When Your Favorite Product Disappears with Tricia Caliola: Ep 46
Highlights from the episode:
The surprising reality of discontinued beauty products
How confidence shows up in unexpected ways
How an online community formed around one missing item
What it feels like to walk away without closure
The connection between appearance and identity
Podcast show notes:
What happens when something you’ve relied on for decades suddenly disappears? For Tricia Caliola, it was her signature pink hair color. A specific shade she had worn for over 20 years, something that made her feel like herself.
When her favorite product was discontinued, she didn’t just accept it. She went looking for answers. And that’s where this story takes a turn.
In this episode, Tricia walks us through the journey that followed and that continues to this day. It’s an adventure filled with dead ends, determination, and moments that honestly feel more like a detective story than a beauty trip. But at its core, this journey is about something much bigger.
It’s about identity. It’s about confidence. And about the quiet ways we build ourselves over time.
What You’ll Hear:
How Tricia’s signature look became part of her identity (11:50)
Testing every alternative on the market (16:44)
The investigation into what happened (19:45)
Starting over and building something new (30:28)
The sacrifices behind chasing something this personal (39:17)
This episode is a reminder that sometimes the things we chase aren’t really about the thing itself. They’re about how it makes us feel. And sometimes, that’s worth everything.
If you’re loving TNOTY, be sure to subscribe to the show, and share this episode with a friend.
Connect with Tricia Caliola
Check out more from Tricia Caliola on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/triciacaliolamua/
Check out the images below to see a glimpse into Tricia’s hair dye journey since she started trying to find a replacement for her old faithful pink hair dye.
Be sure to subscribe to Things No One Tells You—Lindsay’s podcast all about the real, unfiltered conversations we don’t always have but should. From big names to everyday voices, each episode dives into the moments that shape us. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow along with Lindsay below!
Full Transcript
[00:00:00] Tricia: So I spent the entire year devastated, and I emailed the company with this long,detailed email just telling them how much I miss them and how they are ever gonna come back and what happened? And I got no response.
[00:00:18] Lindsay: No response. No response. Why,at that moment,was it so important? Why is this much more than hair dye?
[00:00:31] Tricia: I didn't feel like myself. And when you look your best, y- when you feel your best, you look your best.
[00:00:37] Lindsay: Hey guys, welcome to another episode of Things No One Tells You. Okay, I've gotta give you the backstory on this one, and we're just gonna get right into it. So when I worked at ESPN, if you've ever been lucky enough to work somewhere where you know, get hair and makeup done, you kind of understand how that works.
[00:00:53] There will sometimes be several people who work in that department. And one of my favorite times at ESPN before the show was when you go, and you sit in the makeup chair, and you're, you know, getting all glammed. And it really is part of the process that gets you calm, that gets you ready, and inevitably the person that you are working with who is doing your hair and then the person also doing your makeup, I mean, that really matters.
[00:01:19] Not only because of how good they are at what they do, but because of how they learn to understand the things that make you feel most likely yourself, but also their demeanor, right? Especially when you're getting ready to go host a live show or like host an event, you really, oftentimes they become your closest friends because not only is it sort of like the hair salon mentality, it, where, you know, you have time and you're able to just like be in one place and really talk, but also they're people that really get to know you on a different level.
[00:01:49] So I say all this because I still get my hair highlighted from my good friend, Melexi Torres, who I worked with at ESPN, because she is hands down the best hairstylist, hair dyer I have ever worked with. I drive up to her salon because nobody does it like her. She's amazing. And when I was there most recently, I was running a little bit late, and she's like, "Well, sit down.
[00:02:16] I'll get you started before."Actually,she's like someone that you'll know is coming in. It's Tricia. Tricia Caliola Fortin was one of my favorite makeup artists when I was at ESPN. And so she still works the re, and she happened to roll in. She was Milexi's next appointment. I hadn't seen Tricia in almost 10 years.
