Authors In The Media Q&A With Alyssa Morin

In mid-to-late 2025 I did a Q&A with Alyssa Morin discussing her nonfiction book coming in 2027, Age Before Beauty & briefly discussed her career as a beauty and lifestyle editor which you can read by clicking on this link https://booknotions.com/qa-with-alyssa-morin/ . I’m so delighted that Alyssa agreed to go more in depth about her exciting career in beauty and lifestyle editing! 

Q: Welcome back to Book Notions Alyssa! In our Q&A almost a year ago, we spoke about your book and your career. What drew you into your career as a beauty and lifestyle editor? 

A: I’ve always been fascinated by beauty. Growing up, I’d watch my mom, tias, and grandparents get ready with such care and precision, arming themselves with lipstick and mascara to face the day. As I got older and started playing with makeup and hair, it became a fun hobby for me and I used it as a form of creative expression. It never crossed my mind that I could blend my passion for storytelling with beauty, but working in beauty as a journalist has given me the best of both worlds.

 Q: You wrote that as a beauty and lifestyle editor, you do a mix of writing, reporting and editing! That sounds amazing! With all that writing, reporting and editing, which articles and fashion magazines have you written for? 

A: I’ve worked with InStyle, E! News, StyleCaster, Business Insider, NBC News, People en Español, and HelloGiggles, to name a few. 

Q: Did you go to college after graduating high school to become a beauty and lifestyle editor, or did you apply for an internship right after graduation? I’m so curious as to how you achieved your dream! 

A: I studied journalism in college, and at the time, I wanted to work in entertainment, so I interned with a few local publications and marketing companies that worked on film and television projects. But then I got accepted into a Los Angeles program through my university and decided to move there after graduation. One of my first jobs was at InStyle (so, it feels very full circle to be back there again!). I then worked at a few smaller entertainment companies, and during this time, blogging was considered cooI. And since I had always loved beauty, I would write makeup, hair care, and skin care reviews for my blog. Because of that, a friend-slash-former coworker recommended me for an opening at HelloGiggles because the beauty editor was looking for an associate editor. I got the job and haven’t left the beauty space since!

Q: In our Q&A you wrote my wisdom to those wanting to become beauty-slash-lifestyle editors is to do it because you want to educate and empower readers. Not because you get freebies and cool PR boxes, but because you want to help others find solutions and solace in their daily routines.  You also wrote about the importance of building relationships with publicists and experts. What is a skill or quality that you believe is very important for someone wanting to pursue a career in beauty and lifestyle editing? 

A: In terms of being an editor, the media landscape is constantly changing, so it’s important to be passionate about journalism. Gone are the days when you could specialize in just one “beat.” That’s the biggest reason why I’m not only credited as a beauty editor. My day-to-day role involves writing and editing other subjects that fall under the “beauty” umbrella, like covering fashion, entertainment, wellness, and health. In terms of skill, I’d say it’s important to write well. Forget decoding skin care ingredients or researching the latest supplement; if you can’t write well, how will you inform your readers? How will you educate them? How will you empower them? The most essential skill in journalism is writing. (Even people who film beauty and lifestyle content write an outline or a script.) The rest is a lot easier to navigate and comes with time and experience, like building relationships with publicists, interviewing experts, researching ingredients, testing products, etc.

Q: If you could turn back time, what would you tell your younger self starting out in your beauty and lifestyle editing career? 

A: This is going to sound like a cop out, but I don’t think I’d tell her anything. Her experiences are part of her evolution, which is how I got to where I am today. I feel so much more passionate and aligned with the work that I’m doing in beauty, especially with the book that I’m writing, that I wouldn’t go back and tell my younger self anything. She needs to experience the disasters, miss some deadlines, read more books, and expand her writing skills—because that growth will be essential to shaping who she is now.

Q: Would you please give links to your social media accounts so the readers of the blog and I can follow you? 

A: I mostly share updates on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssawritesxo

But you can also check out my newsletter: https://beautyispain.substack.com/