Women Who Win Tiffany Masterson Sandra

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The architect-turned-CEO of Manolo Blahnik shares how she’s helped to redefine her family’s luxury shoe empire—and why her uncle’s perpetual passion for learning has been key to its success.

“I’ve always been particular about my brows—even on shoots with incredible make-up artists, I’d insist on doing my own.”

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On resilience, quiet confidence, and why simplicity reigns supreme

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I originally studied engineering and worked in that industry for three years, so I launched my business later on in life. At 26, I left my job in France and came to London to study jewellery design. That was almost 10 years ago. I basically used my studies to start working on my business plan. Every time I had a school project, I would design pieces that would be part of my future collection. But I didn’t have a lot of experience in business; I had no idea what a small business was, how to hire, or how to be a manager. I had no connections whatsoever in London – nor in fashion or design.

“Of course, I’m very grateful for the successes we have achieved, and yes, we can celebrate these milestones. But I’m always cautious – I never believe I have ‘arrived’. To me, one day you’re in and the next you could be out. You can’t rest on your laurels.”

“I say ‘work in progress’ a lot or ‘this too shall pass’. Also: ‘don’t forget to have fun’.”

What is your mantra?

“In the beginning, the biggest challenge was doing everything with a small team, but I truly believe it’s important to be hands-on to understand what your business really needs”

“A very old Hermès trench, which I got when I worked at the [brand’s] sample sale in the ’90s, plus a McQueen embroidered cape.”

What is your most treasured fashion item?

£18

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£34

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£80

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£71

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£46

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Hydration Serum

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£58

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On the kernel that started Drunk Elephant… I was one of those consumers who was constantly trying everything. I had all these issues—redness, an oily T-zone, large pores, and breakouts; my skin was unpredictable and moody. At the time, I was distributing a bar cleanser from Malaysia that was very plain. They marketed it as a magic cure-all, but I noticed my skin improved when I used it alone, without any other products. That made me start asking questions… What was actually causing my skin to break out? Why was it sensitised? I had no background in skincare, but I was curious. So I began studying ingredient lists. I’d take a product, make a spreadsheet of its ingredients, and research what each one did. My skincare philosophy is… It’s not about what’s in a product, it’s about what’s not in it. I wanted products that had effective actives, but without the unnecessary ingredients that triggered irritation. Our philosophy was never fear-based. The ingredients we avoid aren’t “bad” or “dangerous, we’re offering another option that’s calmer and simpler. We also don’t take ourselves too seriously. We know who we are. When you create something that truly works, people feel it and come back to it—that’s what’s happened with Drunk Elephant.

“I started posting on Instagram at a very good time. It was very early on. I would just put outfits together, and my mum would take pictures of me in the kitchen. At the beginning, I was just sharing to friends and family, but over time my following grew. It was a lot easier back then. As my following grew, so too did the opportunities, and I started working with brands, which is how I met Jenna [Meek, Jess’s co-founder]. “I’ve always been particular about my brows—to the point where, even on shoots with incredible make-up artists, I’d insist on doing my own. I was actually on one yesterday and said, ‘I’ll do my own brows.’ Back then, I’d use two gels and three brushes just to get them how I liked — I thought that was normal. Jenna saw what I was doing and asked why I was using so many different products. “I talked her through each step, and her entrepreneurial brain immediately lit up. She said, ‘I think there’s something here.’ We met for lunch and sketched out designs for a dream product — one that featured three brushes to create my everyday sculpted look and hold it in place all day. “Months later, Jenna called and said, ‘I’ve spoken to a lab — they think they can make it. Would you want to start a business together?’ Naively, I said yes, with no experience in make-up or business. I wish I still had some of that fearless energy, because as the brand grows, the stakes get higher, and I’ve become more cautious. I love where we are today, but nothing beats the magic of the beginning.

“Back then, I’d use two gels and three brushes just to get them how I liked — I thought that was normal.”

“I had no idea the process would take two years. Our prototype was a world-first, so there was a lot of back and forth. We eventually launched in November 2020 — a strange time, right in the middle of lockdowns. But with everyone on their phones, it actually worked in our favour. I launched Brow Sculpt on my channel with a simple video of me applying it and saying, ‘We have this brow product — hope you love it.’ That clip went semi-viral because of the instant wow factor. “The lab required a large initial order since it was a new product. We forecasted that the stock would last nine months — it sold out in six weeks. We were out of stock for three months, which wasn’t ideal, but it showed there was a gap for a brand that simplified beauty with innovative, time-saving products that did the hard work for you. “I’m not a make-up artist — I’m just a girl who loves make-up and wants to create beautiful looks in under 20 minutes. From then on, we kept asking, ‘What else needs simplifying in our routine?’ That question still drives everything we do.

