Jennifer Kassir is the co-founder of LA BODIES, a skincare line, and a singer/songwriter whose music includes “Stars” and “Bye Bye”. In our conversation, she revealed her secret to her work ethic, her experience competing in the annual Miss Arab Pageant, and more
What are some ways to determine a content’s tone?
It’s all about the delivery of speech and sound in my opinion. And this is all a perspective because everyone will determine tone differently. If someone’s niche is a comedy, then they may have an upbeat music background that’s kind of silly and they’re probably going to speak loudly. Now there are other comedy content creators who are wittier and don’t use their volume to be funny nor do they use music. Sometimes their tone is sarcastic and that’s what’s humorous about the piece. There are all kinds of ways to do humorous content and different tones to achieve it. The tone is basically the general vibe of your branding. It’s how people represent themselves. Let’s say someone has an educational channel where they help females gain confidence. The goal is empowerment and they may use different tones to achieve their goal. So they could be friendly or they could be sassy and you’d know based on their delivery.
Do you possess a good work ethic?
I’d say I’m 50/50. I’m not going to lie, sometimes I struggle to take action and I get stuck unsure of what next step to take. However, I never give up and I always accomplish my goals whether or not I hit those goals by my set deadlines. I think it’s okay to sometimes take breaks and then continue working. Working all the time without breaks isn’t healthy. Also, if you’re juggling multiple careers, it can get even harder. I have my social media career, my family business where I’m developing our skincare line, and acting. Doing them all at once is challenging but I’m taking it day by day. My work ethic has definitely improved over time and I’m continually seeing progress.
Tell me about your song “Bye Bye” what was the inspo behind it?
“Bye Bye” was my first ever song and I’m super proud of it. I worked on it with an amazing producer from Colombia. It’s actually inspired by Camila Cabello because she’s one of my favorite artists and musical inspirations. It’s a Latin Pop song, my favorite genre. Any song that’s upbeat is the best. Growing up, I’d always listen to music I can jam and dance to as well as feel empowered by. I wanted to create a song that can do the same for others. I wanted people to feel powerful listening to it. The meaning is basically that you shouldn’t let anyone get in your way and you should not ask for permission to do what you want in life. Don’t let anyone control you. It’s about taking ownership of your life. I faced a lot of situations where people took advantage of me and until this day people always feel the need to try to control me or tell me what to do so this song was an emotional outlet for me and others as well. I’m Arab, but I did have some Spanish lyrics which I thought was fun to have!
What would you do differently to improve TikTok?
I would collaborate with more creators in my niche to grow my audience even more and introduce new faces. I tend to film alone most of the time so that would be a nice addition. I’d like to create professional skits as well for Ms. Beanie.
Can you tell me about a project you are proud of?
I’d say filming my Bye Bye music video. It was challenging and out of my comfort zone for sure. It was also all planned last minute yet we made it work. I was so stressed trying to put it all together with my team. I worked with a stylist a few days before even shooting and got a makeup artist all in the same week. I also had my sister and a friend in the video. Also, the day of, it was super windy and I had to drive on the streets in my convertible car with a camera on my windshield for some scenes and it was freezing. I’m still not sure how we pulled it off but thankful that we did. It was a super fun and memorable experience!
Could you tell us about two routines that you use to ensure that your mind and heart are in a healthy state?
I pray every morning and night and I also stretch daily to enhance my flexibility. Both of these daily routines give me peace of mind and help me to literally breathe better. It feels like weights being lifted off my shoulders! I’m a big advocate for prioritizing mental health.
What are five things anyone can do to feel beautiful? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Styling their hair, putting on lipstick, saying positive affirmations, doing a photoshoot, and going to a spa or salon. Everything I style my hair, I immediately feel ten times prettier. Your hair is legit everything. Sometimes when my hair is done, I could leave the house without any makeup on and even in baggy clothes. Also when I wear lipstick, it just gives more color to my face and makes me feel so cute. Positive affirmations are KEY to feeling better about yourself. Every morning I wake up and say “I’m beautiful” and boom, instantly my mood is changed. The tongue is so powerful. Also, I tend to dress up and do a photoshoot here and there when I’m feeling down to feel empowered. Yes, sometimes I do my own shoots with my tripod. It always works. Lastly, going to a spa is the most amazing thing anyone can do. When you’re being taken care of, it just makes you feel warm and awesome. It also gives you an extra glow because when you’re relaxed, you look better. When people are stressed, it shows on their faces. Self-care is the ultimate way to feel beautiful. You also deserve it!
Tell me about your skincare line “LA BODIES”?
