Guest Shitter: Roya Shariat
Guest Shitter: Roya Shariat
Roya shares how she got a job at Glossier AND a cookbook deal, how to overcome your social anxiety, plus the shit she bought and liked
Shitters!!! For all the newcomers here, welcome! That is a term of affection, I promise! After a week of big goodbyes, I’m back to share a newsletter that’s been burning a hole in my Google Docs for FAR too long!
Today you’re hearing from our latest Guest Shitter, Roya Shariat! Roya is a true multi-hyphenate—she is the Director of Social Impact and Communications at Glossier, which is an insane job title to have anywhere, let alone one of the most iconic beauty brands in the world, an acclaimed cookbook author (Maman and Me: Recipes From Our Iranian American Family happens to be one of my most-used, and is on crazy sale at the bad place at the moment), a fellow newsletter writer, a certified TikTok sensation—truly, what doesn’t she do?!?!
She also happens to be one of the warmest human beings I have ever met. To spend an afternoon with her is to get a taste of what life could be like if your social anxieties weren’t holding you back. And this conversation illustrates just how many amazing things can happen when you put those fears aside and really go for the things you want.
It also made me WISH that we did this as a podcast, because there really is some magic in these conversations! Perhaps it’s time to take a page from Roya and put aside my own fears to make it happen! Our conversation starts with her career journey and advice, and the second half is filled with her recommendations. I hope this inspires you as much as it did for me!
This interview has been condensed for length and clarity
PA: You work at one of the most iconic beauty brands in the world, you wrote a popular cookbook, you have a food Instagram, you write a newsletter… you're a renaissance woman, really! Have you always been that kind of person?
RS: I have always been that kind of person. It was never enough to have my hand in one pot or have one thing I was working on. I think I feel happiest…not when I'm busy, because I'm trying to unlearn that, but when I have different things to work on. I think you’re the same.
PA: Let's start with your day job. What exactly do you do at Glossier? You also have a wild story of how you got there—I'm hoping you can share that too.
RS: Yes! I'll start with how I got there, which was nearly six years ago. I was working at Chobani at the time knowing I wanted to work in beauty, but I didn't really know how to get there. One morning I was applying Cloud Paint on my cheeks thinking I wanted to work at Glossier, looked at the website, there were no jobs for me. I go to work and pop out for a coffee, and right in front of my office at that time was Emily Weiss, the founder and CEO of Glossier! Something came over me and I had to shoot my shot. I basically pitched her on this job on the spot.
I told her what products I was wearing—I was like, “I'm wearing Boy Brow, Haloscope, and Cloud Paint!”—she told me I looked good, the company’s tag line. And I asked her what the brand was doing to give back. She said she wished they was doing more, and I pitched her on this role! That conversation on the street led to some selfies and an email exchange, those emails led to a job interview, multiple interviews led to the creation of a role for me that didn't exist. [Ed note: I cut a lot of me freaking out here, but how amazing is this?!!!!] The moral of that story is always shoot your shot, and if the dream job doesn't exist, you can create it. The worst someone can do is say no.
But to your first question, what's my job? We're a startup, so I wear many hats, but I'd say the three primary things I work on are communications, social impact, and brand partnerships, particularly our partnership with the WNBA.
PA: Was working in social impact something you always what you wanted to do? How does one even get into that space?
RS: For sure—it was definitely what I wanted and what I pitched in the street. It looks like everything from running our grant program for Black-owned beauty businesses to working on civic engagement and getting out the vote, to figuring out what nonprofits we support through a really cool merch program at all of our stores.
I think the best advice I can give to someone who's looking to navigate this space is to put yourself out there and try and hustle. It's not like I'm a CPA where I need to take tests and have a very specific skill set and experience to fit this job—any kind of background can filter into this. As long as you are a good communicator and you're able to prioritize—every company can’t prioritize every issue in the world, so being discerning and having a sense of what feels brand-right is helpful. And then hopefully you have the passion for doing good and the passion for social justice and equity for everyone. I think if you bring that combined with some skills from a variety of areas, you can make a job in this space happen. And the good news is only more and more jobs are opening up!
