Beauty Journalist · Brand Strategist · Editor
Cristina
Montemayor
I'm a writer, editor, and brand strategist. For nearly a decade I've built a career at the center of the beauty industry—all from Austin, Texas. I report on the industry for national publications and craft the voice behind some of its biggest, buzziest brands. Occasionally, I break news that reshapes how brands operate and grow—and sometimes, how they're regulated.
As an editor at BeautyMatter, my coverage consistently ranked among the site's most-read, and my annual trend reports were among the most anticipated and widely read stories each year, cited by brand founders and VCs as a signal of where the industry was headed, and often shaped the product development and trends that followed. My reporting often travels well past the original story: I was the first to report that the FDA's revised sunscreen regulations would require animal testing for chemical sunscreen ingredients despite years of existing human data supporting their safety. The story sparked outrage across the industry and was discussed on the beauty podcast Fat Mascara. Over a year later, the FDA actually reversed course on its animal testing mandates for chemical sunscreen active ingredients in favor of modern, non-animal methods.
I also conceived of and moderated two of BeautyMatter's most-shared panels, Beauty's Lost Generation: The GenX Opportunity and Imitation vs Innovation: Opportunities within Dupe Culture. Both kept circulating on LinkedIn long after the events wrapped and sparked additional content from founders and creators in the audience.
Currently, I'm building Texas Beauty Editor, my Substack covering the beauty industry through a Texas lens. I broke the news that Nu Skin had quietly wound down BeautyBio there, a story cited and covered by Beauty Independent, BeautyMatter, and Kirbie Johnson's Ahead of the Kirb. I've partnered with Amazon on sponsored content, including a founder interview with Nopalera's Sandra Velasquez. The newsletter has hundreds of highly engaged subscribers, overwhelmingly based in Texas, New York, and California.
On the brand side, I've led copywriting, messaging strategy, and content for beauty and wellness brands from pre-launch through growth. I secured organic press coverage for REYN in Beauty Independent, Vogue India, The Cut, and Who What Wear, and spent several years as lead copywriter for a haircare brand, writing email, PDP, sale, and blog content that kept its site ahead in traffic the entire time. I've also contributed to Texas Monthly, Fashionista, SELF, Brides, Men's Health, and more.
I run a small media strategy consulting practice, taking on a handful of clients to sharpen their story, build smart press plans, and land coverage that's aligned and impactful.
Reach out to book time for copywriting, editorial, brand strategy, or speaking engagements. Follow me on Instagram and Substack.
Copywriting, Editing & Content Strategy
Beyond editorial, I partner with beauty, wellness, and lifestyle brands on copywriting, editing, content strategy, and messaging. See copywriting samples →
VEGAMOUR is a leading vegan hair wellness brand known for its clinically studied, plant-based formulas. As copywriter and editor, I wrote, edited, optimized, and fact-checked articles for the brand's blog, covering ingredient education, scalp science, hair care routines, and product spotlights, while functioning as an embedded member of the content team.
No drug claims
As a cosmetics company, VEGAMOUR cannot claim products treat, cure, or prevent medical conditions. Every piece required careful language choices, describing what a product does cosmetically without crossing into drug-claim territory, even when covering clinically studied ingredients.
No animal studies
As a vegan, cruelty-free brand, all scientific citations had to come from human clinical research only. This meant fact-checking every claim against primary literature and sourcing credible human-based evidence for each ingredient.
REYN is a beauty brand I worked with from the ground up, starting before launch. I partnered with the founder on brand positioning and messaging strategy, then carried that voice across every consumer touchpoint: product description pages, newsletters, social content, and landing pages. I also ghostwrote multiple articles for the brand on Medium and its blog, building out the editorial identity alongside the commercial one.
Brand building from scratch
With no existing brand equity to draw from, every word had to do double duty — establishing a point of view while selling a product. I developed the positioning and ensured every piece of copy, from a PDP to a caption, reinforced the same voice and vision.
Organic community growth
I grew the brand's Instagram from near zero to several thousand followers through content strategy and copywriting alone, with no paid support — a 435% increase in three months. The account has since grown to over 9,000 followers.
Industry recognition
Within a year of launch, REYN was cited in the WGSN Beauty Personas 2022 consumer forecast alongside Jones Road, Crown Affair, and Ami Cole. The brand was also covered by Beauty Independent, Vogue India, New York Magazine's The Cut, and Who What Wear.
Youthforia was a color cosmetics brand known for its skin care-meets-makeup positioning. I contributed brand storytelling and lifestyle articles to the brand's blog.
good light was a gender-inclusive skin care brand with a distinct, community-driven voice. I contributed brand copy including the tagline "may good light the way," assisted with product naming, wrote press releases and pitches, and worked with the founder on influencer seeding and press coverage tracking.
Biden Beauty was a limited-edition beauty brand launched to rally the beauty community to vote in the 2020 presidential election. The brand went viral immediately after launch, generating coverage in Vanity Fair, Daily Mail, Harper's Bazaar, and over 50 other publications. I contributed to the content strategy and developed copy for email, social, website, and press alongside the marketing team at Very Good Light.
Concierge Auctions is the leading marketplace for buying and selling the world's finest real estate. Across two roles, I wrote copy for property listing sites, print and digital advertising, email marketing, social media, and the brand's website. As PR and Content Manager, I managed the brand's external PR agency relationship, overseeing strategy, priorities, and deliverables, while also executing hands-on PR work including writing and distributing press releases that secured placements in Mansion Global, Barron's, and Robb Report. I also created and managed all content on the Concierge Auctions blog and contributed profiles, client case studies, and market trend reports to the brand's monthly catalogue. On the social side, I led strategy across all platforms and organically grew Instagram by 50% and Facebook by 25% over 12 months.
Monthly catalogue
I wrote editorial content for six consecutive issues of the Concierge Auctions catalogue, including property profiles, client case studies, and market trend reports. View all issues on Issuu.
At LatinWorks, I wrote copy for two national consumer brands. For Lowe's Ideas Creativas, I developed social copy and campaigns for a Tumblr and Facebook presence built around home improvement projects for Spanish-speaking audiences, strategically aligned with the brand's general market work. For Honey Bunches of Oats, I collaborated with a UX/UI designer to develop shareable social content tied to the brand's digital strategy, resulting in over 30% increase in engagement across all platforms.
Services
From breaking industry news to building a brand's voice from scratch, here's where I can help.
01 · Editorial
Journalism & Reporting
Sharp, deeply reported storytelling for publications and brands. I specialize in the business of beauty: trend analysis, founder profiles, and commerce coverage that serves both readers and search.
- Business profiles & long-form features
- Investigative and trend reporting
- Executive & founder interviews
- Commerce and affiliate writing
- Branded content & editing
BeautyMatter, Texas Monthly, Fashionista, SELF, Brides, Men's Health
02 · Brand
Strategy & Copy
I help beauty and lifestyle brands find their voice and use it well, from big-picture positioning to the copy on your product page.
- Brand positioning & messaging strategy
- Copywriting: PDPs, newsletters, social
- Landing pages & packaging
- Ghostwriting: thought leadership & speeches
- Copy editing & brand voice consulting
VEGAMOUR, REYN, good light, Youthforia, Biden Beauty, Concierge Auctions, Lowe's, Honey Bunches of Oats
03 · Speaking
Panels & Moderation
I've moderated panels at SXSW and industry conferences in LA and New York, leading conversations at the intersection of beauty, business, culture, and wellness.
- Conference panel moderation
- 1:1 executive fireside chats
- Founder spotlights & on-stage interviews
- Trend briefings
- Industry roundtables
SXSW · Los Angeles · New York