I am the co-founder of LA BODIES, a skincare line made by my family and me in Los Angeles in our facility called Samson Pharmaceuticals. We manufacture all types of products and we are super proud of this skincare line because we put so much into it. My father created this line over 7 years ago but we recently rebranded and re-developed the formulas to improve the quality internally and externally. We really want to make sure our customers are always satisfied. LA BODIES consists of bath/body products, as well as face and body treatments including anti-aging. We are still producing even more products and will soon introduce organic acne treatments and preventions. Our brand is inspired by the entertainment industry and Hollywood. Our slogan is Step into Beauty, Be a Star. Our packaging is super fun and colorful. We want people, especially women, to feel empowered and we want everyone to know they are all stars and unique in their own ways. We want people to feel beautiful and taken care of. This is why we have the most affordable pricing with really high-quality ingredients. We spent a lot of money on ingredients that give insane results. Our line is for all skin types and is also cruelty-free. People are getting luxury items at a very cheap cost. Since we are the manufacturers, we can afford to do so for your benefit. Everyone deserves the BEST skincare for the BEST price, especially in today’s economy.
What are your top 2 favorite products from the line?
Our 24K Gold Antioxidant Face Cream, which is also our top seller, is my favorite product because it makes my skin incredibly smooth. I have a lot of lines from facial expressions I do while filming so this cream reduces them a lot. It’s part of my nighttime routine. It also contains real gold flakes in it which are good for reducing any inflammation. This cream also removes my skin’s redness. For my morning routine, I use our Vitamin C Face Lotion which also makes my face smooth, and bright, and it absorbs into my skin immediately so I don’t have to wait so long before applying my makeup. It makes my makeup application way better and removes my flakes.
What are the keys to healthy-looking skin?
Honestly, drinking enough water, taking minerals, drinking coconut water (huge one), and moisturizing, especially with vitamin C lotion. Also, I actually don’t cleanse my face in the morning with a cleanser. That can be damaging to the skin. I only use water and ever since I started using only water in the morning on my face, I stopped breaking out a lot and my face became less dry.
You recently represented Lebanon at The Annual Miss Arab Pageant, what was the experience like?
It was the most memorable experience ever for me. I made lifelong friends. The girls I was with were like sisters. We bonded so quickly over the week and I don’t know how I would have survived if it wasn’t for them. Going into this, I thought it was going to be a lot of drama since we were competing against each other, but it was the opposite. We were all rooting for each other and it didn’t really feel like a competition. I think I enjoyed the talent segment the most. I performed my own song called “Star” for the first time on stage. I was super nervous and slipped up a bit but that’s normal for a first-time singing performance on stage. I’m used to the theater and acting on stage, not singing, so it was very out of my comfort zone. I felt like a true princess throughout. We had to learn dances and they taught us discipline. We were forced to stand up in our high heels for 30 minutes straight without moving, with hands on hips and smiling every single day leading up to the show. It was exhausting and we had to wake up at 6 am and had long rehearsal days. But I came out of this journey feeling more grounded and confident. I also learned interview skills and way more. I flew out my stylist for show day and he was absolutely wonderful. I had an amazing support system. My mom and sister came on the day of the show as well and helped me a lot. I ended up raising a great amount of money from fundraising which helped Arab communities around the world. It felt so good to be able to make a difference. I ended up getting the third runner-up. Also, after the competition, I met some fans from my Arab TikTok account @arabjenn and took some pictures with them. It was an honor to experience a pageant at least once in my life. You’re only in your 20s once so might as well do something crazy and different!
finally, what’s next for you?
I am currently working on my first professional short film for my TikTok character Ms. Beanie on YouTube. I’m trying to transition into long-form content on YouTube. I’m closer to hitting 600K on there and I’d love to keep enhancing that channel. I’m also working on more short-form content for my TikTok @msbeanieofficial because I’m about to hit 4M followers on that one. My arab account @arabjenn just hit 1.2M and I’m working on crazy content for that too with my mom who also has a TikTok @linakassir (600K+). We are trying to post on our family channel for the arab world. Also, my tiktok account @jenniferkassir has been getting major traction too so I’m in the writing phase for fun content. I’m trying to become consistent on that account more. I have many audiences to feed so writing and filming content is what I’m always working on. I also have my Ms. Beanie movie I’m working on with my director V. Trent. He’s writing the script. It’s going to be a very long process for us. But it’s still in the works. Aside from social media and producing, I’m in acting classes so I’m trying to jump-start my acting career. As far as music, I may be coming out with a new song in the next few months just for fun. I decided not to pursue a music career anymore recently because it was too much to handle so the music will be just a hobby as of now. I’m also trying to build up our marketing team for LA BODIES to enhance our social media feeds and increase sales. There’s a lot in the works! Instagram: @jenniferkassir.