PA: I want to switch gears to another facet of your life. You released your first cookbook last year with your mom (Maman and Me: Recipes From Our Iranian American Family)! The food is amazing—it's much better when you make it, but every recipe I've tried on my own has still been yummy! How did you get into the food world?
RS: I had always wanted to write a cookbook, probably since I was like 15. I knew that I wanted to tell a story of my mom's recipes, and I knew I wanted to learn how to make everything. But it hit harder when I moved to New York for college and realized I couldn't recreate that. I missed a big piece of home. A few years ago, I started jotting down recipes when I visited my mom at home here and there. And during the pandemic I was home for a bit and I started making TikToks of my mom putting food away in the right size Tupperware or making delicious food, and those started to go viral. We went from having zero followers to 500 to 5000—I think now we're just under 200,000 on TikTok. Getting that following made me confident enough to think ‘ok, people want to hear what I have to say—my cookbook doesn't need to exist in a Google Doc. I could try to actually pitch this as a book!’
I went to a Zoom class with Julia Turshen on how to write a cookbook proposal. I got the 101 with 100 other women in the class. I wrote a book proposal, and I shopped it around, found an amazing editor who got my vision, who was excited about this project, and who wanted to go for it. And then, two years later, the book came out!
PA: Roya!!! I feel like such a through line in all of this is that you just did it! You went for it yourself! It seems like such a parallel with your Glossier path where you made a space for yourself and it worked!
RS: I think part of that is feeling like that space didn't exist, or that a feeling of not belonging and a feeling of exclusion probably has driven me to create opportunity where it didn't exist. Like ‘I don't know if there's space for me in the beauty industry because I come from a nonprofit and social impact background that is not in beauty whatsoever.’ I just saw an opening, and I was like, “let me do that!” With the food and cooking—‘everyone loves food, and everyone likes to write about food! A cookbook sounds cute!’ And it's like no, I'm gonna hustle and make a real thing, and find a publisher who believes in me. If there's a little opening, I'm gonna take it and I'm gonna make something out of it.
PA: It's incredibly inspiring! When you think about the recipes from your family that are in your book, which are the ones that you have the strongest food memories and connections for you?
RS: That’s like asking to pick a favorite child! [Laughs]. The two that come to mind very quickly are, like the simplest, humblest ones. The tomato and egg omelet (page 24)—that was a staple every weekend, breakfast for dinner nights when my dad was working overnight and it was just me and my mom, or me and my mom and my sisters. That dish is so easy, it’s basically two ingredients—but it's so nourishing, filling, and it tastes like home.
The second might be… I'm torn between two. I'll do Estamboli Polo (page 112), which is like a turmeric rice with potatoes and tomatoes. Again, you have these ingredients in your pantry! It's really versatile and really delicious, and something about it tastes so comforting. When you're in doubt or indecisive, you make that and it always turns out good.
PA: This is sounding like my dinner tonight. As I go to do these interviews, I do an initial Google. But did you know that when you go to Google your name, it says “Roya Shariat, Internet Personality?”
RS: No??!!!
PA: It comes up in the little search bar!!! When you actually search, it says “Roya Shariat, writer.” But as you're typing it in….
RS: Internet Personality!!!
PA: Yes!!! I found it really fitting because before we ever met, I knew of you via Instagram! It seemed like you were—I mean, you ARE so cool—but it really seemed like you were so cool, and you knew all of these other cool Internet people!
RS: This is how I feel about you!!!
PA: No, I don’t know anybody! I know two people! You know everyone!! How do you know all these people?!
RS: I am a connector. I love people and it brings me joy to one, meet new people, and two, find people who will vibe with each other and who will connect and bond over something—nothing is better than that. And I also love talking to strangers, as I did with Emily at Glossier… All it is is a strong sense of curiosity and an interest in people and their stories. And also, 14 years in New York City will do that.