[00:02:33] And so she comes in, sits down. She is always such an amazing energy. That's what I remembered about her. But she looks phenomenal. And she, what always made Tricia stand out besides just her bubbly, energetic personality, is that Tricia has this amazing, memorable, black, and extremely vibrant neon pink hairstyle.
[00:02:55] So that is always what I think about when I think of Tricia. And she walks in the door that day in Melexi's salon, and it's exactly how she, how her hair was. Little did I know, there is this entire backstory,y and all it took was Melexi saying, "Tricia, how are you? " Oh, and asking her about how it was going,t I find out that she has been on this mission because of her hair dye being discontinued.
[00:03:21] I knew within the span of two minutes talking about this with Tricia that I had to bring her here to talk to me in this community because I knew you guys were going to, if not relate to the hair piece of this, absolutely be able to relate to the thought of somebody losing something that makes them feel like themselves and also the lengths that you will go to hold onto that.
[00:03:44] It's about confidence. This is about super sleuth investigative journalism skills that I love that really relate to me, that I did not know Tricia had, but really, this is just about being your most authentic self and the lengths that you'll go to do that. Tricia, I'm so excited to share your story and talk to you.
[00:04:05] And it's so good to see you. It's so crazy that it had literally been like nine years. Could that be possible?
[00:04:12] Tricia: It's possible. It's been that long, pre-pandemic. Too long.
[00:04:16] Lindsay: Right. Too long. I, too, am long. Way too long. okay. So I can't wait to share just everything that I heard you talking about.
[00:04:23] But first, I wanna give people a perspective. So just to set the stage, I think it's fair to say, like, when you work at a place where you're lucky enough to get hair and makeup done, like, you kind of have your favorite people that you're hoping you walk in and they're the ones that are there that day, if it's like a rotating.
[00:04:39] Yeah. Do you know what I mean? But-
[00:04:40] Tricia: Oh,
[00:04:41] Lindsay: Yeah... You were definitely one of those for me. I mean, that was, those times were so much fun.
[00:04:46] Tricia: Thank you. They were so much fun. They really were.
[00:04:49] Lindsay: Right? And it's wild. And I know, like, and oftentimes I'll think about, like, oh, you know, you wanna ... I know, like, everyone wants to have a certain amount of time to do the thing that they do, but you guys were always so great too if I was, like, running in hot.
[00:05:02] You know what I mean? Like, you gotta be running the set.
[00:05:04] Tricia: You'd be like, "All right, breaking news. I have 15 minutes."
[00:05:08] Lindsay: Right. What can we do? I know. Yes. I know. Tricia, can you explain what it is that you do for a living?
[00:05:15] Tricia: Yeah. So I'm a professional makeup artist. I do makeup for weddings. I do makeup for television, such as ESPN, and commercials for different banks in the state.
[00:05:27] I do makeup for singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb, whenever she's in town. Ah. I know, so fun. Yeah, I do makeup for prom, which I'm doing some prom makeup later today. So fun. So fun. All different types of events, television, and music, all different musicians, all different things.
[00:05:49] Lindsay: W- how would you describe what it's like, like the lifestyle of a makeup artist?
[00:05:53], love being around. So, like, I just feel like it's been a job that fascinates me because it's just people are so dependent on you and what you do, for exactly what we're gonna talk about in this episode, just like feeling like yourself, being your best self, you know, how would you describe what it's like?
[00:06:10] Tricia: It's awesome. It's really, it's amazing. Like, I get paid to make people feel and look beautiful. Like, it's very rewarding, honestly, especially when I do, like, weddings to look back and either be a part of somebody's day when they're getting married, and then they hire me when they're having a baby, and then their friends are at the party, and then they're getting married.
[00:06:29] So I make all of these connections for years and years with different people, and they're, and it's so fun. Like, it's really so fun, and it's fun to try different makeup lines, and it's been a very long journey, and I'm really grateful, but overall, it's very cool.
[00:06:46] Lindsay: Do you like it when people sit in your chair and say, like, "Hey, I, the, I'm so annoying about my eyebrows."
