The beauty community is constantly fluctuating, from brands debuting and products launching. One brand introduced itself with a bold slogan, unique products, and badass marketing. So of course I had to start this new series with the Kansas City-based brand.

We’re chatting with Justin Dupont-Price, the owner/founder of Edge Beauty, about him, his brand, and his perspective on all things beauty.

Indie Clique: What are 5 random facts about you?

Justin Dupont-Price: I’m vegetarian, I’m a libra, I’m an absolute introvert, I hate cooking, and I can’t exist without coffee!

IC: What is your earliest memory of using makeup?

JDP: One of the first times I ever used makeup was with a really close friend at the time and she had asked me to do her eye makeup. I remember the palette she had was the first Jaclyn Hill x Morphe palette.

IC: Your makeup looks are always unique and mesmerizing. Can you walk us through your beauty routine?

JDP: On a day-to-day basis I’m wearing a tinted moisturizer, some cream blush, and gloss! Usually, my creative looks are done for content or shoots. I typically have a theme that I’m going for or sometimes just a color. I just wing it usually, I don’t like to plan my looks.

IC: Any makeup tips or tricks that you swear by?

JDP: Underpainting is key to a flawless base and I love cream products! Cream foundation/blush/contour. It works on everyone and can be light or full!

IC: Besides running a makeup brand, what other things occupy your time?

JDP: I also write music/sing/songwrite and put that out as often as I can. I also love my Nintendo switch and animal crossing has my heart.

IC: Outside of social media, who is your biggest supporter?

JDP: Alana, she models for almost every campaign, never asks for anything, helps around the office. All around the biggest supporter in my life.

IC: I love the brand name. Is there a story or reason behind naming it Edge Beauty?

JDP: When I was in art school, my focus revolved a lot around architecture and spaces around me. EDGE just had the simplicity that I wanted and the word looks cool.

IC: What inspired you to start Edge Beauty?

JDP: I had to unfortunately drop from art school because my mom passed away. She was helping me through all of it and I couldn’t afford it after. I had always wanted a business and the idea for EDGE came to me a couple years later.

I was freelancing makeup and working retail cosmetics to get by during the time and just knew I could change the game for makeup. Plus, my mom had a huge love for makeup so I grew up with it.

IC: What was your first product?

JDP: EDGE/GLOSS was our very first and it launched May 1st, 2021!

IC: The slogan “Beauty as bold as the human experience” is powerful, especially since Edge Beauty is LGBTQIA+ owned. How do your products reflect the slogan?

JDP: I saw a statistic recently that said the world is slowly losing saturation and color as we modernize the world. The human experience is so colorful, wild and unpredictable. Also, being gay in a society that wants to rid that, is also a very colorful experience. I’m not a straight-passing individual so the amount of times I’ve just stood in line at a coffee shop and been called the f-word. It reminds me that being myself on a regular day is bold, is different and is unique.

IC: What are the best and worst parts about owning your own brand?

JDP: The best part about owning my brand is getting to see people’s reactions when they open products or see new launches. I love bringing products to life, it’s really fun and creatively challenging.

Probably the worst part about owning a brand is the amount of hate you get, the friends you lose, and the amount of work it really is.

IC: Walk us through the process of creating products, from concept to being listed on the website.

JDP: I feel like my ideas usually come to me right before bed or like in the shower. It’s always something so random and it’s horrible at first and farfetched. I like to ask my friends if they would buy that or if that’s a good idea. That helps spark conversations like “oh how would that work” “what does it do” and “is it worth it”.

If I like the idea, typically I spend time sourcing materials, manufacturing, and etc. It’s pretty costly usually but since a lot of it is handmade we can use what we have or didn’t use in the past. A lot of ideas get scrapped at the very, very end so there’s a lot of unused product material. After this, it’s around 2-3 months before you receive any materials or products so during that time I design packaging ideas, marketing ideas, color schemes, then what kind of models or shoots are we doing?

Once the product arrives typically I’m creating the packaging myself so I have to test that multiple times for up to a month to make it good. I also let my friends try them and get opinions. And then after that, it’s just photoshoots, finish marketing and then it’s ready to go!

IC: You’ve gained followers recently through great launches, particularly Drip Drop Glossy Lip Balms. Do you ever feel any pressure or anxiety when planning products and/or launches?

JDP: Absolutely, pretty much every launch I get very anxious. I just want to excite people and have fun with makeup. There’s a ton of pressure in the makeup world.

IC: Say that someone just discovered the brand and sends a DM asking for recommendations. Which three products are you hyping up?

JDP: I have gotten these messages a few times and every time i say “EDGE/GLOSS, MINI MIXTURE, and LIQUID GLASS”. Those are our staples and I personally use these every day.

IC: Do you have any influencers or content creators that you would like to work with or see in Edge Beauty?

JDP: Oh my gosh, there are so many.

Cindy Chen (@Cindychendesign), she is BEYOND talented and I would love love love to create work with her. Florence Lucky (@florencelucky), another icon! She creates these effortless looks that just take you in and I love it all. Qveen Herby (@qveenherby) is not really a beauty influencer, but to photograph her would be next level.

IC: Where do you see Edge Beauty being in a year?

JDP: Honestly it’s so unpredictable. I would love to hit 5k on Instagram by then, and I would love to get into some small local retailers! I would love to start a PR list too!

IC: Lastly, can you give us a hint on what we can expect from you and Edge Beauty this year?

JDP: Gorgeous looks, fun and weird makeup and we’re just scaling up! We’re giving it all to you this year! Prepare yourself.

Make sure that you go show Justin and Edge Beauty some love on Instagram and check out the products! I want to say thank you again to Justin for sharing with us and starting the Beauty Exposé series.

Follow Indie Clique for future interviews, product launches, and more beauty content here and on social media (all links below!).

*Photos belong to Justin Dupont-Price / Edge Beauty

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