PA: You are 1000% a connector, and after meeting you for the first time, it became so clear why that is. There are a lot of friendly people. But spending an afternoon with you is different—you strike up conversations with everybody, people want to talk to you! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Do you have tips for people who admire that quality and want to cultivate more of that for themselves? Who want to be able to put themselves out there and have these conversations, but maybe their first instinct when they see people who they recognize is to duck, and then are like ‘oh wait, why did I do that?’
RS: Yes, I do. And honestly, this is the topic of my next book that I'm hoping to write, which is a children's book.
PA: Are we breaking news?!
RS: I need to write this fully. But that is something I think about very often!
I'd say when that little voice creeps up and you immediately want to run from it, it's probably because you care and you're worried. You can learn to quiet the the louder voices that take over. You think ‘I should go say hi to that person who I admire,’ and the [louder voices] come in and are like, ‘You're lame. Don't do it. Leave them alone. It's gonna be awkward.’ I think the way to silence those louder voices is through doing. The worst you could do is be a little awkward or get rejected.
I've done it so much that it's like snapping a rubber band. Now I’m like “Okay, if you don't want to talk to me, your loss.” But back in the day, it was not ‘your loss’—it was ‘I'm an idiot. Why did I do that? I'm so awkward, I'm so weird, I hate myself.’ I still have those moments! But the people who reciprocate your energy are the people you're really meant to meet anyway. So if that big exec or influencer or interesting person turns out to be kind of a jerk or doesn't help you on your journey, that's fine. For every one of those, there's going to be another person who lights up when you recognize them or when you say something to them. If that little voice is like, ‘should I?’ you probably should.
PA: I could talk to you all day, but I want to switch to the Shit I Bought portion. You've spent years now working in the beauty industry. I'm sure you're always trying new things. What have been some of your favorite beauty discoveries, and what are the products and brands that need to be on our radars?
RS: I curated a nice list of everything non-beauty being like, ‘I am biased because I am an employee, so I won't pick anything’ but you know what…! Let's start face and work our way down!
You and I are both devotees of Sofie Pavitt and everything she creates [Ed Note: Hi Sofie, we love you!]. The whole line is awesome. My friend Sam created this amazing acne-safe spreadsheet. I use her spreadsheet. Sofie also has a checker, CLEARSTEM is a brand that has a checker. I wouldn't say I have acneic skin, but the things I put on my face make a really big impact, and just because a label says “non-comedogenic” doesn't actually mean it doesn't have those ingredients! Now I check literally everything—skincare, makeup, through this. I've also started using a line thanks to my facialist-friend Jolie [De Feis] [At this point, Roya held up Sachi Skin’s retinal, and I immediately cut her off]
PA: I love this brand!!! I'm so glad we're talking about them!
RS: It's so cool! I felt so seen, because their packaging has their name in Arabic/Farsi. I started with the hyperpigmentation serum, the retinal… everything is good!!!
The other faves—I'll keep Glossier separate for face—Ultra Violette for sun protection. It’s an Australian brand. They're supposedly coming to the States at some point, so we'll see! But it's an ultra-light sunscreen, and it comes out in drops. And then this spray is a touch up spray. Say you're at the beach, you just need a little mist!
And then body care. I'm into this new Korean brand called LILIS. I think the term she's using is “Korean body resurfacing.” The founder’s mom had really intense dry skin and would spend hours using those harsh scrubbing mitts and things to exfoliate. And her daughter created this brand to ease her mom's troubles. They have this peel in the shower that instantly gets all off those bits of skin and you have baby soft skin afterwards. And then her firming serum. I keep it in the fridge and in the summer, and it's really cool and nourishing. I've never felt more like a dolphin when I use those.
PA: Now we gotta know your Glossier picks. Hopefully this isn't like picking children!
