Over the course of more than three decades, Denise Vasi has worked as a model, actress and influencer. With Maed, the beauty brand she introduced in 2024, she added two more titles, entrepreneur and brand founder, to that list.
The company, Ms. Vasi said, is the culmination of many years of cultivating an enterprising spirit.
“I was always trying to find my path to owning something of my own, or creating something, or inventing something,” she said. “I’ve always had ideas before they were a trend or ‘a thing.’”
Ms. Vasi, 44, was interviewed recently at the Brooklyn loft apartment she shares with her husband, Anthony Mandler, a film and video director, and their two young children.
Although the family lives predominantly in Los Angeles, Calif., she said she is in New York City often and grew up only about a 45-minute subway ride away.
Maed, a tweak of the word “made,” came from the recommendation-filled website that Ms. Vasi ran from 2018 until 2021. Although the site is defunct, she still is active on social media and has more than 260,000 followers on Instagram.
The brand is a concise collection of lip products, including an exfoliator, serum and clear or tinted lip balm. Together, the products offer what the brand describes as a “lip ritual.”
There is also a highly pigmented liquid lipstick in a shade that has been Ms. Vasi’s signature since her acting days: vivid crimson red.
The products, from $26 to $36, are available on the Maed and Sephora websites; select Sephora stores in the United States began carrying the line last month, too.
One beauty industry expert said Ms. Vasi’s concept for Maed was strategically sound. “What’s smart to do in terms of your investment and your space in retail is owning one area,” said John Barnett, a makeup artist who is known professionally as Sir John and has worked with brands such as L’Oreal Paris. “She’s owning lips in a strong way.”
Mr. Barnett said he met Ms. Vasi more than a decade ago, when she was a star of the VH1 television show “Single Ladies,” and she stands out among beauty entrepreneurs.
“I’ve seen so many founders, from a vanity perspective, wanting people to just look like them, or wanting to do something because they like the idea of the ‘founder-lebrity’ of it all,” he said. “I know for sure she’s not in it for that.”
During the interview, Ms. Vasi talked about her modeling experiences, creating products with all skin tones in mind and how being an influencer has impacted her brand. The conversation has been edited and condensed.
As a model, you worked with legendary makeup artists like Kevyn Aucoin and Bobbi Brown. Did that help inspire Maed?
The biggest thing that I took away from getting to work with some of the best glam artists in the world was that, when I sat down, the best artists always did some sort of care routine before any makeup went on me.
You are of Dominican, Greek and Puerto Rican descent. Did your own background influence the color-infused products in your line?
As someone who comes from a very mixed and diverse family, I’m personally considering all skin tones. From the lightest person in my family to the darkest person in my family, there are probably 20 shades between us, so in terms of when I’m creating shades, I’m definitely looking at how everything fits on different skin tones, and also different lip tones.
How has your experience as an influencer fit in?
It’s never been easier to talk about your product and reach people that you would never reach across the world. But it is also a full-time job. Don’t forget that creators get paid and they do this full-time.
So now you’re a founder trying to run your business. You’re trying to develop new products down the pipeline. You’re managing a team, which is the hardest part, and also you need to show up on social to talk about your product.
For me, that comes pretty second nature and I really understand how to market a product on social because I did it for other brands.
Do you feel being an influencer made it harder for you to be taken seriously as a business person?
Do I think that people thought that I was quote unquote ‘just an influencer’ and ‘just an influencer brand,’ and that it created some doubt or some whispers behind my back? For sure.
People don’t know your full story. There were people that didn’t know that I had decades of experience as a model and in beauty, and that I’ve worked with the best people. They also don’t know my work ethic.
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