Beauty Detail
The Concealer That Made Jess Hunt Give Up On Foundation
The Refy founder shares her beauty must-haves and what’s in store for her booming brow brand.
In Bustle’s Beauty Detail, we dive into the beauty bags of our favourite talents for intel on the rituals that keep them glowing and the MVPs (most valuable products) they can't live without. Here, model and influencer Jess Hunt shares the process behind creating her viral Instagram brow brand Refy, and the makeup, skincare, and body bits she always turns to.
The irony of owning a sell-out brow brand is not lost on model, influencer, and Refy founder Jess Hunt. At school she was subject to several mean comments about her barely-there brows. "I really remember people saying 'do you even have eyebrows?'," she tells me. "And now they are my favourite thing ever. It’s crazy how things change."
I wonder what her school friends would think seeing just how quickly Refy's products fly off the virtual shelves every time they're restocked. In the beauty industry, these products are considered total gold dust because, let's face it: we all want brows just like Jess Hunt.
"I’ve always liked super big brows; they've always been my go-to," she explains before delving into the story of how Refy actually came to be. "I was doing my brow process for this shoot and Jenna [Meek, Hunt's business partner and friend] pointed out how many products I used to get them right. We then got talking about what our game-changing brow product would be, which is now our Brow Sculpt."
Since its launch in November last year, Refy has sold out of everything more than once, which came as a total surprise to Hunt. "We forecasted for our original stock to last until May 2021," she laughs. "I was so panicked it wouldn’t sell, but the fact it sold out in six weeks is amazing. It has just blown me away."
And it sounds as though Refy — which Hunt tells me caters to everyone (with its unisex packaging and shades that adapt to different skin tones) — will not be slowing down any time soon. In fact, not only is she in talks with her "dream retailer" for it to be stocked somewhere IRL, she will also be expanding outside of brows sometime soon. "We have so much more coming. I really do want it to be a go-to brand that condenses down your makeup bag."
Can she give us a hint about what's it come? "All I can say is the next collection is going to be all about the skin."
More generally, the Instagram star's relationship with beauty has evolved as a whole in her years on social media, even before Refy launched. "I now love the no-makeup makeup look now. Less really is more, I actually really like seeing skin now!" This is in stark comparison to her school days, she tells me, where she wore concealer on her lips (who didn't?!) and "put on makeup every lunch break and usually ended up with more and more on by the end of the day."
She tells me, "When I was a bit younger, I copied what everyone else was doing really! I suppose that’s what you do at that age. You follow the trends."
Well, these days, Hunt sets her own — and her followers are listening. Here are the six must-have products she can't live without.
Her Signature Brow Sculpt
"These were designed specifically to get the brows I want and love. I use the Brow Sculpt every day, even on days when I am not wearing makeup. When my brows are done I feel so much more put together. It’s part of my daily ritual now."
Her Glow Set
"I tried to find something better and I simply cannot. I use the eye cream, serum and moisturiser every day without fail. It’s the most perfect base for makeup as it gives you the most amazing glow."
Her Go-To Lip Balm
"I cannot beat it, I have it on me all the time; in my car, in my bag, everywhere — I just need to have one all the time. I’ve used that and Vaseline my entire life."
Her Miracle Concealer
"It is very, very good. In fact, I have never found a concealer as good as this. I don’t even wear foundation anymore as the concealer is so full coverage and also spreads really far and easily. I use this with a little bit of bronzer for my simple makeup look."
Her Lazy Day Hairspray
"If I am feeling lazy I just do like a slick-back look with my hair, and always use this hairspray. "It holds really well, gets rid of flyaways and easily brushes out too. I used to use the in school too so it’s stuck with me this whole time. When you put it on it still feels like your hair, and doesn’t make anything crunchy."
Her Pamper Night Product
"If I am a bit dehydrated or have been travelling, these are the best thing ever. I leave them on until it literally gets crispy and dried; got to get the most out of it! I also always use these on a pamper night, and sit and watch Friends with my mask on. Other pamper night musts include a hair mask, and I like to exfoliate and then use the Laura Mercier Body Souffle afterwards."
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