We all know there are two places to go for breaking makeup news, Instagram account Trendmood and Cosmo ME. We wanted to learn more about the woman behind Instagram’s much-loved beauty authority so we hit up Sophie Shab to chat about her journey in creating Trendmood, how she deals with backlash, and everything in between.
via Instagram @trendmood1
Life before Instagram
Sophie “loved makeup and beauty from a young age. I would collect looks from magazines for inspiration and recreate them on my friends.” Described by her schools friends as “the most lovable girl with the big smile and a creative go-getter”, Sophie loved helping others, and always challenged herself to bring something different and unique to her projects. After high school, Sophie attended makeup school. She worked as a freelance makeup artist and studied fashion design in Peru.
“After finishing fashion school, I combined my love of makeup and fashion, with creating clothes, accessories, and organising fashion shows. I even did the makeup on the models. I met my husband in LA on one of my visits. We fell in love and got married. I moved to LA to be with him and start a new life together. Today, we have three children and speak three languages at home- English, Hebrew, and Spanish.”
The birth of Trendmood
“Initially, I didn’t have a goal to do anything special on social media. It was my husband who saw my passion and the future of social media, and he convinced me to open an account for things I loved. I was hesitant, but when I was pregnant and bored, we sat over lunch, and I told him, “Okay, let’s do it.” He was so happy and started throwing out names. I was just laughing, because I felt like he was making a big deal out of it. I just wanted to share my things. We came up with the name Trendmood, the mood of the trends.”
“It was a time before sponsorships and building a dream career on social media was not even a thought. Trendmood became the amazing platform it is today over many years of genuine love and passion. We are proud to say Trendmood is *the* source for all amazing beauty news and built by a community of genuine beauty lovers.”
Trusting the process
Trendmood’s growth was exponential and soon, Sophie’s Instagram account was impacting the beauty industry. “In the early days of Trendmood, many of the posts were about MAC launches. Back then would sell out quickly and there was no place where you could find all the necessary info. People wanted to know things like what the new collections were when they were launching, full product info, and see swatches. The more I posted this information, the more people asked about it.”
via Instagram @trendmood1
“Then Instagram launched direct messages, and DM’s started pouring in about different brands and launches. At first, it was confusing since most of my focus had been on MAC. But then I realized this page is more about the community. I began to listen to what they wanted to see and share. There was no blueprint for this. It hadn’t been done before on social media within the beauty space.”
What about negative comments? Does she find them soul-crushing or just so-so? “Comments are very important, but it depends on how you take them. I focus on the meaning of the comment, not how it was said. Sometimes the root of the comment is important and should be taken into consideration. You can’t please everyone on social media as there are so many opinions.”
Highs, lows, and backlash
“The best thing I’ve done for Trendmood was listening to my intuition in allowing the community to drive the direction of the feed. The commentary on Trendmood posts is invaluable for brands to learn what consumers think and are actually looking for. If something is posted on a brand’s own page, the sentiment tends to lean positive. On Trendmood, there is a more direct consumer viewpoint on how they really feel about a formula, launch, and packaging. This is part of what makes Trendmood so unique and, dare I say, at times: *magical*. I’m very proud of that.”
“A mistake I made at the beginning of Trendmood was not crediting pictures I posted. Social media was a new world. There was no handbook to guide me. I really just didn’t understand that citing your sources was the proper thing to do. Of course, social media etiquette has come a long way since then.”
“Just like anyone else, we’ve experienced drama and backlash. Given our unique position, if a product becomes available and leaks on a retailer’s website, store, or even brand’s website, it’s Trendmood’s nature to put out that information. It’s in our DNA, and sometimes brands get upset with that. But living in the world we live in now with social media, everyone posts everything to go viral. It’s completely out of control once it hits the internet, and there’s nothing to do about it. Nothing we do is with ill intent. We’re not breaking into someone’s back room or hacking their website to get images or products. It’s all public information that everyone can see and post about.”
