Interview// Jenny Peck

 Jenny Peck is a boss babe. She has held top marketing positions at Nylon and The FADER magazines. I remember meeting Jenny our junior year of college. We sat next to each other in our Journalism and Government class and were shy towards one another in that alpha female way. When we both moved to Brooklyn, our friendship bloomed. 

Lauren: You’re one of the few people I know who obsesses over products more than me. What got you so into skincare?

Jenny: I never was a product girl. Growing up I had the worst skin care. I feel like I didn’t know anything. I used Neutrogena and would put rubbing alcohol on zits. So a lot of my adult life has been course-correcting those bad habits.

When I went to work at Nylon I got really into different products because I had access to them and it was low stakes because it was free. (Nylon) would do charity sales and sell expensive products for $1, so you would spend $30 and walk away with thousands of dollars worth of beauty supplies. Then you could try them out and either keep them or give them to your friends. I’ve given bags of products to my friends.

(Side note: one time Jenny brought a huge tote bag full of products to my apartment. There was definitely at least a thousand dollars worth of stuff in there. It was like Christmas but better.)

I actually still have tote bags full of products sitting in my trunk.

Lauren: I love that image of you with multiple tote bags of expensive products laying around. 

JP: I also give a lot of stuff to my boyfriend, so he doesn’t even realize how spoiled he is. Now it's funny because out of all the products that I have the ones that I pay for are the ones I use the most. Like, I don’t really use any of the stuff I got for free. It’s only stuff that I’ve paid for at this point.

LW: Well, that makes me feel good because you’ve paid for LAPS so that means you use it!

JP: Yea definitely! I've become very aware of not stripping the oils off your face and never having your face feel tight. I’ve got my routine down now. 

LW: Cool. I’m curious if you have any rituals that make you feel good. Something that makes you feel like you’re pampering yourself.

JP: One thing that I got into that’s kind of ridiculous is I wash my face with aerosol impacted thermal spring water. I don’t think it makes a huge difference but it just makes me feel luxurious.

LW: That's awesome. Where do you get your information about products now that you’re not working in media?

JP: The media outlet I read the most now that I’m not working in media anymore is The Cut from New York Mag. I get a lot of skincare recommendations from that. I also get some from my dermatologist. And my friends, like you.

LW: Aw. I’ve been working a lot on branding for Lauren's All Purpose recently...

JP: I love those collages you’ve been posting.

LW: Thanks! One of the questions I've been thinking about is, who is LAP babe?

They're really confident and curious, they question everything out in the world and don’t adhere to any rigid definitions. She or he is very kind and caring but balances their big heart with a super sassy and flirtatious attitude. I feel like you’re a quintessential LAP babe.

JP: Thank you! I’m glad to hear you think I’m kind and caring! That’s one of the things I struggle with, I feel like I can be harsh sometimes in my presentation, even to my friends. So I love to hear that I come across as having a good heart.

LW: For sure you do. I think it’s hard when you’re working in a high-level position as a woman where you have to be the boss and tell people what to do. It’s hard to translate that to your social life.

JP: Yea, sometimes you have to turn that part of yourself off. You just have to find your chill.

LW: I think everyone knows that you’re kind and caring. Where are you working now, and do you have any people or places or things that you want to work with in the future?

JP: Now I work at a start-up called Casper. We started as a bed in a box, but now we’ve expanded past that and have pillows and sheets and are trying to reimagine sleep and make our brand a one-stop shop for anyone who vales sleep. One thing that I’ve found working at Casper is that sleep is the most accessible form of wellness. Everybody needs sleep, and, besides drinking water, I think it’s a great beauty tip and way to value yourself. 

I do experiential marketing which is a fancy way of saying I create unique ways for people to actually interact with the products. In a traditional mattress world you would go to a store and there would be a bunch of beds out. We’re always trying to give people the opportunity to interact with our products in a fun way. We do something called a nap tour, we do a bunch of movie screenings, we did a camping event. So thats been really fun and I definitely love working on the brand side of things.

I've also loved learning the ins-and-outs of the industry when you’re actually on the product side. In the media world you’re more like an agency. You’re working with different clients and across a bunch of different industries which is really great for learning but then it’s hard to become an expert at anything or see how your projects impact your clients' business. Whereas (at Casper) I have access to that information. So that has been really cool.

I definitely want to spread the message of getting sleep and of sleep being something that everyone has access to. 

LW: I’ve been thinking more about sleep as a part of wellness. When I interned for the herbalist in Brooklyn her skin was absolutely amazing. I asked for her secret and she said, I sleep for ten hours every night. She also has two kids.

Jenny: Her kids probably go to bed at 8:30 and she’s like, me too!

Myself, Jenny and Erin at Camp Casper in Casper, Wyoming during the Great American Eclipse.