Beauty Magnet founder Liz Kennedy on creating all-in-one skin care products on the go

When we first saw beauty magnet, magnetized rose gold dial, skin care products approved by cosmetologistswe couldn't help but feel intrigued and a little scared. DermarollingThe practice of exfoliating the skin with tiny needles sounds uncomfortable at best and painful at worst. But the founder, ethereal expert and aesthete Liz Kennedy assures us that we have nothing to worry about. Here she tells us how to use Beauty Magnet, what it was like to launch a brand after having a baby in the midst of a pandemic, and of course, some of her favorite skincare products. 

What was your relationship with skin care as a child and how has it changed over the years?

I grew up with a single mother. She was a big tomboy, didn't like makeup, didn't like to dress up, but always took care of her skin. She used an oil cleanser before oil cleaning was something special. My love for skin started at a young age and I noticed that I was always teaching people how to use different products. Back in college, I was a skincare leader. When I returned to Manhattan from Florida, I became a licensed esthetician. I started going to nursing school and then quickly realized that I didn't enjoy practicing on people as much as I enjoyed teaching them. That's when I started doing more television and social media. 

Were your TV appearances the result of social media?

The TV part was before social media really exploded. My first role, if you will, was backstage at fashion week. I was asked to be the spokesperson for a brand called Skyn ​​Island, and once I started doing it behind the scenes, I became an on-air expert for New York Live. Then I started doing QVC for Cindy Crawford's skin care line and then I started doing makeup for the steve harvey show. It's like a snowball.

You are now making great Instagram videos! Can you talk about expanding your social media presence after your television career has already begun?

During COVID, all TV channels were turned off. I was so upset because I thought, "Wait, I don't have a job anymore!" And then TikTok came along and I said I love videos and I'm much better at explaining things on camera than just taking pictures for Instagram. So I started making TikTok and that's when I really got crazy support. Then apparently Instagram released Reels. But with all the short video, I was able to take everything I did on TV and convert it to social media.

What inspired you to create Beauty Magnet and why did you choose the five tools included in it?

Beauty Magnet came about because I constantly had to look for skincare tools. I started to get very upset because I thought why I ask my husband every night: “Baby, have you seen my tweezers? Baby, have you seen my video? And he told me to just put it in one place, it's not that hard. But when I did, I opened the drawer and everything moved. When I was traveling I lost them in my purse. That's why I said what if I just solve this problem, take my five favorite skin care products as an esthetician and magnetize them? 

For those of us who have never used some of the tools from Beauty Magnet, like a pore extractor or a dermaroller, how do you suggest using them?

Whenever you use an extractor or dermaroller, you will never want to use acid afterwards. This is because acids increase inflammation. I would suggest using an extractor or a dermaroller at night, followed by something really soothing. For example, a hyaluronic acid serum, which is a moisturizing serum, a collagen cream, or something without acids that exfoliate. Other tools, such as the rose quartz roller, are very soothing. Can be used in the morning, can be stored in the refrigerator. The same goes for the eye serum roller. And everyone knows how to use tweezers.

What was it like raising money and releasing Beauty Magnet during the pandemic, shortly after the birth of your son?

It was hell. I cried a lot when I slept because when I tried to raise, it really upset me. I was postpartum, just quarantined, I didn't have a job because the networks were down, I still wasn't raising money for the brand and it was really, really hard. But the truth is, just when you're about to give up, things happen, so I just kept pushing. When I first raised money for the brand, it was really simple to make a tool shape, but when I did my second fundraiser, it was a lot more money and it took me about a year and a month to do it.

It's amazing that you were able to achieve this at such a difficult time. How do you evaluate your achievements and what are you grateful for now?

Earlier I wrote that I am grateful for my health, my family, food, for all the things that we are usually grateful for. But I was fine, I write this every day, it seems a bit redundant. So what I started to do was write down what bothered me or what upset me, and instead of just writing, "This makes me angry," I wrote, "What did I learn from it?" By writing down what I learned, it allowed me to look at things pragmatically and be grateful that I was able to learn something from it rather than just using the "I'm angry and it bothers me" approach. It really makes you change your point of view.

How do you see the future of Beauty Magnet?

With Beauty Magnet, my goal is to build a lifestyle brand behind it, but then release a skincare component, with skincare capsules that you can actually pop into the neck of tools. It'll be like Pez - remember Pez candy in those days? It will be like this when you put in a skincare capsule and then it dissipates as you roll. But all this requires money, so you'll have to wait. 

When friends and family come to you for skin care advice, what is the most important piece of information you are trying to convey to them?

When it comes to skin care, you really need to know your skin type and your concerns. For example, what works for me doesn't work for my husband. my husband super prone to acne, but the products he uses really work for him. If I used his products, my skin would be out of order. He will be dry and irritated. So what works for me may not necessarily work for you. People tell me all the time, "What do you use on your face?" And I'm like, don't worry about what I use, let's talk about your problems, because your problems are different from mine, and they are different from the person to my left.

Are there any skin care products you love right now?

So many! In my opinion, a very underrated product. Serum Lancôme Genifique. This is a super game changer. Garnier also has Brightening Serum SPF 30 it goes on super milky. It's an SPF, it's a serum, it's a brightener, and it's very underrated.