RS: Ok, After Baume is that girl. It’s a DEEP moisturizer that has no comedogenic ingredients, does not irritate my acne, but it feels like butter to put on. I also love Stretch Foundation. Everyone loves the Stretch Concealer, and it was with that concealer in mind that they made the foundation. It is 89% skincare, 11% pigment. So it's light! But gives you great coverage, makes you feel radiant. My skin never looks better, I never get more compliments. I'm not wearing any makeup now. Part of me is like, let me just do a little…
PA: Wow, I feel like we're doing a get ready with me! I wish we were doing this on video! You were a Glossier user before you worked there—
RS: I was and I still am! Cloud Paint, Lash slick. The mascara makes you look like you have lash extensions without even trying.
PA: I was probably the millionth person to come to you about Glossier Play—RIP that lip color, Pony.
RS: It's in Ultra Lip now!!! Honestly, if I pick a third on the list, it might be that.
PA: As a cookbook author with a New York City apartment and kitchen, what are your small kitchen essentials?
RS: I love wooden spatulas, and I also love a spoonula. It handles high heat and temperatures. I use it for everything from a soft scrambled egg to making sure my soups and stews are turning out to frosting and getting evvverything out of a pan—it just serves so many purposes.
I love my Fredericks and Mae cutting boards. I have two—one mini one and one big one. A good cutting board goes a long way, and they're so cute that they can double as little serving platters. I think that's one of the big things—find things that serve a purpose but also look nice enough where you can leave them out. I don't have a ton of storage space to hide stuff behind!
PA: I agree. One last question—tell me about your favorite follows. Across TikTok, Instagram, newsletters—I know you, you are everywhere. Who do you like to see?
RS: Okay, one person I love to follow is Thandi [Maq]—she is a lawyer, but also super fashionable and cool. British, lives in the UK. I love following her style. It's a mix of clothing that feels accessible—some of it is high end, some of it's more middle of the road—but cool, stylish, smart. That combination is what I just love! My friend Aminatou [Sow] always has the best memes in her Instagram Stories. Instead of spacing them out throughout the week, she does a dump. She'll start with a screenshot of when your TV goes to those rainbow colors and you just know it's coming! I'll give you one more, also someone from the UK. I think I'm like a closet Anglophile? Her handle is Monikh [Dale].
PA: I LOVE HER!!!!
RS: Best style!
Shit I Bought and Liked: Roya Shariat Edition
SEV Laser Hair Removal: I've been doing this for the past six months, and will probably continue to do it for a long time in a lot of places. They have locations everywhere, the prices are reasonable, they are efficient yet thorough. Getting them on my lower legs has been a game changer! [Ed Note: I can also vouch for SEV—if you’re removing hair anywhere below your face, it’s the way to go]
Catbird’s Forever Bracelet: This is a good gift to self, or gift with a friend. The story of Catbird—a woman-owned brand in Williamsburg, when no one was going to Williamsburg in 2004, to now where they are—is so inspiring! I think they were one of the first, if not the first, to come up with the welding and zap concept. And they do last forever! I cut one off after maybe five years recently, and then I got another one about a year ago.
Norma Kamali Elephant Stretch Pants (currently on sale!): These are a good everyday pant. I think they're made for a slightly taller person, so I did have to get them altered. I wear them when I travel, and I have a little tank from them too. It's just effortless, easy, really comfy. Feels like sweats, but it's not!
Apotheke Hand Sanitizer. Here's an annoying one—I bought this hand sanitizer in Japan that smells like oud and rose. To me, it smells like a delicious-smelling mosque. It smells religious in a really comforting way. They carry some of their products in America—the sanitizer has not yet made it, but I'm praying for it. Or I'm gonna start an import/export business of just the sanitizer.
Thank you to the incredible Roya Shariat for stopping by to share her picks—I am forever in awe of her, and so grateful to call her a friend! You can find her on her personal Instagram, her cookbook Instagram, and on TikTok, and you can hear more from her in said cookbook, as well as in her newsletter Consumed!
More good things coming your way so very soon! Thank you all so much for being here!
It's retinol. With an o.