This Beauty Blogger Is Now The Boss Of Her Own Beauty Company

Liz Lanuzo started blogging in 2005 when she was in college, with no particular beat at that time. “Before, my blog was about what I ate for lunch, what I learned from school, and things like that,” the political science graduate recalls. She only realized her love for beauty three years later.

From talking about drugstore finds to being the CEO of beauty company LLB Inc., this girl boss has definitely come a long way. She now handles beauty brand Project Vanity and skincare brand In Her Element—two businesses that require different skill sets. “It’s beyond what I knew how to do,” she tells Metro.Style at the She Talks Asia x Bumble Bizz event. “I direct everything from product development, creative materials, marketing plan, social media plan, and all that. It can be hard for me to think about two completely different things at the same time."

While Liz is focused on making her company grow, she makes sure to keep her life in check with the things she loves to do outside work such as rowing, playing tennis, painting, and creative journaling. “Having different hobbies allows me to kind of let go because when you have different hobbies, you get focused on one thing at that particular moment. So when you get one thing out of your head, it’s really out of your head,” says the entrepreneur, adding that through these, she’s able to avoid reaching a point of burnout. “I get really, really tired but I don’t get to that stage because of the other outlets I explore that keep me sane. Otherwise, I’d be all over the place.”

After all, the beauty industry is something she enjoys being in. “Before, when I started, I was just excited to talk about makeup but eventually, I realized it was becoming a platform for women to basically feel less alone when it comes to accepting and exploring their own beauty,” she shares. “It’s now a community of really amazing, smart women who love beauty but are also conscious of everything about it—its cost, being ethical about it, being sustainable about it—I think that’s amazing about the community I built around my company. There’s nothing quite like it.”

Apart from this, the beauty junkie is happy that she’s able to empower women towards entrepreneurship. “I feel like entrepreneurship can give women so much freedom with their time, with their goals, and just give them more time to be themselves,” Liz muses. “That’s the best part of my job—doing this like this, getting to talk to young women and share what I know and hopefully, make them think: ‘P'wede pala 'to ah?’ like ‘She can do it. I could probably figure it out, too.’”

In 10 years, the pro blogger sees herself in a much more successful venture. “Very specific—I want to be making at least 70-100 million pesos a year by that time. It’s going to be difficult but it’s going to be worth it, and I’m excited for that. For me, it’s important to be excited about the things you’re going to do,” she stresses. “If you are in a place where you dread what you’re about to do, where you dread how you’re going to spend your day, then you’re probably in the wrong place and you have to consider where you are. For me, I love my work. I wake up, I’m excited to do stuff like this, I’m excited to see my team. All of these things, I look forward to, and that’s how I know I’m in the right place.”

We caught up with Liz Lanuzo at the recent She Talks Asia x Bumble Bizz Tribe Meet Up event that focused on the topic of "Negotiating Your Worth." The event was aimed at giving participants the confidence and negotiation skills they need in order to earn a just compensation, and gain financial success. Joining Liz in the lineup of speakers were  The Purposeful Creative founder Arriane Serafico, Frangipangi El Nido Managing Partner Pam Begre, and Globe Telecoms Social and Digital Content Strategist Maxine Casaclang. 

She Talks Asia is a women empowerment movement that provides a space for inspiration and support among women across multiple platforms. Bumble, on the other hand, is the women-first social networking app with over 63 million users that connects people across dating, friendship and professional networking.  In 2017,  Bumble launched Bizz , a fresh take on networking, with an emphasis on finding professional opportunities over job hunting.

Main photo courtesy of She Talks Asia