[00:06:54] Like, that is, like, one of my things, and I know sometimes they, by other people's standards, they probably look horrible, but there's a certain way I have to have them to make myself feel like myself. Yeah. So, I've often wondered, do makeup artists find it annoying when people say, like, "Hey, here's one thing," or do you like that?
[00:07:14] Tricia: I like that. Really? I like that. Yeah. And sometimes I would rather them just do it themselves, only because I know how particular I am with my hair, and I would rather do it myself than make somebody fuss and stress out and tell them they're not doing it the right way, or I would rather. Yeah. So yes, I like that.
[00:07:35] Lindsay: Good note. I love it. So how, like, how would you describe life at, like, since that time? I know you're still working at ESPN, and you're also working at other places doing makeup. What have you been up to?
[00:07:48] Tricia: I have been working on myself. I've been working on my fitness. I've been working on my mental health.
[00:07:56] I've been working on my hair dye adventure.
[00:08:00] Lindsay: Yeah. Yeah. But I love that. Also, I just wanna point out, I love that when you share, like, what your routine is with when you go to bed because you wake up super early. Why do you get up so early? You, is that like for work or is that your life routine?
[00:08:15] Tricia: It's been routine since the pandemic to work out. I get up every morning super early to work out, yes.
[00:08:23] Lindsay: 5:30?
[00:08:23] Tricia: Five, five o'clock every morning.
[00:08:26] Lindsay: So what kind of changes have you made in your life to make that happen?
[00:08:29] Tricia: Going to bed very early.
[00:08:33] Lindsay: And what did you have to like ... I mean, was that a big change?
[00:08:37] Tricia: It was a big change because I was going to bed at all different hours, and I was working out, but I wasn't working out consistently.
[00:08:44] I wasn't working out five days a week. I wasn't doing all the things. And since the pandemic, I've really... It's been routine, and it's my life. And I have very big boundaries with going to bed early, shutting my phone off at a certain time, and getting up early.
[00:08:59] Lindsay: What was your, what was the catalyst for that?
[00:09:03] What was the event that started it, even if it was during the pandemic?
[00:09:07] Tricia: It was having the time to take care of myself. Or before, I was working. I was working so much, and now I finally had time because ESPN was closed, my weddings were canceled, and I was home. So I had the time, and I'm like, my wife was getting up very early.
[00:09:24] She was in construction. She was essential. So we were getting up, and I was helping her get ready for work, and then she left, and then I had the whole day, so I just became this routine where I just got up early and worked out.
[00:09:36] Lindsay: What's awesome, though, is that it can really go either way. As I can see, I'm sure some people, you know, with that new time, so like what did you discover as you started to do that?
[00:09:45] 'Cause I think that's really helpful for people who are watching and listening.
[00:09:50] Tricia: It was a lot of meal prepping. I eat a very paleo lifestyle, so I don't eat a lot of carbs, bread, or dairy, and then just do a lot of circuit training at home. I built a built-in gym during the pandemic in my basement.
[00:10:07] So we were on it. We were on it, and then I lost 60 pounds during the time when a lot of people were gaining weight. I was at home losing weight and working on myself and, you know, having that time for once. For once, I never had that time where I was able to really focus on myself.
[00:10:24] Lindsay: Wow. This really opens up a lot of questions, and I wasn't planning on going this direction, but I think part of the reason I really wanted to talk to you and have you on the pod and share the story that you shared about the hair dye journey is that, you know, we talked about the fact of self-worth, but also identity.
[00:10:43] And so now that you're talking about that, what was it like for you after the pandemic when people would see you for the first time? And you just said you lost 60 pounds, you, you know?
[00:10:53] Tricia: It was crazy because I had lived in this body for three years. So like, by the time I started seeing people, I'd already lived in this body.
[00:11:02] So it was wild. Like I would see people at ESPN and they'd say, "Oh my God, you look amazing." And I'm like, "Thank you. I'm so beautiful, but I've already lived this life for so long now that it just seemed like I was in my regular body." So it was really cool. Oh. It was really cool.
