In Bustle’s Quick Question, we ask women leaders all about career advice, from the best guidance they’ve ever gotten to what they’re still figuring out. Here, Aïda Moudachiro-Rébois, the senior vice president and global general manager of MAC Cosmetics, talks about Viva Glam, her morning routine, and how she stays balanced.
While she may be the head of MAC Cosmetics today, Aïda Moudachirou-Rébois was a self-proclaimed tomboy as a kid. Growing up in Benin in Western Africa, she was surrounded by family members who got dressed up for every occasion — dinners, weddings, ceremonies — but she had three brothers, and wasn’t exactly begging for her own makeup bag.
“I was always observing my mom, my aunt, and the women around me putting lipstick on and doing their eyes and their hair and putting on all these amazing hats,” she tells Bustle. “I was very inspired by how transformational and empowering it felt. Some of them didn’t have much, but they always looked put together, and that made them feel good.”
At 14, Moudachirou-Rébois moved to Paris, and later landed her first internship at L’Oréal. That’s when the power of beauty clicked. “I saw how things were made behind the scenes,” she says. “That’s when I fell in love with it.” She’s worked in the industry ever since.
Among her many roles as global general manager, she leads the Viva Glam campaign, which was created in the mid-’90s during the HIV/AIDS crisis. MAC’s founders, Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo, wanted to help those affected, so they created a lipstick — a bright blue shade now called Viva Heart — and used 100% of the proceeds to provide food, shelter, treatment, and prevention efforts to communities in need.
Jump to today, and MAC has raised nearly $540 million. In honor of World Aids Day on Dec. 1, Moudachirou-Rébois’s team is focusing on the next $500 million. Among the campaign’s grantees are the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, and American Foundation for AIDS Research. They’ve also expanded the scope to include women’s rights, racial injustices, gender equality, and environmental causes.
“We are very excited about that opportunity for Viva Glam to connect with a new generation of consumers that is really active and cares about equality,” she says.
To support MAC Viva Glam, shop these four lipsticks: Viva Equality (a deep neutral), Viva Planet (a light neutral), Viva Empowered (a brownish-plum), and Viva Heart (a rich red).
Here, Moudachirou-Rébois talks about MAC’s unique lunch break tradition, why she takes four or five dance classes every weekend, and her favorite lip products.
What does a typical day look like for you?
It starts with early-morning calls for different time zones around the world, where I connect with our corporate teams and unblock roadblocks. In between meetings, I’m walking around the office and saying hi. I love to meet with people in person.
We actually have a tradition at MAC where from noon to 1 p.m., it’s lunch hour and no meetings are scheduled. It gives everyone time to take an actual lunch or do something personal. It’s important to replenish your energy.
How do you cope with everyday stress?
I keep my tank full by connecting with my two daughters, my friends, and people outside of work. On the weekends, I’ll take four to five dance classes to feel alive. For the longest time, I wanted to be a professional dancer. Now, I just go to the studio and practice in jazz or lyrical classes. It makes me happy.
How do you prep for big meetings?
I need to go in knowing I’ve spent the time to fully understand what we want to get out of it. There’s nothing that is more reassuring than when you feel like you have looked into different scenarios and you’re ready to have a constructive conversation.
Are you OK with not having all the answers?
I’m the head of the brand, but I don’t do everything. People on my team have more expertise in some things than I do. It’s fine not to have an answer because we are a team for a reason. Everyone plays a role.
How have mentors impacted your career?
I’ve had the fortune to have them all around me, and they aren’t always people who have been in my shoes. They can be people who see things differently, or who see me in a certain way and want me to reach my potential. My colleagues will tell me about my blind spots as well as my strengths. Instead of telling you things that you’re not doing well, sometimes you just need people to reassure you.
One last question. What’s your favorite MAC product?
I always love a good lipstick, and I was into red for a long time, but now I’ve discovered lip liners. My favorite is the Chestnut lip pencil. You can do an amazing, sophisticated look with just the pencil and a clear lip gloss, and it looks so elevated, or you can smudge it. It feels so nice to sharpen the pencil, too, because then I know I’ve been using it.
Oh, and I also love Lady Danger, which is Doja Cat’s favorite lipstick shade, and the trending shade Alone Time. It’s sold out everywhere, from Japan to the United States.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
