When makeup line Ready.Set.Glow. was launched in February 2020, little did its founders know that the country would be mired in community quarantine only a month later. The decision to launch RSG during the pandemic was not the original intention. We had wanted to launch RSG in 2020 expecting normal conditions, but when the pandemic came, the options were to either wait until the pandemic was over, or to continue with the launch but to rethink and adjust the strategies given the new market realities. Since the inventory was already delivered from production, RSG decided to push through with its launch despite the pandemic.

But instead of going to retail locations right away, RSG decided to strengthen its digital footprint and sell products online. Also, because people were required to wear masks for health reasons, RSG saw this as an opportunity to push its eye makeup line to allow its customers to continue to express themselves and feel beautiful through that part of the face that was still visible even with face masks. This approach allowed RSG to differentiate itself in a very competitive market. The RSG team had to live by the brand value it wanted to espouse – fearlessness. So in spite of the uncertainty of the economic situation, we recalculated our plans, took a collective deep breath, and took a leap of faith – and confidence.