Welcome to E!'s Tales From the Top, our series on women who are leaders in their fields and masters of their craft. Spanning industries and experiences, these powerhouse women answer all the questions you've ever had about how they got to where they are today—and what they overcame to get there. Read along as they bring their resumés to life.
The elaborately feathered shield that encases each of Valdé Beauty's nine sustainable lipsticks isn't just pretty packaging. It's a metaphor. Because Margarita Arriagada—seven years removed from her lofty position as Sephora's chief merchant—first got the inspiration for her line when looking at pictures of her mother.
"I had this flashback of how important lipstick was to her—lipstick was her armor," she exclusively told E! News about her mom, Carolina Valdelomar, who passed away in 2014 after a battle with dementia. "At the end of her life, she didn't recognize me. But every time I took out a lipstick, she would perk up. Her eyelashes would flutter and she would look in the mirror, not realizing that she was seeing herself in the reflection, and kiss the mirror. In that moment, I cried."
As Margarita put it, "How is it possible that she could not remember me but never forgot how lipstick made her feel?"
Thus, Valdé Beauty was born—not only in honor of her mother's memory but as a tribute to all women.
But like her armored lipsticks, the 69-year-old industry vet had to suit up and prepare for battle. She was not only taking a major career risk, but she admitted she had no elaborate plan on launching her cosmetics line. In fact, she even considered leaving the business entirely. Instead, she followed her intuition.
"What happened was I experienced a moment of introspection and I surrendered myself to destiny," she told E! News. "My entire career has been in the corporate world and Sephora was a tall bench with a really high standard."
Launching Valdé in October 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, when people let their lipsticks collect dust after face masks became the norm, was an even bigger hurdle. Rather than wave the white flag, Margarita persevered.
Now, the makeup mogul is taking off her armor to talk to E! about the lessons she's learned throughout her decades-long career, how challenging it was to navigate the industry as a Latina and why she hopes her brand inspires an appreciation for intentionally made products.
E! News: How did you find yourself working in the beauty industry?
Margarita Arriagada: I was working in a department store and when I graduated, they recruited me for their executive training program.
But there was a serendipitous moment.
I was coming from New York to LA and I ran into the CEO of Sephora at the time, who I had worked with at the department store. He said he had nobody for Head of Color Cosmetics and remembered my work ethic and thought I was talented. I said to him, "I don't see myself in the business model. I'm Latino, I'm a woman of color." And the concept was very Parisian and caucasian. I thought, "How can I lead a color category when I can't see myself?" While I liked the concept, I felt nobody knew how to match me and didn't know how to approach or service me. He said, "Why don't you join us and help shape this? We want to see retail the way that you see retail." The word "inclusive" didn't exist then, but that's what led me into beauty.
E! News: What was it like navigating your role as Sephora's Chief Merchant as a Latina?
MA: It was a miracle I survived. First of all, it was difficult to navigate because of my age. The girls were young and I know they felt I was this mother, as opposed to someone that might've related to their culture. The early years were also difficult because even though I had an important voice on the executive board, I was still a minority—the only woman of color. It took a lot to be heard and, let's be honest, the rest of the women on that board were caucasian.
It was a challenge within Sephora and within the industry. I had to influence the Lauder corporation and the L'Oreal's of the world on having more inclusive representation in their marketing and communication. I was also impassioned to drive improvement in the complexion category, but we couldn't do it without having the right shades. The indie brands responded first, while the legacy brands were late to the party. But I felt my contribution was in planting seeds that were later harvested.
E! News: When did you feel ready to walk away from Sephora and start your own beauty brand?
MA: I felt the fear before the restlessness. I left in 2015, but in 2014, I felt really removed from the brands and the consumer. And at the end of September 2014, my mother passed away. I just felt a major chapter had closed. There was a moment a few months after [her death], I heard this voice that said, "Now is the time." And in that moment, a spontaneous moment, I resigned. I was always a person who needed to prepare for a beginning, so I ended the year knowing that I was going to leave. And I let go without knowing what I was going to do. But I knew that for the good of Sephora, I needed to leave the team.
E! News: What led to the creation of Valdé Beauty?
MA: Seeing my mom wear lipstick with reverence. When she was upset or had an argument, she'd go out the door and put it on...In this process of thinking, I wrote a poem to my mom. And I shared this story with someone, who said to me, "Surely, you're going to create a brand." I'm like nobody needs another lipstick. But I thought maybe I'll create a beautiful product for her. When I looked at the landscape of what lipstick product I could gift my mom, as an homage to her, I felt there were a lot of beautiful products but I didn't feel that any were personal enough. And that was the sealing of the idea. And down the rabbit hole I went, I created the positioning of my brand, the narrative and I knew what I wanted it to be before I created the product. I threw everything I knew out the window because it was an experience and a celebration and beauty is worthy of significance—the woman is and so is the product.
E! News: Why was it important for you to create a line of sustainable, yet luxurious lipsticks?
MA: I thought about refills before refills were a thing. I tried to influence a few brands to go there while I was at Sephora. I remember the response, because, obviously, a refill is a significantly lower price than the whole case, and those brands' response was: "Why would we want to sell a cheaper retail product?" In beauty, you pay for the packaging. Twenty to 30 percent of the cost is in the goop—and we often don't even finish it. I thought it was not only wasteful but insanity. The other aspect had to do with the concept—I wanted to put the value where it belongs. So, I created a case, a vessel, that you take off but that will be repurposed. My mantra is reduce, refill and repurpose. I'm not selling a function, I'm selling an experience and an emotion. I'm trying to celebrate, revere and honor women.
E! News: What is something that has been crucial to your success that many don't often see?
MA: People see I've had this powerhouse role and they don't understand the moments of being in very humble and scary situations. I've chosen a path that is very risky. This is a personal brand for me, it's my story and I'm doing it in an unconventional way. I'm under a magnifying glass because I felt the pressure of people going, "Let's see if you're going to put your money where your mouth is." There's a level of stress I've never experienced and fear that I've had to overcome.