[00:11:19] Lindsay: Okay. So before we start getting into this story, this detective story is another way that you can classify this, which I love.
[00:11:28] Talk to me, Tricia, about identity and your hair. Like, what is the reality of what you feel that is for you? Because I also think that is something that has to be unpacked, and I know everyone who is listening or watching can relate to that with something having to do with them, their sense of self.
[00:11:50] Tricia: Yes. So my hair color is so important to me. I have been inspired by Jem and the Holograms growing up in the 80s, it was Rainbow Bright, Jem and the Holograms, Zubuli zoo.
[00:12:01] Lindsay: Truly outrageous.
[00:12:02] Tricia: Truly outrageous. So when I was about 11 or 12, I started dying my hair with Kool-Aid, and it was this thing. You would take a Kool-Aid packet with water, and I would sit there watching Save By the Bell, and I'd be dipping strands up, you know, fruit punch.
[00:12:18] So that was my first, like, oh, what is this? I need some color.
[00:12:21] Lindsay: Did it work?
[00:12:21] Tricia: Would it work? It did. It did work. It did work. So then I went down to the local mall, and I found this Paradigm brand, and I started buying all of their shades, and I was 13, and I started just doing the front, my bangs, a couple pieces in the front, little by little at 13, 14 years old.
[00:12:43] And then I just, it was 2004, I was turning 21, and I decided to do my whole head pink, for the first time, my whole head. And I just felt like myself, like, I'm here, this is it. I did. I felt 1000% like this is my color. I don't know. I was just one of those things. So from 2004 to 2019, I brought the same exact pink shade. Every four weeks, I get my hair done.
[00:13:17] Lindsay: And for our conversation, the brand is very specific, even when we were talking, in the salon, you were calling it old Faithful. Yeah. So that is how we're gonna reference what that brand shade was, Old Faithful,
[00:13:34] Tricia: Old Faithful. So Old Faithful got me through. It got me through a long time, and people would, you know, often say to me, "What would happen if that brand was discontinued?"
[00:13:43] And I would say, "Don't ever speak those words. It's never gonna happen." You know, because we talk about discontinued items, right, in the beauty industry, whether it's perfume or hair, you know, hair supplies or makeup, when you use something, right, that you love that works for you, and then it's discontinued, it's heartbreaking.
[00:14:01] It is so heartbreaking. So I would always tell people, "Don't even speak those words. I don't wanna, I don't wanna hear it. " And then that day came, and it was December 2019, right before the pandemic. I couldn't get them, I couldn't find them, I couldn't find them on Amazon, I couldn't find them in store, so I called.
[00:14:20] Lindsay: Like all of a sudden, just Old Faithful was no longer?
[00:14:23] Tricia: It was no longer, but it had been, for a few years, and it became very tricky to find.
[00:14:29] Lindsay: Okay.
[00:14:29] Tricia: It was, yeah, it wasn't as easy as it was, so I would stock up, but then it was nowhere. Nobody had it.
[00:14:36] Lindsay: So are people at stores where you were buying saying like, "Oh, we're just not getting it in, or we're not getting as much as we used to?
[00:14:43] Like who knew, like how were you hearing that you thought like, this is actually gonna be discontinued?"
[00:14:50] Tricia: Because I would buy it at Ricky's NYC, and they stopped carrying it. Just was like, "Oh, we don't get it in it anymore. I don't know what happened." Or the store of a New York Trash in Vaudeville, same thing, just, it just, nobody kind of knew.
[00:15:03] Nobody knew, just, you know, I don't know. We didn't get any more shipments. In December 2019, I called the company directly. I was at ESPN that day, and they s- I was. I was in the makeup room, and I called, and I couldn't believe that they said, "We're closing. We're closing our doors. Whatever's out there is what's out there.
[00:15:23] Good luck."
[00:15:24] Lindsay: And that was the company, the brand?
