How To Use MyBeautyBrand, The Peer-To-Peer Makeup Platform

In the age of Instagram and YouTube beauty influencers, it can be hard to tell the real from the fake. Is someone actually passionate about a makeup product or is it just an (#)ad? MyBeautyBrand is the cosmetics company here to try and change that: putting customers at the forefront and making it easier to find out what products really work.

Described as "Avon for Gen Z", MyBeautyBrand was set up by Max Leykind, the brains behind Eyeko, and fashion photographer and former British Vogue creative director Robin Derrick. Quite the pairing. The duo set out "to challenge the approach of the big brands," who they believe have "jumped on influencer marketing as a way to reach people that are increasingly turning off traditional media," they say. "It’s cynical and lazy marketing. I don’t have any problem with ‘influencers’ as such, or someone saying they do or don’t like something, that’s their right — but it’s easy to corrupt that process with money."

Not that MyBeautyBrand doesn't make money for its users. Though a commission structure, Leykind and Derrick aim to "empower" customers: "We want to work with them to co-create, to give them opportunities to earn shares and allow them to build a business of their own — to be part of a movement of change."

The peer-to-peer platform leaves self-expression in the hands (and faces) of its customers by allowing anybody to log in and set-up shop. You can earn commission when products in your "shop" are purchased. But what people are buying into is your creativity and use of the products, by sharing images of beauty looks they've created using MyBeautyBrand's makeup line, ByMe, and other products they know and love. To help spark your creativity, MyBeautyBrand offers a 30% discount off your first order, too.

"We wanted to promote individuality, to create a brand that does things differently, to bring authenticity back to the forefront," adds Leykind. ByMe's 60 product makeup line is bold and bright, full of colour to inspire artistry, enable self-expression and promote inclusivity. You won't find foundation or concealer here, instead it is all about pigments that pop.

If I were to create a store on MyBeautyBrand, these would be my must-have products...