While attending Bridgeport High School in the early 1990s, Christina Lattanzi had absolutely no inkling that she would someday promote her own cosmetic/beauty line on QVC - or create the marketing strategy behind a line of clothing for which Kate Hudson served as spokesperson.

 

She did know, however, that she had an interest in the beauty industry and after receiving a degree in marketing and finance from the University of Virginia, she happened to land a job in that very field –a very good one, in fact.

 

It was in 1998 when Lattanzi, who is now Christina Marcaccini, wrapped up her college education and begin the interview process.

 

“A woman I was interviewing with at Federated Department Stores told me I should really think about the beauty industry,” she said. “It was an off-the-cuff comment but it made a lightbulb go off. I was focused on just getting a job and not really thinking about the big picture. I had always loved beauty and fashion and when she said that, it shifted my whole perspective.”

 

After initial consideration in relocating to New York City, she decided LA was her land of opportunity and as it was prior to the age of beauty company buyouts and conglomerates, the timing was just right.

 

“Back in 1997, ’98 and ’99, there were still so many boutique beauty companies. Everyone was independent so there were many opportunities to get my foot in the door,” she said. “There was still this feeling of entrepreneurship.”

 

She was hired by Sebastian International and her office was a dreamland.

 

“It was this sleek black pyramid with a rainforest inside,” Marcaccini said. “I was so blown away. I’ll never forget it. I felt so lucky to be getting a job there, working in branding and marketing.” 

For the next five to six years, Sebastian Haircare was her career and she built vast experience in the industry managing hair care, cosmetics and hair color brands.

“It was fun to work with sort of a no-rules approach,” she said. “We did these big, crazy hair shows and we really got to have fun with marketing – getting creative with our product development.”

 

In the early 2000s, Sebastian International was purchased by Procter & Gamble and Marcaccini was offered work in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

“Procter & Gamble was the guru of branding and marketing. A job like that was a dream,” Marcaccini said. “If I had taken that position, my career would have gone in a completely different direction.” 

She took on full-time consulting work with a small company which sold its brands on the QVC home shopping network.

 

“They had three or four product lines and I did all of the marketing and product development,” Marcaccini said. “It was amazing. I had no experience with home shopping networks, but there I was going to QVC to pitch to buyers.”

 

It was during this time - 2004 to 2006 - that a trend in natural beauty products was emerging.

 

“Everything was shifting. There was a heightened awareness of the exposure to chemicals and toxins in products, so I made a pitch that we could the first eco-luxe, high performance brand to feature natural ingredients and preservatives – and (my boss) totally went for it,” she said.

 

Marcaccini was the creator and founder of the Raw Natural Beauty brand, featuring eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, botanicals and plant extracts.  She created the Raw Color, Raw Skincare and Raw Minerals lines; the Raw Color line which she personally promoted on QVC – while pregnant with her first child.

 

At about this time, her employer merged his company with Intelligent Beauty, owned by Adam Goldenberg and Don Ressler. As the paradigm of the beauty industry shifted, so did that of home shopping networks.

 

“When I had first started working with QVC, their beauty category was much smaller and they loved brands that were exclusive to QVC, but as they grew they needed to increase dollars per minute and in order to do that, they had to pull in brands that brought new customer groups,” Marcaccini said. “They wanted companies that had huge followings.”

 

She remembers benchmarks of between $10,000 and $17,000 per minute, which obviously created a stress factor. But, still, she said she loved it while it lasted.

 

Her next three ventures were the marketing the Raw Beauty lines for online sales, working with the weight management company Sensa - and adding a new trio to the Marcaccini family. In September of 2010, Alina became a big sister to Monte, James and Viviana.

 

Marcaccini had continued to work with various brands, “but nothing ever became a household name,” she said. Her triplets, however, did. They played the role of Lucy on the popular daytime soap, “The Young and the Restless.”

 

“They took turns and it was great fun,” Marcaccini said.

 

That lasted for about a year until nap schedules interfered and it became harder to pass off Monte and James as the little girl they were playing.

 

Marcaccini was asked to come back to Intelligent Beauty, which had launched JustFab, an online subscription fashion retailer which initially featured a selection of shoes. Marcaccini was asked to develop PaintFab, a nail lacquer line – in colors which would complement the shoe styles. Next came the launch of Fabletics, a line of active wear.

 

“That was so much fun to work on,” she said. “It was right at the forefront of the athleisure trend when – rather than jeans and a T-shirt – everyone was wearing yoga pants. Without the overhead of retail stores, we could offer the exact same quality at essentially half the price.”

 

Kate Hudson was the spokesperson and Marcaccini created the brand strategy and oversaw the launch, including model casting, videos and photo shoots.

 

Marcaccini recently began working with Robin McGraw on the branding and development of the Revelation beauty line.

 

“It’s been very successful and we’re looking to expand the brand,” Marcaccini said. “She’s in a unique position because she can leverage the power of media – having the ‘Dr. Phil’ show to help build awareness and talk about the products.”

 

McGraw has a real passion for advocating for women and has been a pleasure to work with, Marcaccini said. 

Marcaccini’s latest project has been the development of Brandettes, a blog and marketing firm, which she runs with her partner Nikola Cline, also a veteran of the beauty industry.  In the blog, the women profile beauty brands and the marketing strategies which make them so successful.

 

“This is my passion project,” she said. “I love branding and marketing and it was sort of an opportunity for me to share experiences I have had, lessons I’ve learned and hopefully give inspiration to people who want to launch their own idea or product and don’t know where to start.”

 

The blog features interviews with some admired brand leaders, including Natasha Case, co-founder of Coolhaus gourmet ice cream sandwiches and Joe Driscoll, vice president of marketing for Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP.

“I'm also excited about our upcoming interviews with super cool designers Tarina Tarintino and Lotta Stensson,” Marcaccini said. “Those should go live in a few weeks.”

 

Marcaccini also works with Villa Dolce gelato specifically with the company’s rebranding and creative direction. She is excited to announce that the single-serve Villa Dolce gelato cups will now be served on all United and American international flights. Needless to say, all of the Marcaccinis are gelato fans and will be featured on the new Web site, set to launch in late-May.

 

Once residing in the heart of LA, the Marcaccinis now live in the suburbs of Valencia. Alina is 7 and the triplets are 4. Each summer, Marcaccini and her kids spend a month with her parents, the retired Dr. David and Jody Lattanzi. Just recently, the couple moved from Bridgeport to Deep Creek, Md.

 

Follow Marcaccini's blog @BrandettesBlog on Twitter.