[00:15:26] Tricia: And that was the company, yeah.
[00:15:28] Lindsay: Okay. And your reaction was?
[00:15:32] Tricia: How did they not notify me? I've been a, I've been a customer for, I mean, 25 years. How, why didn't you tell me? How come nobody called me? Like, I was devastated. Why? And I had no answer. They were just closing.
[00:15:47] That's it. And good luck. Whatever you can get is what you can get.
[00:15:51] Lindsay: I wonder if it's the same feeling that I had the day I found out New Kids on the Block were separating. And I remember that feeling because I was at my best friend Kathryn's house, we had no social media, we saw something in it, I swear it might have been like some magazine, maybe it was People, maybe it was like 17 or YM, and we were, we took this magazine and were crying on her bed, crying, just crying.
[00:16:18] Like, how could they do this? Anyway, that was a total sidebar, but that's heartbreaking.
[00:16:23] Tricia: I mean,
[00:16:23] Lindsay: It's just someone- It is heartbreaking.
[00:16:24] Tricia: Yes.
[00:16:26] Lindsay: But so, okay. And also, for a moment, pink, like, your hair is amazing. It is beautiful. It is what I remember about you from our time together at ESPN. But can't you just, like, why couldn't you just be like, "Well, I'll just find another pink." Why?
[00:16:44] Tricia: Well, so then the lockdown happened two months after. So I had the time to now buy every pink on the market because I had no more Old Faithful. So I decided to become a chemist myself, and I made this little hair dye chart of all these different brands that I was using at the time, all these different brands.
[00:17:03] And I was mixing and I was looking for longevity, but also the shade, and I had all of this downtime, right? I'm not working.
[00:17:11] Lindsay: And also, a reminder here, she's a professional makeup artist, like legit, so truly has these skills that are aligned with chemistry and just the eye. So anyway, just interjecting. Keep going.
[00:17:25] Tricia: Thank you. So I had the time to figure out, you know, what brands have been out for the past 25 years,s and let me try them. So I did. I tried all the brands, and nothing stayed. I was either too pink, I was baby pink, I was purplely pink, I was blonde because it washed out in two washes. So I spent the entire year devastated, and I emailed the company with this long, detailed email just telling them how much I miss them and how they are ever gonna come back.
[00:18:00] And I got no response.
[00:18:03] Lindsay: No response.
[00:18:04] Tricia: No response. No response.
[00:18:06] Lindsay: Why at that moment was it so important? Like why? Can you explain just why this is much more than hair dye?
[00:18:20] Tricia: I didn't feel like myself. And when you look your best, y- when you feel your best, you look your best, I feel like. I feel like I didn't ... I look like a designer imposter.
[00:18:32] I felt. Like I just, I feel, I didn't feel like I was Jemming the holograms anymore. I felt like,
[00:18:42] like I looked sad. I don't know. It just looked so sad to me. I just didn't ... It really affected me a lot.
[00:18:51] Lindsay: And you know how it's like beauty's in the eye of the beholder, right? Like I, I guarantee so many people would never have known, maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like, because you're just, it's such a bold, vibrant, beautiful color, right?
[00:19:05] But I think that means, and it says so much that it's like you don't, you have to feel like yourself. What was Kim's response? Kim is Tricia's wife.
[00:19:16] Tricia: She could see my struggle. She saw me slapping on 10 different shades for hours. I would sit in the house for hours just to see if it would last longer after I washed it, and it wouldn't.
[00:19:28] And she saw I was not only devastated, but I was upset, I was angry, I was sad. It was all the emotions. She just felt bad for me. And she just said, " Keep digging. See what you can find. What's going on with the company?"
[00:19:45] Lindsay: So this is when it really turns into an investigation.
[00:19:49] Tricia: Yes.
[00:19:49] Lindsay: So what happened next?
