617: How A Failing Skincare Brand Became An 8-Figure Makeup Empire | Aliett Buttelman

Dec 25, 2025

Aliett Buttelman, co-founder of Fazit Beauty, went from struggling with skincare patches to creating a viral makeup brand after a Taylor Swift moment catapulted her into the spotlight. In this engaging conversation, she shares how they pivoted strategies, identified product-market fit, and developed a social media playbook that garners over 500K daily views. Aliett also discusses the importance of cautious fundraising, the dangers of bad retail deals, and her insights on building an aspirational brand in a competitive market.

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ANECDOTE

The Moment That Changed Everything

Aliett watched Taylor Swift on Monday Night Football wearing Fazit's gold glitter freckles and immediately cried when she realized the exposure.
Her husband captured the moment on video which later went viral and changed the business overnight.

ADVICE

Run The Business Like You Have $13K

Run a company as if you only have $13,000 and prioritize spending that moves the needle.
Use free strengths like organic social and influencer seeding instead of expensive agencies when capital is tight.

ANECDOTE

Coachella Launch Validated Product Market Fit

Fazit launched makeup patches around Coachella and sold out 100,000 units before inventory even hit the warehouse from viral festival content.
That launch convinced Aliett they had finally found product-market fit after years of grinding on skincare patches.

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Aliett Buttelman spent eight years grinding in the dark before a single viral moment with Taylor Swift turned Fazit into an overnight seven-figure brand. In this interview, Aliett breaks down the exact pivot that saved the company, how she identified product-market fit after years of plateauing at $20K per month, and the organic social strategy that now generates over half a million views every day. From bootstrapping with $13K to navigating 100+ investor rejections and finally securing mass retail with Target, this is the blueprint for building a breakout CPG brand in one of the most competitive beauty markets. What you’ll learn in this interview: • How a single Taylor Swift appearance drove seven-figure sales in 48 hours • How Aliett pivoted from slow-growth acne patches to viral makeup patches • The social content framework that produces daily 500K+ view videos • Why aspirational products can outperform problem-solving products • How to bootstrap a CPG brand with limited capital and no agency support • The exact moment Fazit discovered true product-market fit • Why Fazit chose Amazon as a primary channel (and how it paid off) • The dangers of taking bad retail deals and why most founders miss this • Lessons from 100+ VC rejections and how to know when not to raise • The behind-the-scenes strategy that secured a 1,000-store Target rollout By the end of this episode, you’ll understand how to build a lean, viral-ready brand, validate demand fast, and prepare for the “overnight” moment that can change everything — even if it takes years of grit and persistence to get there.