We loved speaking with Keila Marrero, manager of Credo Beauty in San Diego. Next time you’re out enjoying the sunshine, swing by and say hi to beautiful Keila!
What do you do at Credo?
I’m the store manager for Credo in San Diego.
How’d you end up working in beauty?
My grandmother inspired me in beauty. She was a gorgeous red-head who always loved makeup, especially lipstick. She would never leave the house without makeup and taught me that if I had to, I should at the very least always have lipstick on. I’d go with her to buy makeup all the time since I was always with her.
While in college, I learned sculpture and painting and I got a job in beauty managing counters at Clinique, Benefit, and then MAC. Beauty started to evolve into my career and I love it because I see it as my other art form.
And what did you want to be when you were little?
I wanted to be Indiana Jones. I’ve always loved history and art. I studied anthropology with an emphasis on underwater archaeology. I even ended up participating in the underwater excavation of a 17th-century Dutch merchant ship.
What do you like about the clean beauty space versus traditional?
Well, I’m originally from Puerto Rico and our culture has a deep love for nature so I was always searching for natural beauty products. However, I could only find natural beauty products at farmer's markets or by word of mouth which wasn’t easy. Having a store like Credo is amazing because all the brands are together and are verified natural and safe.
I think what separates clean beauty space from traditional beauty is the education. The products in the clean beauty space are made more consciously which results in a more conscious customer. Therefore, we really need to be able to educate our clientele.
What's your spirit animal?
My spirit animal is half-wolf, half-coyote. It appears to me in dreams a lot.
What do you think makes you so good at your job?
I think it’s my personality. I’m a truly happy and positive human overall. I love life! I’ll look at the moon and get so excited about nature and the world.
I also really like people. This is why I studied Anthropology. I love learning about different people and different cultures. I believe I’m here on this earth to work with and love people. It makes my job easier when my customers love seeing me just as much as I love seeing them.
Balmie or Multi-stick?
Both!
They actually both have amazing staying power which I love. I’m attracted to the shape of the Balmie packaging a bit more but I love lip products so I really can’t choose.
If you could create a new Axiology color or shade what would it be?
Sorbet + Loyalty but I would also add some peach to it.
Favorite Axiology color for a good summer beach party?
Bonafide! I choose that color often because it’s one of my favorites!
Do you change up your makeup routine in the summer and if so, how?
During summer I play around with less makeup. I’ll typically just moisturize, add bronzer, do my lashes and brows and I’m done.
The first word that came to mind when you first tried Axiology?
GOLDY! So goldy! YASSSSSSSS It’s so gold!
What product do you have an unhealthy obsession with RN?
Axiology’s Loyalty! It’s in my purse right now, I’ll show you!
I’m also obsessed with hydrating mists. Currently loving Tata Harper’s hydrating floral essence mist and my new favorite is the Tower 28 daily rescue facial spray — it only has 3 ingredients and feels so good.
Favorite beauty hack?
One day when I was in a hurry, I didn’t have time to put on a full face of foundation. Instead, I grabbed my foundation brush, sprayed some face mist on it and quickly buffed it into my skin. The brush still had some product on it from the day before and my skin looked great using this technique. It gives the skin a nice tint and even outs the skin. So, my personal hack is to just re-wet my foundation brush for a clean, even skin tint.
Side note: I do recommend washing your brush 1x a week though.
What are you wearing right now?
Foundation (see trick above)
An extra layer of Well People concealer
Kosas color + light
TOK Beauty Volumizing Brow Gel
Kjaer Weiss mascara
Axiology Balmie in Sorbet
What are you excited to see happen next in clean beauty?
We need masculine products. It’s hard to transition a man into a clean beauty routine if it's not easy and spelled out for them. We need more traditionally masculine packaging for products such as beard oil, hair gel, and skincare.
Advice for clean beauty newbies?
Just go one step at a time. The transition can get overwhelming if you’re swapping everything immediately. I always ask people, “what are you about to finish?” I say wait until you finish your other product. Also, you need to love the products you’re switching to. For me, switching my bronzer was the absolute last thing I switched because I didn’t love any of the clean ones until recently.