[00:19:51] Tricia: So it was... Well, between 2020 and 2023, there was some time where I was mixing, I was doing this and that. I did find someone selling them on Etsy ... No, it was eBay. Someone was selling them on eBay, a girl from England, nine bottles. I purchased all nine bottles. So I did have, I had a girl from England.
[00:20:16] Lindsay: Was selling them on eBay?
[00:20:17] Tricia: Yes.
[00:20:17] Lindsay: In England.
[00:20:18] Tricia: Yes. So I had a cushion. I had a cushion now. So once I revamped my hair with the first bottle, I felt like it's Showtime synergy. Like I was ready to take on the world. It wa, amazing. It was the best news ever. So I had the secret stash of all of these bottles that I had to, you know, only use sparingly because it was a, you know, small amount.
[00:20:40] So that was from 2020 to 2023. But in the meantime, I was really ... I kept thinking about this company. Like it, it really kind of started to eat at my soul as to what happened. And it wasn't just me, it was other people, people on Reddit, people on social media asking the same questions, as to like, "What happened?
[00:21:03] This was the best dye on the market, you know, does anybody know anything?" And it was always the same thing, like nobody knew what happened. So at that point.
[00:21:13] Lindsay: You were building a community. Like that was- Oh yes. What, tell me more about that community.
[00:21:18] Tricia: So, I mean, I have, I mean, it's, like, an endless amount.
[00:21:24] What are those? people talking about hair dye, I mean, it's pages and pages. And it goes all the way up until April 2026, as of Wow. Yes. So, six and a half years, I'll be on Reddit at 3:00 AM digging, and people are still, I mean, there's, the threads are, they're endless threads, they're endless threads of people talking about this hair dye.
[00:21:49] So I knew it wasn't just me.
[00:21:51] Lindsay: Like, how many people are you talking to?
[00:21:54] Tricia: Hundreds. Hundreds of people are talking about this hair dye. Wow.
[00:21:58] Lindsay: Okay.
[00:21:58] Tricia: Yes. So my God, okay, it's not just me. You know, you start to question like, " Am I cracking up? Am I crazy? No, this was. Like I, I would do my hair with this, you know, expired hair dye bottle, right?
[00:22:11] And it would just look amazing. And I'm like, no, it really is perfection. Yeah, I know it is. And so do all of these other people. So at that point, I decided to write the owner a handwritten letter. I wrote them a letter, and I received a phone call back from a family member. It was a very nice conversation, but they just were not interested.
[00:22:35] I wanted to talk to them about selling the formulas, what happened to the company, and they were not interested at all.
[00:22:42] Lindsay: Cause at this point, you're thinking, let me just get the formula so that I can recreate this hair dye, and then you're going to not only benefit from it yourself, but also all of these people, like you were just trying to keep this thing going.
[00:22:55] Okay, keep going.
[00:22:55] Tricia: Yeah, like these amazing products, right? Like they know they're the best, yet they're not interested in either bringing it back or selling the formulas. So it wasn't good enough for me. It kept me up all night, every night. Like it, it was, it's crazy. It's crazy. So I decided to hire a private investigator because I still didn't understand why I couldn't speak to the owner.
[00:23:22] Lindsay: And when you said this in the hair salon with Milexi, I was like, "No, she didn't." And she's like, "Yes, she did." And this is where ... Wow.
[00:23:30] Tricia: I did. I did because I'm a Sagittarius. I'm a truth teller, like a truth seeker. I need to know the answer. I need to know what happened. I can go to sleep at night with faded pink hair and not wonder what happened to this magical hair dye that I used for over 20 years.
[00:23:49] I can't. So I hired a private investigator, and he says that the owners are at the warehouse, but when I call the warehouse, the number is
[00:24:01] Lindsay: Where's the warehouse?
[00:24:03] Tricia: The warehouse is in Florida.
[00:24:06] Lindsay: Okay.
[00:24:07] Tricia: The number's out of service.
[00:24:09] Lindsay: How'd you call the warehouse? You just looked it up?
[00:24:12] Tricia: Yeah, I just looked up the number to the warehouse, and it would be out of service.
