Less than a year ago, Brittni Alexandra opened the doors to her brand-new beauty and lifestyle studio in Toronto’s West Eglington neighborhood: B. Beautiful, a one-stop-shop for eyebrow, lash, and skin treatments. At the time, she was only 25 years old. But don’t let her age fool you; before launching her own business, she racked up two degrees, 13 professional certifications, and trained with some of the best, including Nicoletta of Beverly Hills—all to say, this beauty buff knows what she’s doing.
Here, we talk about the inspiration behind her business, what B. Beautiful is all about, the challenges she has faced as a young female entrepreneur, and what beauty products that she can’t live without.
Walk us briefly through your career path. How did you get to where you are today?
I went to school for fashion and business in Miami and Toronto, and also went to school for makeup in Toronto. I then continued my education in LA to perfect my craft. After my training, I worked for many large, well-known beauty companies and did some freelance work, which helped influence what I wanted my business to look like.
What inspired you to found B. Beautiful?
What inspired me most was to create a beauty and lifestyle space for people where they knew they were only going to get the best, whether it was beauty services and products or lifestyle goods. I wanted to offer high quality services done correctly, as I specialize in microblading and brow correction, and make people feel confident in their own skin. Nothing is better than seeing happy customers after a service! Quality is important to me, so I hand select and test everything that we sell at B. Beautiful. We officially opened to the public on February 13, 2019.
What are some of the unique services or products that you offer that makes B. Beautiful special?
The research and effort that goes into every service and product is what makes B. Beautiful a unique beauty studio. We provide a variety of different quality beauty services, but I specialize in all things brows, specifically microblading and brow correction. This is something B. Beautiful is known for and we place a large focus on brow care and services. We also carry brands from LA and Europe, and we exclusively carry KARAK, which is an amazing jewelry brand from Mykonos, Greece, as well as the B. Beautiful brand.
Why do you recommend waxing over threading?
For hygienic reasons, I do not recommend threading, in addition to the fact that it causes pain and does not give the most desired brow look. At B. Beautiful, we have a specially formulated face wax that is pain-free and gives the best result for your brows and your face overall. Let me put it this way – do you know any famous brow artist who thread? There aren’t any!
What is your personal beauty regimen?
– Daily AM: solid cleanser, B. Beautiful cleansing water/toner, antioxidant due, 1000 roses beauty oil.
– Daily PM: B. Beautiful makeup wipes, solid cleanser, B. Beautiful cleansing water/toner, moon light serum (plant derived rational), hydrating sleeping mask, and 1000 roses oil (the bestsleeping mask combo).
– Home masks: 1x detox mask 1x glow mask 2x hydration mask
– Facials: Peels every 4-6 weeks 24k Mask every 4 weeks (do both together for amazingresults)
*All products and services are available at B. Beautiful
If we were to look in your beauty bag, what would we find?
What you will always find in my beauty bag: B. Beautiful Lip Balm (I’m a lip balm junky and this is my favourite! Pair that with the B. Beautiful lip scrub at night); B. Beautiful 3x Hydration Mist (toner, setting spay and hydration in one); 100 Roses Mini Beauty Elixir; Kelley Baker Beauty three bee brow kit in dark brown; Kelley Baker Beauty clear brow gel; B. Beautiful Face Kit in medium (this includes our bestselling tinted blur skin fix along with everything you need for the perfect daily look in 5 minutes!); and a hair scrunchy.
What is it about LA that you love and that you wanted to bring to Toronto with your business?
What I love about LA in terms of fashion and beauty is how authentic and unapologetic the industry is, especially in terms of the overall style. LA creates and adopts so many trends first and they do it so well. I love that authenticity and it’s what I want for my clients and my brand. Since the first time I went to LA, I always knew that I wanted to bring that same vibe and mentality to my own studio.
What’s a regular day-in-the-life for you?
I don’t think there is ever a “regular day,” which is why I love what I do so much. There is always something new happening! The most consistent aspects of my daily routine involve a stop at Starbucks to start my morning, sourcing new products, and working on my clients’ brows, which is my favourite part! I also try to stay on top of my Instagram, as I run it myself, and genuinely want people to see things from my perspective. I’m working on showing more of my personal life.
What do you love about your job?
I love making people feel confident and beautiful – nothing makes me happier than seeing them smile ear to ear in the mirror.
You launched your own business at 26 years old, which is incredible. Did you face any challenges as a young female entrepreneur?
Yes, of course! People will always hate on you for doing what they are too scared to do, and it’s important to remember that. Starting my own business has not been an easy journey, but I’m lucky because I genuinely love what I do and enjoy it more every day. That’s my secret and what keeps me sane. A lot of people have given me their opinion on how I should run my business and what I should do, but you just need to trust your gut and follow your own vision.
When I was first introduced to you and your company, it was in the context of you being the latest girl boss to emerge in the rise of female entrepreneurs in Canada, particularly in the beauty industry. How does it feel to be a part of this moment?
It feels amazing to be recognized in an emerging group of female entrepreneurs in Canada and I’m proud to be part of a community of hard-working women. It’s incredible to see how far women have come within the business and beauty industry, and I don’t think it’s stopping anytime soon! It can be surreal at times, and because I’m constantly working, I don’t often get a moment to actually realize what I’ve accomplished.
What other female beauty bosses are you inspired by?
Definitely Kelley Baker. She is so genuine and down to earth! Kelley is insanely talented, working with A-list talent like the Kardashians, and yet she is one of the nicest people I have ever met. I promised myself I wouldn’t ever let the industry or business change who I am, and Kelley is a great role model to look up to for that.
What lessons have you learned as a business owner? Any tips for other women who want to start their own business or launch their own product line?
Never lose sight of why you started your business, because when times get hard, you will need to remind yourself why you wanted to do it, so you don’t lose perspective. Starting a business also shows you who your real friends are. Surround yourself with positive, like- minded people who really believe in you and what you do!
Where do you hope to see B. Beautiful in five years? What are some of your goals?
What is crazy is most of my goals have been accomplished in the last eight months! Despite that, I always want to continue to grow my brand each and every day to be better and stronger. A goal I’m currently working on now is to sell products online! That’s the next step.