“We forecasted that the stock would last nine months — it sold out in six weeks.”

“When we got our first negative TikTok review two years in, I panicked. I thought we’d ruined everything and relied too much on social media. But it turned into one of my biggest lessons — we needed to be clearer about who each product is for. Instead of saying, ‘Everyone will love it,’ we started saying, ‘Don’t buy this if you’re not after that specific look.’ “Our community is our biggest strength. It’s at the core of everything we do. We started out wanting to simplify beauty, but now it’s evolved — I’m often the second person to know what’s launching next because it all comes from our community. They influence everything, from product development to shades. We regularly email our database asking questions like, ‘What do you want to see next?’ or ‘Should the next mascara be blue or brown?’ “We’re so fortunate to have such a close relationship with them. Our products are made for them — nobody else. Some of our biggest viral moments have come from everyday customers, not influencers. One girl in America filmed herself applying Lash Sculpt from Sephora in her bedroom — that video now has over 100 million views. It sold out across Sephora US. You can’t buy that kind of exposure — it’s pure community power. “To stay ahead, we have to keep innovating — not just with products but with every aspect of the business: in-house processes, customer experience, and events. Three years ago, we hosted a community pop-up at a Pilates studio in London. We weren’t selling anything — just meeting people. There were classes upstairs, coffees and matchas downstairs, and a space to connect. People queued for six hours just to be part of it. It’s one of my proudest moments and reminded me why community matters so much.

My favourite place in the whole world is… My house when my kids and husband are home. My approach to branding is… When I launched, no skincare brand had colour—it was all apothecary-style bottles, clinical-looking packaging, or “natural” French brands. Drunk Elephant was fresh and fun but still clinical in performance. It wasn’t about being trendy or loud; I wanted something that looked chic, clean, and easy to use. Now the market’s full of colour, but we’ve stayed true to who we are. My definition of success is… When I get a message from someone saying, “I’ve struggled for years, and now my skin feels normal,” that’s success. It’s about giving people hope and confidence in their own skin. A book that changed my perspective is… 'The Year of Magical Thinking' by Joan Didion. I read it after losing some friends in a tragic accident, at a time when I was rethinking my life, love, loss, motherhood, relationships, and what it means to really live and build a legacy. Her honesty about grief and resilience re-shaped how I see the fragility of everyday moments. It can all disappear in the blink of an eye, so you have to live with that awareness and treat each day accordingly. The most practical thing in my bag is… My Lippe mask, I can't like without it On gut feelings… I sold Drunk Elephant in 2019, but before that, every decision was made from the gut. I surrounded myself with smart people and listened, but if something didn’t feel right, I didn’t do it. When I launched our Lala Retro Ceramide Moisturiser, a retailer told me not to use an airless pump because “those never sell.” I resisted, and it ended up being the number-one moisturiser within months. The best advice I have received is…First: put your brand where you would shop—don’t chase placements that don’t make sense. Secondly, and more importantly, treat people the way you want to be treated.

“When we got our first negative TikTok review two years in, I panicked. I thought we’d ruined everything and relied too much on social media. But it turned into one of my biggest lessons—we needed to be clearer about who each product is for. Instead of saying, ‘Everyone will love it,’ we started saying, ‘Don’t buy this if you’re not after that specific look.’ “Our community is our biggest strength. It’s at the core of everything we do. We started out wanting to simplify beauty, but now it’s evolved—I’m often the second person to know what’s launching next because it all comes from our community. They influence everything, from product development to shades. We regularly email our database asking questions like, ‘What do you want to see next?’ or ‘Should the next mascara be blue or brown?’ “We’re so fortunate to have such a close relationship with them. They’re who our products are made for. Some of our biggest viral moments have come from everyday customers, not influencers. One girl in America filmed herself applying Lash Sculpt from Sephora in her bedroom—that video now has over 100 million views. It sold out across Sephora US. You can’t buy that kind of exposure—it’s pure community power.

