BEAUTY

Approaching these tabletop vignettes with a sleek cinematic sensibility, Nexxus products will take center stage throughout -- creating gorgeous, tactile moments that are perfectly stylized and beautifully lit, with a dynamic pace that moves between slow motion shots, and more adventurous, fast-paced moments.

Think BIG, EPIC CLOSEUPS of our product, and SHINY, GORGEOUS HAIR in all its glory. Taking our time to sensually trace the curves of the bottle, like a SUMPTUOUS SILHOUETTE, creating a visceral, slow-burning elegance. Fingers running the LUXURIOUS TREATMENT through LONG, SILKY STRANDS. A beam of light shining artfully on the bottle, framing it in a BEAUTIFUL GLOW. Flawless hair BOUNCING beautifully as it reflects a glimmer of LIGHT. Liquids CASCADING from the green bottle, dripping in slow motion like SWEET, DECADENT HONEY. These are the beautiful moments we can truly luxuriate in, creating stunning visuals that pop off the screen.

I never go anywhere without a Tinted Lip Balm in my bag, so let’s just say this creative is pushing all the right buttons for me. It’s fun, it’s fresh, and it’s the perfect reminder that a hint of tint or a swipe of shimmer is all you need to feel a little “extra.” I know it always works for me!

Lip product love aside, I live and breathe this playfully graphic style, and my goal with this campaign is to take the look a little further in that direction. With dynamic transitions, playful motion design, and personality-filled performances, we’ll create eye-catching spots that feel 100% ownable for Burt’s Bees—all while pushing the brand identity in fun new ways. 

Let’s get a whole new crowd hyped on this cult favorite!

Here’s what I’m thinking…

Bold. Empowering. Stylized, but with real heart and soul.

Our heroines are making a statement not by being stereotypical divas or runway models, but simply by taking their best selves out into world. And the power comes from the fact that they’re defining “flawless” in their own way. Similarly, our spots should make everyday scenes feel beautiful and anthemic. Like the energy and presence of our characters is making us see the world through new eyes.

To pull this off, we’ll really need to nail the tone. As you mentioned on the call, this could easily veer into camp if our heroines feel too over the top. That’s why we need to make sure that our representation of glamour feels unique, and highly specific to our characters. The casting, the wardrobe, the way our characters interact with their environment…it all needs to be perfectly dialed in so it feels real. Not like a fashion editorial, but like an ordinary moment playing out with an extraordinary character whose bold style stands in contrast to her surroundings.

That said, there IS definitely something a bit magical happening here, because we’re seeing the Flawless world—the color, the branding—peek into our normal world. But I’m seeing this less as a fantasy element and more of a metaphor for how the Flawless products make you feel. When you’re really feeling yourself, doesn’t the world feel brighter, more full of magic and possibility? It’s like everything just falls into your lap. That’s the feeling I want to convey. That our character is giving her Flawless self to the world, and the world is giving it right back to her!

I can’t wait to play up Gen Z’s fashion here, especially when it comes to their graphic sense of color and texture. We already have a great color palette to work with, so let’s lean in with high-gloss pastels — nude-pink, peach-orange and darker orange punctuated with neon yellows and greens. We can really make these pop using texture. I’m imagining buttery or patent leathers or possibly translucent, tailored vinyls. We could also have fun with some shimmering, Y2K-inspired pieces mixed in with unexpected accents like marabou or knit. Let’s get bold with hair color and accessories. Glam, chunky sunglasses, showy metallic earrings, monochromatic platforms, wild braids!

St. Ives products use some of the best ingredients mother nature offers to deliver a sensory experience that leaves customers feeling brighter inside and out. What better way to evoke this feeling than by setting the world of our products against a sunny blue sky? Defining the bounds of our product world to the same nature-inspired backdrop will keep the graphic focus on the product and reinforce the natural ingredients.

We will light the product bottles in a warm glow that replicates the morning sunlight. This will give our product shots a lively energy and reflect the ethos of the campaign by showing the brighter side of skincare. We will shoot the product in two ways: (1) the ingredients will appear floating in the air (2) the product will be placed on lucite graphic cubes in the brand's color palette to reinforce brand recognition.

I also love the idea of creating a witty interplay between nature and product: sunshine beams behind the bottle, ingredients floating in the sky. Even the sunlight through the bedroom window cues the ahhh-moment of the product and beckons our talent to become one with nature, even for a brief moment.

We will use every element of production to create a joyful, sensory journey for viewers that reflects the product's promise and captures the priceless feeling you get when you start your day off with healthy gut function. When your gut is functioning properly, you feel light, energized, and free. That's how I want the spot to feel!

Let's breakdown how the product promise will be the guiding light for our creative approach:

Energy support. We will imbue the spot with a contagious energy that is fun to watch. We will do so using (1) lively camera movements, (2) layered, dynamic, mixed media shots (3) joyful and playful performance, and (4) vibrant colors in our production design.

Good digestion and healthy metabolism. There's a lightness and ease with how you move through your day when you're in the flow. This will be reflected in the treatment of our supers, our elegant, flowing steadicam movements, and our plant and produce-abundant propping.

Skin health. Healthy skin has a lit-from-within glow. We will translate this product promise both literally and figuratively. To embody it literally, our talent will exude a noticeable, healthy radiance. Simultaneously, we will extend the same principles to our cinematography-embracing warm, sunny lighting and employing soft, flattering lenses. The ultimate objective is to imbue the entire spot with a luminosity that radiates off the screen.

I grew up in New Hampshire so, by default, all of my heroes came from Boston sports teams: Wade Boggs on the Red Sox, Larry Bird on the Celtics, Ray Bourque on the Bruins, Doug Flutie on the Pats. When I played street hockey, I would be these dudes. When I dressed up for Halloween, I would be these dudes. When I put posters on my wall, they would be these dudes. I had role models that were all men because strong, powerful women were not visible at that time. The damaging effects of not having empowered women visible to young girls is truly detrimental. I think of how different my life could have been if there were commercials on TV that featured strong, confident women like Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach. I am so excited that Secret is creating these two campaigns and would love to be part of the creative process.