Interview with Linda Hallberg from LH Cosmetics

What happens when women believe in each other and support each other? Great companies are created, such as the make-up brand LH Cosmetics by Swede Linda Hallberg. In a live podcast with Flaconi and Women Authors of Achievement (WAA), she gave insights into her journey from a humble start in a campervan to becoming a successful influencer, make-up artist and company founder.

Linda Hallberg has been a certified make-up artist since 2007. Her passion for colors and shapes steered her in this direction early on. Today, over a million people follow her playful creativity on her social media channels. LH Cosmetics was born out of the desire to live out make-up the way you want without any rules. Alongside her full-time work at LH Cosmetics and on social media, Linda continues to work as a freelance make-up artist. After almost 20 years in the industry, she is still just as passionate about her job and her main goal is to inspire as many people as possible with her art and her take on makeup.

Flaconi, WAA and Linda Hallberg came together at Bar Clara in Fotografiska Berlin to celebrate female empowerment.

FACES: What inspired you to found LH Cosmetics and what was your original mission?

Linda Hallberg: I wanted to create a brand for everyone, for those who didn’t conform to the “norm” and for those who wanted to use make-up more as a means of expressing their personality. I felt that the beauty norms were very narrow-minded and all about rules. My original message was to inspire people to be themselves and think outside the box when it came to makeup. And that remains to this day

Q: The beauty industry is fast-paced and constantly evolving. What sets LH Cosmetics apart and how do you stay true to your vision in such a competitive environment?

LH: Our big thing is that we make multipurpose makeup that is actually tested and safe for multipurpose use. We were very early with that because I’ve always seen makeup as just colors. I think it’s important to stay true to myself and surround myself with people who let me be myself, then I can bring that into the brand. I think you can see the passion in the brand when the team really believes in it.

“I saw a gap in terms of inclusivity“

Q: What problem or gap in the beauty market did you recognize that led you to found LH Cosmetics?

LH: I saw a gap in terms of inclusivity because it was mainly young white women in advertising and everything looked the same, at least where I come from and what I saw in the market. So I wanted to create a brand where there are no rules and where everyone is welcome and included.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in founding LH Cosmetics and what did you learn from it?

LH: A lot! It’s been a rollercoaster ride, but I feel like you can learn something from everything. The biggest challenge was battling burnout and trying to build a business at the same time. It was really hard and I still feel the burnout today. But I also learned from it. Now I know my limits and it’s easier for me to say no and listen to my body.

Q: WAA is Berlin’s fastest growing women’s network. In collaboration with flaconi, Germany’s leading online beauty retailer, you were invited to be a speaker at their live podcast event. What message would you like to convey to those in the room who see you as a role model?

LH: I want to give them hope and inspiration that you can come from nothing and still live your big dream. You don’t have to come from a famous or rich family to build a successful business. I started my journey in a caravan on a campsite in Stockholm because I had no other place to stay at the time, and I still made it.

“Support your children, partners and friends!“

Q: WAA and Flaconi have teamed up to create a space where women can network, share ideas and support each other. Why do you think such spaces are so important for personal and professional development?

LH: I believe that WAA is such an important space for women to be seen and heard because we are not represented in all spaces. It’s a space where we can feel safe to share vulnerable thoughts without being judged. And being in a space where someone actually listens to you gives a little more hope! Women supporting women is such a beautiful thing.

Q: Has there been any advice along the way – particularly from another woman – that has made a lasting impression on you?

LH: I don’t have any specific advice, but the fact that both my mom and dad believed in me when I spontaneously decided that I wanted to live 6 hours away from home in a trailer and go to makeup school and let me do my own thing was huge for me. Just the support from them, without them questioning me, meant everything to me. So, support your kids, partners, friends – it could mean more than you might think.