IL Makiage is a $500M D2C beauty brand, and they scaled by leaning into a channel most brands overlook: YouTube ads. While many beauty and fashion brands continue to default to Meta alone, or bury video inside Google Performance Max campaigns, IL Makiage did something different. They treated YouTube like a core growth engine. They bet early, built a dedicated strategy around it, and continue to run the exact same winning ads years later the last time we checked.

By Q2, the energy that fuels January brand resolutions can sometimes begin to fade. The urgent deliverables, the campaign launches, the sales pushes, those still get done. It's the deeper, strategic priorities, the bold brand moves, the vision work, the long-term growth plays, that quietly get pushed to the sidelines. When you’re putting out fires today, it’s hard to build the future you dreamed of in January. In smaller indie brands, without extensive systems or dedicated teams to protect strategic goals, even the most ambitious plans often get shelved fast.

Trends may come and go, but one thing always remains constant: life events have a powerful impact on how people shop. Big moments, like landing a new job, getting engaged, or graduating, often spark a desire for a new look. This is when people rethink their style, upgrade their beauty routines, and seek out new products. For brands, this presents a golden opportunity: reaching customers when they’re most open to change.

YouTube has become one of the most powerful, yet underused, platforms for indie brands to show up meaningfully, and this is where our clients are beginning to double down. Clever brands are tapping in to YouTube’s Life Events ad targeting helps beauty and fashion brands connect with consumers at exactly the right time - when they’re ready to enhance their look and invest in themselves.

The brands that everyone’s talking about right now have unlocked a fundamental truth: a brand is more than a product or a logo. It’s an idea, a philosophy, a movement, or an identity that people connect with and want to be part of.

A brand philosophy is what you stand for, believe in, and why you exist in the first place. Leading brands have developed a compelling philosophy that’s documented in their brand story. They use it as a playbook for everything they do, from inspiring content storytelling to digital community building and even as a litmus test for product design. That’s how every touchpoint becomes an expression of a bigger narrative.

Breaking into retail is a major milestone for any brand. Whether you're running a beauty line or a fashion label, convincing buyers to stock your products requires more than just great design or formulation. Retailers are looking for brands that offer both creativity and commercial viability, brands that understand their market, and brands that can drive in-store demand. Here’s how to craft a pitch that helps gets you on the shelves, or the racks of top retailers.

Some brands launch with game-changing products. Customers love them. They sell themselves. Growth feels effortless. But fast forward a few years, and something shifts. New competitors emerge. Ads get more expensive. Growth slows. The brand that once stood out suddenly blends in. Because in the early days, some brands that rely solely on hero products don’t prioritize investing in a compelling brand positioning strategy and story. Without defining the intangible magic that truly differentiates them, they start paying the price.

From our experience, Q1 is often the prime season for brands to explore or launch a brand refresh. There’s something about the start of a new year, after some well-earned rest, brand founders and teams are energized and ready to bring fresh ideas to enhance their brand’s presence and impact. From our perspective, a brand refresh represents a 'step change,' while a rebrand is a major pivot involving a completely new look, feel, message, and often a new target market.

A brand refresh is about enhancing the existing 'you', evolving to better reflect who you are today. It aligns with how your business, customers, and market have naturally progressed, ensuring you remain relevant in the current landscape. On the other hand, a rebrand is about starting fresh, targeting new customer segments, redefining your identity, and doing things in a completely reimagined way.

Whether it’s a refresh or a full rebrand, the key is striking a balance between evolution and preserving what customers already love most about the brand.

What separates a good brand from an irresistible investment? While financial viability and growth potential are essential, a standout factor lies in a brand’s ability to build and sustain a thriving community. Differentiation, a compelling story, and an engaged audience don’t just win over customers—they drive long-term capital efficiency and scalability.

Investors increasingly evaluate the ecosystems brands create. A loyal, connected community lowers customer acquisition costs, boosts lifetime value, and propels organic growth. These elements have a direct impact on profitability, making community-centric brands highly attractive to investors focused on sustainable returns.

For this reason, building a tight-knit community is vital to being investor-ready. A strong, engaged audience reduces CAC through organic referrals and repeat purchases, decreasing reliance on costly advertising. Meanwhile, loyalty nurtured by emotional connections drives higher CLV, creating steady and predictable revenue streams that highlight your brand’s scalability and financial potential.

So, how do you cultivate this kind of community? It starts with strategic foundations designed to differentiate your brand and deepen its connections.

I recently spoke at the inaugural InStyle Beauty Summit, sharing my perspective on how beauty brands can tap into the biggest opportunities in the industry today. Joining a dynamic lineup, we engaged with an audience of brand owners and industry insiders, unpacking the trends and challenges shaping the beauty world.

In between fireside chats with Richard Christiansen, Founder of Flamingo Estate, and Celeste Barber, Founder of BOOIE Beauty, I joined Kate Blythe, Chief Marketing Officer at Mecca Brands, Doone Roisin, Founder of Female Startup Club and Paul Balbo, Industry Head at Meta.

Here are some highlights, from the perspective I shared on the night:

Click here to follow Antonella Colella on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about Colella Legal Studio

In this interview, Antonella Colella shares her expert insights on the legal challenges and strategies for indie beauty brands. Drawing from her extensive experience in the beauty industry's legal sector, Antonella emphasizes the importance of securing intellectual property (IP) protections early in the brand's development. She highlights common pitfalls indie brands face, particularly in trademarking and managing contracts, and offers practical advice for mitigating risks and ensuring legal compliance.