Jennifer Hayes is the C.E.O and Founder of James Anthony Skincare. She has been in the beauty industry for 20 years and started her career as a cosmetologist doing hair and makeup at 5 star resorts and wedding parties. She struggled with her own skin issues and found the skin care industry to be lacking of products that actually work and do what they say. This is what drove her to create James Anthony. Learn more about Jennifer Hayes…
Hometown: I am a native of Arizona and have lived in Scottsdale my whole life. I have traveled to almost every state in the U.S., but could not imagine living anywhere else. Well, maybe I could live somewhere else during June, July, and August L.O.L!
First job: So my very first job was babysitting when I was 11 years old. Then when I was 15 years old, a friend and I decided to try telemarketing for a local company. That only lasted for one week because I would get so nervous if they wanted to buy what I was selling and I would hand the phone to my friend to close the deal. So telemarketing is not for me after all, needless to say. From there I worked at Sears in Los Arcos Mall. My parents instilled great work ethic in myself and my brother growing up, so we always had a job to earn money.
Favorite AZ restaurant: Wow, I really can’t just pick one local restaurant because we have so many great ones!
Person who has impacted your life the most: My brother for sure! My brother is 6 years older than me so I have always looked up to him and thought he was so cool. He is my only sibling and my first best friend. My brother passed away November 15, 2016 very suddenly. Not only his life, but his death has impacted my life greatly. I could have never imagined how painful it is to lose a sibling until it happened to me. For the first couple of months after his passing, it was hard for me to get out of bed let alone be a mother and wife. I feel that creating my skincare line has saved my life. It gave me a purpose and a goal to achieve. I named the line after my brother, James Anthony, in honor of him because I thought, who takes better care of you better than a big brother!
Your biggest accomplishment in your eyes: By far the biggest accomplishment thus far in my life has been creating a skincare line. I do not have a background in chemistry, but I have learned what works and why. There is so much science behind good skincare that I never knew about. To me, it all came down to the human skin cell and how it thrives. Once I learned about that, the rest was somewhat common sense for me. Most products out there today are formulated to feel good and smell good, but there is very little to no cellular penetration. This is simply a must to get real results!
The biggest obstacle you have overcome: FEAR! I remember when I was a child my grandmother use to always say, “The only thing to fear, is fear itself”. As an adult, I now understand the meaning of this, and it is so very true. Just imagine what we could do if we didn’t have fear of failing, or fear of anything for that matter. After losing my brother it was as if I lost fear of anything kind. My thought process is that the worst thing happened to me so what could be worse??? Letting go of fear has opened so many opportunities for me and has given me a whole other outlook on life!
Someone who inspires you: This is a hard question for me because I have been inspired by so many. I would have to say my clients, and not just name one person. They say that your stylist is your therapist, but it is also therapy for me as well. I have laughed, cried, and rejoiced with many of my clients over the years. We have gone through happy times, like marriages and birth, but we have also gone through hard times such as divorces and deaths. Seeing my clients be such amazing, strong, bright and powerful people have inspired me in so many ways.
Favorite quote: Live the life you love, love the life you live.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: The number one thing, talk to as many people in the industry as you can, then talk to 10 more! When I began my adventure to start a skincare line, I had no idea what was involved, even though I talked to what I thought were enough people in the business. So many individuals that have their own skincare line just do private labeling, and I chose to actually formulate products for my brand. Private labeling is when a skincare line is already mass produced and an individual can just put their logo and name on the packaging. Believe it or not, this is about 90% of the products out there. What I did was actually hire a chemist to come up with a formula that nourishes actual skin cell health. By having healthy, balanced skin cells, you will not have the skin issues that so many of us have. If anyone has questions for me about my journey with this matter, they could reach out to me at Jamesanthonyskincare@gmail.com. I would love to help others in any kind of why I could!
What do you think makes someone fabulous: Being kind is number one for me. When we are kind to someone, we have no idea what kind of positive impact we might have had on that person. Also with kindness comes compassion and understanding as well. We definitely need more of this in the world we live. So anytime I can just be kind to someone, I really try to do so. This could be as small as giving someone a compliment or helping someone with their groceries.
