Real Stories: Amy Garrett

As Senior Director of Marketing for Revlon Professional, Amy Garrett oversees all brands—American Crew, CND, DiFi, uniq1 and—wait for it—the soon-to-be-launched Revlon Professional Hair Color. It’s a demanding job but one for which she was more than qualified when she accepted the position last January. While she started with Wella, Garrett spent most of her career with Schwarzkopf Professional. Then she simply walked away. “I took a year and a half off and decided to travel,” she says. Garrett spent four months traveling through Europe—Spain, Italy, the Netherlands—before winding up in Southeast Asia. Myanmar, formerly Burma, seemed almost untouched by civilization, which she loves. “I’ve always been driven to travel to places that are unique,” she says. “I like to find them before everyone else discovers them and they become commercialized.” She’d gone to Cuba in 2010 precisely for that reason. “I think so often when we do what we do, we get so wrapped up in the day-to-day, that we forget about the bigger picture,” she says. “I had reached a place where I just wasn’t inspired anymore. I had to walk away to find new inspiration and learn about myself.” When the opportunity to work for Revlon Professional presented itself, Garrett felt ready to accept a new challenge. “That year and a half off gave me the ability to be more engaged,” says Garrett, who admits that the best part of her job is working with a great team of people. “I think American Crew is killing it right now,” says Garrett, referring to the company’s epic partnership with one of the most influential style icons of all time—Elvis Presley. She is also very excited about CND’s new Spa line with two scent categories—Bright Citron and Gardenia Woods. “I think it’s become the norm to rush through our mani’s and pedi’s, but what we’re forgetting about is a completely different market—the woman who enjoys these services and wants a luxurious experience.”