Hawklettes, meet the lovely miss Jillian Ruffo! Jillian is 23, fresh out of college, and currently the newest beauty assistant at Seventeen magazine (aka her dream job!) It goes without saying that this is a position that a million beauty obsessed girls would kill for. Just a few things to know about Jillian before we dive into the deep stuff: I’ve never seen her without a super fly mani (see below), she rocks bold lip colors on the daily, oh and she’s perfected the art of the ‘I just got back from the hair salon 5 minutes ago’ blowout. It’s no surprise that this beauty queen landed such a sought-after job- she’s got beauty in her blood. Read on to get all the deets on Jillian and her transition from beauty lovin’ college gal to Seventeen mag beauty pro!
When did you first realize that you wanted to turn your love of beauty into a career?
Basically when I was a teenager. Both of my parents are in the beauty industry; my mom is a makeup artist and my dad is a hairdresser, so I grew up with it. Then when I got to highschool I realized that magazines would be a great fit.
So how did you land this amazing job?
I interned at Allure magazine and Fitness, and then after I graduated I started going on informational interviews with editors. When I met with Yesenia at Seventeen, there happened to be a job available!
What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to beauty?
Definitely lipstick. I can’t have a lipstick in my hand without opening it and seeing what color it is!
You and me both. So what is your favorite part about working at Seventeen?
Definitely reaching out to young girls who are so willing to try new things. Having an audience that’s very experimental is amazing. It’s so much fun to use bright colors that we know the teenagers will love.
Jillian rocking a Marchesa manicure courtesy of Revlon for #manicuremonday
What is the coolest thing you’ve done since starting in August?
Definitely being at a photoshoot and then seeing those photos come to life in print. Seeing something that you worked so hard on all come together is really rewarding. When it goes from just an idea to a whole page of pictures it’s just amazing to see.
How do you think your past internships prepared you for this job?
I interned at two very different beauty departments. One was huge and one was very small, so I had a lot of well-rounded experience when I came to Seventeen. I had a very hands-on experience at Fitness in terms of attending market events and writing for their blog, so I definitely got a taste of what editors do on a daily basis. At Allure, it was a lot about dealing with products and brands so that gave me a ton of brand knowledge early-on.
What advice can you give to aspiring beauty-lovers who would love to have a job in the beauty or magazine world someday?
I think it’s so important to be proactive and very optimistic. If you reach out to people and ask for help, there’s a very good chance they will be willing to help you out. Get as many internships as you can. Don’t just look for the most well-known magazines because you may get a different type of hands-on experience at a smaller magazine with a smaller beauty department. I think the most important thing is to keep in touch with prior bosses because you never know what jobs will open up or who knows who.
Who are your role models?
Definitely my mom. Both of my parents taught me everything I know in terms of hair, makeup, and perfect skin. My mom takes amazing care of her skin, and I really admire her love for skin and knowledge of makeup.
Well, Hawklettes there you have it; an inside look into the life of Seventeen’s newest beauty girl. A big thank you to Jillian for taking the time out of her busy work day to chat with me! I hope you all enjoy and feel as inspired by Jillian as I do!
HC XO,
Kaleigh