumers get bored way more easily than before. To be honest, I don’t care for it too much. I have specific eras of beauty and glamour that inspires me, and that is usually what I stick to.
ULTRAVIXEN shoppers are like myself, we don’t need the trendy smoke & mirrors, we know how to get the job done! We practice our makeup every day we have our glamour routine down to a science! ULTRAVIXEN shoppers are looking for a reliable product they can depend on to incorporate to their glam routine.
What is a major factor when you are making decisions for the ULTRAVIXEN brand? As mentioned before, you are less about trends, more about timeless beauty. So what factors go into creating your collections?
Inclusion is a major factor. Every collection needs to be culturally aware, and include colors for everyone.
When I started wearing vintage, and participating in vintage events, I immediately felt like an outcast. The scene was predominantly white, and I did not feel culturally included. I have light skin, so at these event certain people would mistake me for a Caucasian woman and would say racist things without realizing they were talking to a person of ethnicity. It was saddening, especially when it came out of the mouths of people who I once respected. After talking to other WOC vintage enthusiasts, I found that they felt the same way! Especially at burlesque shows, where Caucasian performers still use old racial stereotypes & racial tropes as costumes. It’s 2017, why do people still think it’s acceptable to watch a historically insensitive Opium Den and/or rhinestone “Native American inspired” burlesque act? It’s not, and the community castrates those who dare speak out against it.
Now we can’t feel comfortable in those environments. Also, Caucasian allies don’t feel comfortable in to those scenarios either. Those allies who are culturally respectful within the community, and don’t appropriate, cringe when they see somebody doing it. It’s like there is no room for this new inclusive generation in the vintage community. Which is super unfair, we like silk & champagne too, where can we fit in? So when I created the ULTRAVIXEN brand I intended to carve out a nook for humanists, where we could embody all of that old school glamour, but with modern ideals of equality and modern culture. I also wanted to invite modern women into the glamour scene. Plenty of modern gals are afraid to embrace their inner Rita Hayworth because they think the hair & makeup is too complicated, so my goal is to provide simple products that give the highest level of glamour, for EVERYONE! Not just the chosen few.
Amazing! What products does ULTRAVIXEN Cosmetics offer?
Our MARBLEGLOSS liquid lip-plumping lipstick is a unique product that has gained a cult following. It’s a range of opaque cream lipsticks that actually plump your lips whilst delivering full coverage!
We also just released a highly-anticipated collection of earth-toned vintage nudes called the BOUDOIR COMPANION Collection. It’s our new formula called ULTRIMATTE, which is a scent-free, paraben-free, opaque, long wearing, liquid to matte lipstick. Say that five times fast, yeesh! The goal was to create a unique lipstick collection that was perfect for sensitive skin, and felt like it was barely there!
We currently are developing a MARBLEMATTE collection, and sister collection to our MARBLEGLOSS lipsticks, except instead of having a crème finish, it will be matte! This one is top secret so I can’t give out any more details!
The last question, any final words for your shoppers, and perhaps future shoppers, about the ULTRAVIXEN Cosmetics brand?
I hope you all do take the time to look at the website and try some of our items out. We offer a reliable range of products to add to your beauty arsenal. You are already sexy, we are just here to help garnish it! BESOS, ADIOS!