The Quality Makers: Michelle Hu of Étoile
Founder Michelle Hu of Étoile
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Michelle Hu was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia and is now based in New York City. Just after Covid, she moved to the Big Apple to launch her business Étoile (French for ‘star’), a functional beauty accessory brand, built around the culture and routine of getting ready. As someone who has been very into makeup for over a decade, Michelle was always very interested in business and the consumer mindset. Not thinking her ideas would go very far, Michelle set out to create a brand with the intention of eliciting feelings of joy in people’s day-to-day practices. To her own surprise, Etoile was not only born but thrived quicker than she could’ve ever imagined. Read below to learn more about Michelle’s journey.
Credit: Étoile
How is your personal journey related to the creation of Étoile?
Most people have a getting-ready-routine that is very personal to them. In varying degrees and in varying extremities, it can be makeup, hair and skincare, body care, tanning; it can even be as simple as tying your hair back and adding a drop of concealer to your moisturizer. So whatever the reason or the occasion, whether it's to go on a first date, go to work, go out with friends, we all get ready to transform into a slightly better version of ourselves. But getting ready is also something quite intimate, probably quite vulnerable, something we don't really share with anyone else.
The reason I got into makeup at a really young age, I was about 10 or 11, came from a place of insecurity. I was really self conscious about being Asian and I turned to makeup as a way to transform or enhance certain features of mine, so that I could show up as a more confident version of myself. Over time, I had accumulated so many products, to the point where that process turned really chaotic. I didn’t want something I loved so much, something I looked forward to every morning or every night, to be tarnished. So my first ideas of Étoile came from a personal need, a way to organize myself. First I fixed my own routine and then the business side of me just wondered whether anyone else would need that as well.
Credit: Étoile
Tell me about the products you offer.
We started with acrylic storage pieces. At the time when Étoile was created, I could only find very simple, classic lipstick holders with about 10 slots. As someone with so much makeup, I couldn't find anything that could fit my whole routine. So our intention was to customize bigger, more functional acrylic organizers. Then, overtime, we expanded into other categories. One thing I really hated was that I didn't have an emotional connection to any of my makeup bags. Yes, they held my procuts, but I would be constantly digging around for stuff. So that's why we created makeup bags, which is now our hero product. We have a line of makeup bags for our consumers, as well as for our makeup artists, and then we eventually expanded into makeup mirrors as well.
What kind of feedback have you gotten from your customers in terms of how your products have become a staple in their getting-ready routine?
My favorite pieces of feedback are always those who say they’ve been looking everywhere for the perfect xyz to organize their makeup and they finally found it at Étoile. I love it when people notice the thoughtfulness and the intention behind our products. Our customers really appreciate us, not only because we save them time but also because we will make sure to iterate a product multiple times to make it the best one possible.
Credit: Étoile
What sets you apart from other brands in the industry?
I'm lucky because I am my own customer. Whatever is lacking in my own routine is what informs my creation process. I can't really think of another brand that leans into the culture of getting ready and speaks so closely to that experience. Another point of differentiation is our utilitarian, functional approach. We really want to ensure that we're not just creating another generic, blank product. There has to be something else to it. For example, we created this beauty sponge holder that’s coming out next month, which isn’t revolutionary, but we made sure to add in this little incision, a storage spot for the blender to sit on so that it doesn’t roll off the counter onto the floor. It’s the little things like that, these micro benefits to one’s routine, that makes us unique and also makes the overall getting-read experience more enjoyable.
I’d love to hear more about the connection between makeup and self care.
The process of getting ready, I really do believe it does something to your brain chemistry. I don’t necessarily have the research to back that up, but truly just from my own experience, it makes you more confident and subsequently lifts your mood as well. It’s an important part of the day and I wanted to elevate the feelings associated with getting ready to the highest extent possible.