On a late-April afternoon, Olivia Jade sits in a hotel across from Madison Square Park. She’s wearing a simple white tank and jeans, a seemingly casual outfit, save for a choker with four ultra-shimmery strands and a Victorian-like pendant at the center. Her face is the intended focal point, after all: a minimalistic eye look and glowing skin, sculpted with a warm brown sunkissed bronzer. It’s a clever look for someone who's launching a beauty brand, especially when bronzer and highlighter are the hero products.
After years of growing her online platforms as a content creator, Jade, the daughter of actor Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, is stepping into new territory and officially establishing her own line, O.piccola. The Italian word for “little” is a nod to her “personal beauty philosophy that a little goes a long way,” per the press release. The English term “a little bit” is certainly something she has used often in her makeup videos over the years, whether it’s “a little bit of bronzer” or “a little concealer.”
Jade’s not claiming to be an expert. She cites a natural interest in makeup, pointing to tutorials on her YouTube channel, and her father’s business experience as guides. Admittedly, she’s experienced some public controversy and taken a few missteps along the way, and devoted followers may have noticed that she’s been teasing this release for years now because of unexpected delays.
Jade, however, wants to be given a second chance. “I just really want people to know it's not a brand that I just wanted to slap my name on and do quick turnaround time and make some good cash,” she tells Teen Vogue. “I want people to know that it was a very long process of me trying to perfect a formula that's not on the market.”
We caught up with Olivia Jade ahead of the release of O.piccola’s hero product, Bronze & Glow Balm. Below, read her thoughts leading up to the launch.
Olivia Jade: Honestly, it was less about planned timing of when to launch; I just knew the product had to be a certain standard of great, and then I was ready to launch. I've been working on this brand for over five years, and I really didn't expect it to take so long, but from every little thing— from the formula to the shape, to the packaging, to actually how it applies on the skin—so much thought went into every single aspect.
So, it just ended up taking a really long time. And now I'm like, "Okay, it's as good as I could possibly make it as a human being and I need to just let it go." I guess the timing was just all dependent on when I thought it was worth coming out.
OJ: We changed the formula a lot because I wanted it to be a cream product that was really light and creamy and hydrating, but it actually lasts. I feel like when you have something creamy like that, it typically fades within an hour or 30 minutes. So my test was making sure it lasted from morning to night.
And, of course, it's makeup. Of course things are going to fade. It's a cream product, and it's maybe not going to be as powerful as when you put it on first thing in the day. But I was really blown away when we added so much hydration back into the formula that the lasting power remained. That was like, "Okay, tick! That's a good sign."
OJ: Yes. I've been wearing it and testing it pretty much this whole time over four or five years. It actually started as a palette with a different manufacturer, and we were doing a blush shade and I was teasing that blush shade, and then I pivoted to something completely different. I manufactured in Korea. I did a full 180.
I think I was testing stuff too early and I never understood why people were like, "I can't share this. I can't talk about it." Now I do, because I've been talking about it for so long, and now half the things I was talking about aren't even in the works, but I think people are excited. This specific rendition of the product I've been wearing for a few years, and it's great.
OJ: I love Korean skin care and I love Korean beauty. Some of my favorite brands are based in Seoul, which is where our factory is. I just really love the blend of makeup and skin care.
OJ: I just started, and I am so lucky. My dad is an entrepreneur and has started many businesses. Nothing in the beauty or skin-care space, so he's not super helpful when it comes to formulation and stuff; but in terms of [third-party logistics] and knowing how to talk to people, what certain things mean and packaging, he was super instrumental in that whole process.
So, I'm very lucky—my dad. Then also a lot of Google, a lot of just getting an email and being like, "Totally, let me get right back to you on that," and then having to figure out what somebody's asking.
OJ: I think I've always just been really interested in makeup. One of my first YouTube videos—it was actually the second video I ever posted on YouTube—I was 14 years old and it was a back-to- school makeup tutorial. I don't know who let me give that advice, but I've always had such a deep love for makeup and the way it makes me feel. It feels like the most genuine thing that I could possibly create is a makeup line.
OJ: Thank you, firstly. I think, honestly, one of the coolest things about starting a brand and also having a relationship with so many people around the world—even if I haven't met them in person—is being able to understand and actually talk to real humans about what they feel is missing or what they need or what they want to see.
It's been a really fun process to bring people along and be like, "Okay, what do you feel is missing?" I vlogged my whole Korea trip and the factory and saw the response then. I feel like I get a completely different perspective from hundreds of thousands of people, which is not normal when you're starting a business, obviously. So I'm very grateful for that.
OJ: I definitely hope it reaches a wider audience because the formula is really intended to work for most skin types. Like, you can be my age and wearing it and it's going to look gorgeous and glowy and beautiful, or you can be my mom's age and wearing it and it's going to look glowy and gorgeous and beautiful.
I feel like sometimes it's hard for older people to wear makeup that their kids love or their friends love because it settles into fine lines and wrinkles. I really wanted to formulate something that was as universal as possible. I hope that it goes way beyond my YouTube audience. I would love for everyone to get their hands on it. I genuinely believe it's a really great product.
OJ: I just really want people to know it's not a brand that I just wanted to slap my name on and do quick turnaround time and make some good cash. I want people to know that it was a very long process of me trying to perfect a formula that's not on the market; and adding ingredients with our factory that we thought would be suitable for sensitive skin, dry skin, and just a really gentle formulation; and obviously, making sure the product was cruelty-free and clean by Sephora standards. There was a lot that went into it. I would hate if people didn't know that.
Also, I would love people to know that due to me being the only person creating this company—I have no investors or anything—I started with three shades and tried to make them as universal as possible, but I will be expanding ASAP, Rocky. I would love to expand. We're already talking about it, but hopefully we sell some bronzers first, then we can really dive into that.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