Celebs and their beauty brands
“When I started getting invited to beauty events, I was so happy. It was one of my dreams to be part of this world, and I felt grateful for the opportunity. It is especially exciting to be invited to events with celebrities. Getting to see celebrities in real life is so cool.”
via Instagram @trendmood1
“One of my first celebrity events was for Kim Kardashian’s beauty brand, KKW. It was held at her home while filming for her show. It was a very intimate event, and I was able to meet Kim. She is so kind and down-to-earth. She is really grateful for her fans and supporters. Another memorable celebrity meeting was with Selena Gomez. It was an event for her beauty brand, Rare Beauty. She gave a beautiful speech and made a point to meet everyone. She personally thanked each guest for being there.”
“I have also attended events for celebrity beauty launches where guests expected to meet the celebrity and learn more about the products, perhaps hear a little speech, but the celeb sat at a private table and didn’t mingle with guests.” Yikes.
“Some celebrities do have a passion for their brands. I can tell that they’re involved in the process and engaged with the customer. They also work with the best in the beauty industry to create high-quality formulas. Just like in any industry, there are people who seem to only be in it for the money. But eventually, all is revealed. Consumers are savvier than ever. We can spot a cash grab a mile away.”
The T-word
“One thing that some people might have assumed about me in the past is that I can’t be trusted. Some people behind the scenes in the industry blame Trendmood for leaking information when it’s already available online or sold in stores to consumers. It’s happened many times where brands’ PR information was accidentally received before an announcement. There have also been many occasions where brands have sent me products to try before they launch. I have never posted the actual products in my hands and have always respected their wishes.”
via Instagram @trendmood1
“There have been times where we have also received misguided backlash. For example, if consumers are upset about a brand’s choice of products, the brand might be upset at Trendmood for posting. But we didn’t create the product range, the assets, or direct the photoshoot. We simply posted the information. There is never any intention to specifically incite negative comments. We do the best we can with the assets we have at the time of publication. Our platform is to break beauty news and also build trust and relationships with brands. Trust is a big word for me, and I always remind myself to stay true to who I am.”
Sophie’s faves
With all the PR packages Trendmood receives, we can’t help but wonder what Sophie does with all her products. “Those that I love and use, I keep. The products that I don’t open, I put in giveaways for the community. The rest goes to donations, friends, and family.”
Skincare
“I love lip balms and lip masks. My favourites right now are from Ole Henriksen and Laneige. For body care, I am a fan of Hempz Body moisturizer, JLo body cream, and body serum. They both leave my whole body hydrated and glowing. Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Exfoliating Treatment and Ole Henriksen Cold Plunge Pore Mask minimise my pores. I also love Ole’s Dewtopia Night Crème and Face Mask.
Makeup
“My holy grail primer is Guerlain’s Parure Gold 24K Radiance Primer. I love the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation and Concealer. For a foundation finish, Maybelline Super Stay Skin Tint is a great affordable foundation. Rare Beauty and Juvia’s Place liquid blushes, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Setting Spray, Haus Labs Le Monster Lip Crayon are must-haves. I’ve been using the ILIA balmy tint lip balm quite a bit lately. It smells so yummy. I could go on with this list for days.”
Haircare
“The K18 hair mask saved my damaged hair. My best tip is to use it just before styling wet hair. It’s heat activated and my hair feels so smooth and healthy afterward. Briogeo Superfoods Hair Mask and Coco & Eve Pro Youth Hair & Scalp Mask work so well on my curly and frizzy hair.”
Fragrances
“I always loved fragrances since a very young age. Sometimes I am in the mood for fresh and flowery but my favorites have deep woody, and smoky tones. Le Labo Santal is my signature scent, my friends in events will always say Trendmood is here when they smell it. I also like Guerlain Santal Royal and KKW X Kris perfume. I can’t wait for Kim to bring back the line.”
On the Middle East
I haven’t been to Dubai but I’ve always wanted to go. I’m curious to see it and experience the culture. There was a brand trip that I was supposed to go to in Dubai but because of Covid, it got canceled. I would also love to visit my ancestral lands of Morocco & Tunisia as well.”
“I love how the Middle East has globally impacted the beauty industry with the black eyeliner, the blue eyeliner and shadow on the bottom of the eyes and on the waterline too. Also, the full coverage finish, thick eyebrows, and lashes, cut crease eye look, contouring, and so much more.” As for Dubai-based makeup brands, Sophie has one that she loves. “I’m a fan of Hindash Cosmetics. It’s a small brand with a few products but I can tell he works hard on the formulas. I can’t wait to see more from him.”
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