Essential Takeaways
- After working as a makeup artist for years, Gloria Noto realized that she was sick of the cookie cutter mold that the beauty industry had declared as its standard. So she decided to create her own brand.
- The result: NOTO, a skincare and makeup line that celebrates beauty in every sense—from a skin-first, botanics-driven philosophy to the freedom of gender expression. And this celebration of self extends to Noto's daily life, which she peppers with rituals that allow her to feel and do her very best.
The greatest tool in a woman’s toolbox isn’t a cosmetic or a brush. It’s self-determination—the daily commitment you make to yourself and your future, and the hard work and rituals that create the foundation for that journey. Make Your Self is a series that spotlights the stories of women who fiercely embody this relentless pursuit.
If you need reminding that the beauty industry has come a long way in just the past few years, consider the story of Gloria Noto: It was less than four years ago that the veteran makeup artist (whose signature "less is more" aesthetic probably populates your "saved" folder) found that she was having trouble relating to a market that was, at the time, sorely lacking in both sustainability and gender fluidity.
"I was just in the industry for so long and was looking at how things were being done and working through it, and started to feel less connected to my work," she says. "I started wondering what I could do to feel a little bit more involved in my output in life."
As this itch started to fester in her career, Noto was making shifts in her personal life that only exacerbated the matter. "My wellbeing was changing, my diet was changing, the things I do with my body was changing, my experience in herbalism was growing and becoming more and more of a staple," she recalls. It all came to a head when she realized that if the beauty industry didn't have the space for something that allowed inclusivity so she'd carve that path out herself. And that's when NOTO, a botanics-driven skincare and makeup line, was born.