“It’s not about what’s in a product, it’s about what’s not in it”

Before Tiffany Masterson created Drunk Elephant, the idea of “clean beauty” barely registered in skincare. Fast forward to today, and its unmistakable colour-coded packaging is now iconic, while its influence on the industry (and on people’s skin) is impossible to ignore. Founded in 2013 by Masterson, who had no prior experience in dermatology, Drunk Elephant was created to dial back the skincare noise. After growing increasingly frustrated with her skin, the mother of four took an evidence-based approach that led to the creation of the “Suspicious Six”: a philosophy built around the ingredients she eliminated from her routine. By doing so, she achieved the skin of her dreams. However, no matter how hard she looked, it was impossible to find products that didn’t contain at least one of those irritants, so she decided to make her own. In the proceeding 12 years, Drunk Elephant has become one of the biggest names in skincare—and Masterson’s business savvy is just as impressive. Six years after creating the brand, the Houston native sold Drunk Elephant to Shiseido for the staggering price of $845 million. Here, in our our Women Who Win series, Tiffany Masterson talks to Nessa Humayun about her success story, gut feelings, and the importance of sticking to your guns.

Tiffany Masterson

Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Ceramide Moisturiser

Drunk Elephant Vitamin C Firma Day Serum

Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm

Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi™ Bronzing Drops

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Night Serum

“Like a building, I understood the business’ foundations. Next, came the challenge of how high we could build it; how many more layers we could add.”

Manolo Blahnik’s brilliance is that it is unconstrained. Every season, the collection will take you by surprise. Yes, we have our classic styles that have captured people’s imaginations on a very large scale, like the ‘Hangisi’ buckled pump or the ‘Maysale’, which is your perfect 360 shoe in my opinion. But I think what differentiates us is that there is such a wide selection, and everything stems from deep cultural references and historical understanding that my uncle has spent his entire life learning, studying and consuming. Each collection is a visual feast. Even if you’re only going in to buy the simple ‘BB’ pump, you will always have something to look at, that will inspire you to think and make you curious to try it on. We don’t follow fashion, we just do our own thing. We’re not beholden to an Excel spreadsheet telling us what has to be made. Manolo is never told to do this, that or the other, or to follow certain trends or movements. It’s wholly unboundaried; an infinite world of surprise. No collection is ever going to be obvious, so that element of magic and surprise is consistent, and that has meant we’ve maintained our community. When someone connects with us, they will continue being connected. It’s not something that fades over time because there’s always something to excite. Speaking of surprises… We recently launched a Marie Antoinette capsule collection. It’s to celebrate the incredible exhibition that’s currently on at the Victoria & Albert museum [in London], which we immediately threw ourselves at to sponsor. It was one of those magical, very rare moments where all the stars align and we knew that Manolo just had to be part of it. Marie Antoinette is one of the icons of his life; [someone] he’s always been drawn to, so to get as close to her as he did through this process was so important to us. This little capsule collection he’s designed is very much with her in mind, but as if she was alive today. I currently own about 150 pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes, but of course I’d like them all! My most treasured are a pair of gold leather sandals from 1976 that I asked to keep when I spent three months in Bath photographing all of the shoes for our archives. I never wear them – they’re more of a collector’s piece, something really special that I own from the archives. Another treasured possession is my collection of ‘Maysales’: I have about 12 colours and I love laying them all out in a spectrum. Looking at them all together makes me smile – it’s like being in a candy store. Some of my shoes are not in such pristine condition, of course, but that’s only because they’ve had a lot of fun and been on many outings. They’ve danced, they’ve walked, they’ve run, they’ve battled the weather, but I look at them and they bring back all those wonderful memories, so I’ll never get rid of them.

brand to Estée Lauder in 1995, and stepped down from the company in 2016. A mere four years later, in the middle of the pandemic, Brown surprised everyone—except, perhaps, herself—with the launch of Jones Road Beauty—a new venture that signalled a return to her makeup artistry roots by championed the concept of looking like yourself, only better. Current estimates place Jones Road at approximately $1billion, with this year’s revenue predicted to be over $150million. But Brown is so much more than her multi-million dollar cosmetics brands. She’s a wellness advocate, teacher, mentor and creative. But at the centre of everything she does lies the same sentiment: that beauty should be simple, real and empowering. Here, in our Women Who Win series, she speaks to Lottie Winter about her reinvention, bravery and lessons learned from building not one, but two of the most influential beauty empires of modern times.

