Doralie Medina—better known to the world as “Bad Medina”—is a Los Angeles native “It” girl unafraid of pushing boundaries. Her fearless approach to life, drive to succeed, glamorous lifestyle and maintaining an open and honest social media presence has cultivated the beauty guru a loyal instagram following of almost 700K followers. Knowing women are constantly looking for long-lasting products that are rich in pigment and easy to apply are some of the many reasons behind the launch of her Bad Medina Cosmetics products line. Recently, Medina partnered with Miami’s iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach x Aquamarine Swimwear Boutique, the only retail store in the country that will carry the coveted beauty line. Haute Living caught up with Bad herself for an unfiltered, inside look at the creation of the line, her go-to beauty routines, the importance of women’s empowerment and why exactly she decided to partner up with the Fontainebleau (hint: It’s her favorite and go-to hotel destination in the Magic City):
HL: What made you want to create and start your product line, Bad Medina Cosmetics?
BM: What made me want to start a cosmetic line is the love that I have for beauty and fashion. I was always asked ‘what are you applying? What do you do for your eyebrows? What color lip are you wearing?’ and I wasn’t necessarily ready to give that out yet because there were products that I liked but wasn’t really satisfied with. So, I wanted to create a line that was long-lasting and something that I was personally looking for because if I’m looking for it, I’m sure there’s other girls out there who are looking for it, as well. That was really important—the quality of my makeup line and wanting to make every woman feel beautiful.
HL: What was the inspiration behind the line?
BM: I wanted everyone to be able to experiment and to know you can step out of your comfort zone. Because in order to create the line, I had to step out of my own comfort zone. I tend to stick to nudes but I got to thinking about how everyone wears red, so let me do a red. When I was little my mom would wear red and I thought she was beautiful but I wasn’t ready to know I was getting older because, for me, I feel like red is the color older women wear. So, I began experimenting with a few colors and found the perfect red—a beautiful Hollywood red you can wear at day and night.
I also wanted to make everything in my line as beautiful as I would want anything else, you know? I wanted to remake pretty much everything. I have a million pair of sunglasses and a million pairs of just about everything and I wanted to rebrand everything and make it my own. I think that the line gave me a little encouragement and boost to get there. I’m really excited with the end result.
HL: What was the process like creating the line and how long did it take you?
BM: It was a really long process. I started it five years ago but it took me four years to release everything little by little because I did concealers, eyeliners and an entire line with a lot of different colors, so I didn’t want to overwhelm everyone. I also wanted to make sure everything was full coverage so that you can just apply a little bit and go. A lot of girls don’t really know how to apply makeup so I wanted to make it full coverage so they wouldn’t have to spend too much time with it—you just dab and blend—a little goes a long way. I couldn’t release or sell anything that I wasn’t going to be satisfied with because I wouldn’t be proud of myself trying to have someone buy something that I didn’t fully believe in, which is why it took me a long time to create the formula base, pick colors and go from there. It was a long process but it was definitely worth it.
HL: How important is it for you to ensure your social media and cosmetics line are encouraging women to express their own beauty?
BM: That’s actually what made me want to start my [cosmetics] line in the first place. A lot of women are scared to try something new because they’re afraid of the criticism and I just feel like, who cares what people think? As long as you feel beautiful, that’s all that matters. That’s why I came out with so many different colors and I wear them all. People ask me ‘what makes you want to wear green?’ and I just say, ‘I love it.’ It just depends on your mood and the color lips you wear sets the mood for everything from your outfit to your day. I definitely am doing this to encourage women to express themselves. I am all for wanting women to succeed and feel beautiful. No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, even if you’re going to walk your dog on the beach—throw on a little bit of gloss, put some sunglasses and look cute while you’re having a great day.
HL: What kind of feedback have you heard from your followers?
BM: I’ve gotten great feedback. I even repost a lot of them on my snapchat. They love my packaging, they love the feel of it. I have a lot of customers that constantly re-buy my stuff, which is an amazing feeling.
HL: What distinguishes your brand from others?
BM: Well I think me caring so much about it really sets it apart. I didn’t just go somewhere and pick out colors and things I thought I would like. I actually had to create everything from scratch. I had to make sure everything was fully pigmented. I wasn’t going to send someone in there for me—I could have, but I wanted to make sure it came out exactly the way I wanted. Everyone has different tastes, so I wanted to make sure it came out the way I envisioned.
HL: What is your favorite must-have product from the line?
BM: My must-have is definitely ‘Baddie,’ which is my signature lipgloss look and the ‘GoldMine’ eyeshadow, which you can also apply as a highlighter on the tip of your nose and cheekbones, and of course on your eyelids. It gives you a cute little glow instead of a heavy metallic feel. I wanted it to be very subtle and natural-looking.
HL: Why did you decide to partner with Fontainebleau x Aquamarine Swim Boutique?
BM: My cosmetics line can be purchased online but I decided to introduce my line here at [Aquamarine] because I wanted to make sure my line was somewhere where I actually shop. All of my sunglasses, most of my swimwear and cover-ups are from here—I fly to Miami just to shop here. So, if I shop here, I want my line here. It’s a legendary location, I was so excited. I actually met the buyer a few years back and I told her “I’m so happy I’m meeting you, you’re the reason I shop here! I love everything!” and she asked me how I felt about selling [Bad Medina Cosmetics] and I thought it was just a dream come true. I was so happy.
HL: What is your go-to summer beauty routine or secret to ensuring glowing and healthy skin?
BM: I’ve actually been experimenting with an organic line in Colorado. Now that I’m getting older, I’m starting to realize how many bad chemicals are in everything. I want to get into more natural face creams and toners. My organic toner, face and eye creams are definitely my go-to products.
HL: What are some of your favorite places to visit and favorite things to do while in Miami?
BM: I honestly feel like when I come to Miami, it’s all about just being at the Fontainebleau. Miami, to me, is the Fontainebleau. When I come here, I like to stay here and just enjoy the beach and the pools and then go to my room and enjoy it all over again the following day.