ew women have shaped modern beauty quite like Bobbi Brown. The legendary makeup artist and serial entrepreneur first appeared on the beauty scene with her namesake brand and its refreshing new stance on makeup that focused on accentuating natural beauty rather than covering it. She sold her

Image credits: courtesy of Drunk Elephant

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The bravest decision I’ve ever made was… starting a second company in my 60’s, in the middle of a global pandemic and a week before an election, was the bravest decision I’ve made. The nation’s collective sense of unease and division was at an all-time high. Everyone said to me, "You’re crazy. Why are you doing this now? Just wait until next year,” but I told them we don’t even know what next year is gonna bring. It could be worse. And you know what, my noncompete was up. I started ideating before, but the pandemic made you stay at home and do things differently. No one wore makeup in the beginning, no one coloured their hair. It made me realise it wasn’t about putting makeup on, it was about feeling better in your skin. Which is what inspired the natural products. I had no clue if it would be successful, or how far it would go. But I had a vision and a belief, and I knew it was something I wanted to do. Don’t be afraid to take a risk. A beauty ritual I never skip is… moisturising! It’s the key to keeping your skin looking young and bright. A scent that instantly grounds me is… Shower and BKLYN, both by Jones Road. I use these two fragrances in the afternoon when I’m wiped out and just want to go home and sit on the couch. With just a little spray, I’m instantly revived. Fragrance is just like makeup. It’s a key to confidence. The right scent can lift your mood instantly, and that’s something I always want. A sound that soothes me is… the sound of my grandaughter calling for BB is immediately soothing. It’s something I’ll never get tired of.

Drunk Elephant Lippe Lip Balm

“I was a stay-at-home mom from Houston, Texas, with no industry experience, introducing a totally new skincare philosophy” ”

“It’s not about what’s in a product, it’s about what’s not in it”

On work-life balance…I’ve always juggled. I have four kids, and for years I had no help. I’d drive them to school, work on the computer, do laundry, cook dinner, and go back to the computer after they were asleep. You learn to create balance through flexibility, rather than adhering to strict schedules. My kids saw that and grew up loving work too. My secret London spot is…I love the Dorset Square Hotel. It's small and cosy, and that's what I want when I'm away from home. My coffee order is… Just an Americano with a little cream and cinnamon. My desert island meal is…Panjo's pizza from a little town called Rockport, Texas and the unbelievable chicken piccata at Il Porcellino in Chicago. Home to me is… Sitting on a big, cosy couch by a fireplace with my dogs snuggled close by and spaghetti sauce cooking on the stove. My dream mentor is… Steve Martin. I can't look at him without laughing. Also, I have a secret dream of becoming a writer, and writing all of the copy in the early days was my favorite part of building Drunk Elephant. My most treasured object is… Any letters I've received from my children and husband.

Dorset Square Hotel, my secret London spot

Il Porcellino in Chicago

Americano PLease!

Best Chicken picatta, Chicago!

Panjo Pizza in Texas is my desert island meal

Lala Retro… My no. 1 moisturiser

The most practical thing in my bag is…

The bravest decision I’ve ever made was…Launching the brand. I was a stay-at-home mom from Houston, Texas, with no industry experience, introducing a totally new skincare philosophy. It was intimidating, but exciting. Selling the company was another brave moment… Letting go was emotional, but I’m grateful for everything that’s come since. The best advice I have received is…First: put your brand where you would shop—don’t chase placements that don’t make sense. Secondly, and more importantly, treat people the way you want to be treated. On work-life balance…I’ve always juggled. I have four kids, and for years I had no help. I’d drive them to school, work on the computer, do laundry, cook dinner, and go back to the computer after they were asleep. You learn to create balance through flexibility, rather than adhering to strict schedules. My kids saw that and grew up loving work too. My secret London spot is…I love the Dorset Square Hotel. It's small and cosy, and that's what I want when I'm away from home. My coffee order is… Just an Americano with a little cream and cinnamon. My desert island meal is…Panjo's pizza from a little town called Rockport, Texas and the unbelievable chicken piccata at Il Porcellino in Chicago. Home to me is… Sitting on a big, cosy couch by a fireplace with my dogs snuggled close by and spaghetti sauce cooking on the stove. My dream mentor is… Steve Martin. I can't look at him without laughing. My most treasured object is… Any letters I've received from my children and husband.

The book that changed my perspective...