[00:24:16] So then I started calling places that were in the surrounding area, and nobody knew anything, so strange. So that's when I decided it was time to go to Florida. So two months later, my wife, with her full support, we both went to Florida together, and we went to the warehouse so I could talk to the owner about the company and-
[00:24:41] Lindsay: I think the part of the reason that I was, became so hooked by this too, is that I really can relate to this because also you're now a journalist and like you're, so you're an investigator, you're a journalist, but like when you talked about like, do I feel crazy, there have been times that I have done things that I knew I
[00:25:02] The only way to find the thing or to maybe get the person to share information and talk to you is to go and show up in person. And I really believe that. And I think that sometimes it yields nothing, but you're never gonna know if you don't try. And sometimes just showing up.
[00:25:19] Tricia: Yes...
[00:25:20] Lindsay: Is what matters, right?
[00:25:21] Tricia: Yes.
[00:25:22] Lindsay: Carry on.
[00:25:23] Tricia: Yes. So I showed up, we showed up together,r and it was closed. The business was empty inside. It was nothing. There was nothing inside. The door was locked, empty. So we went next door, and a person was selling model trains with these giant pet iguanas and cages. Very strange, and we asked the person if- ... If he knew anything.
[00:25:49] Lindsay: What were you thinking when you saw this?
[00:25:53] Tricia: It's so Florida. This is so Florida. This is so like, it's really, this is so Florida, and what is happening, and how does nobody know anything? Nope, like nobody knows anything. So I asked him if he knew ... All he knew is it was a beauty industry that they left two weeks ago.
[00:26:11] That's all he knew.
[00:26:14] Lindsay: Whoa.
[00:26:15] Tricia: Yes.
[00:26:16] Lindsay: So did you feel deflated at that moment? Is it like-
[00:26:19] Tricia: I did.
[00:26:19] Lindsay: You show up to meet the wizard, and he's not there.
[00:26:21] Tricia: And he's not there.
[00:26:25] Lindsay: So what'd you do?
[00:26:26] Tricia: So we reevaluated over some French fries and cocktails, and we decided to go to his house because I needed to know. I went all the way to Florida.
[00:26:37] I needed to know what happened. I wasn't, no, I needed to know.
[00:26:42] Lindsay: So you're like, "Okay, we're gonna do the safe, brave thing and just basically go and see if he would talk to you? " Like, is that what you were thinking?
[00:26:51] Tricia: Yes. So we bought a plant. Of course, I had to have, you know, pink petals on it because I didn't wanna show up empty-handed.
[00:26:58] Lindsay: So you go to the neighborhood.
[00:27:01] Tricia: Yes, we went to the neighborhood, and it was nerve-racking, but I was very determined. It was a beautiful neighborhood, a gated community, but we decided with our plant in hand, my wife and I, you know, we were fortunate enough to be let in, and we got to the doorstep, and the woman that I spoke to originally on the phone was the one who answered the door.
[00:27:24] And her first words to me were, "Oh my God." She just stood there and said, because she knew. She knew who I was already. And I introduced myself and my wife, and I told her, "I got this plant for you. We came from Connecticut, and I'm here to talk to your son about this hair dye line." And she says, "He does not live here."
[00:27:48] And I said, "Well, I, you know, are you still interested in talking? I would love to speak with you. I'm very interested in the formulas and talking to you about the business." And the answer was no. The answer was, "We're not interested."
[00:28:03] Lindsay: No reason? Did she say why?
[00:28:06] Tricia: She didn't say why. She just said, "We're not interested.
00:28:09] Iff anything changes, I still have your letter." So I think.
[00:28:16] Lindsay: She held onto the letter. That says something.
[00:28:18] Tricia: She held onto the letter, and, you know, I was, she was very kind. She was very kind. I was very appreciative of her giving us a few minutes of her time, and I said, " You know, thank you. " And I went on my merry way, and that was the end of that.
[00:28:35] I left with some tears. I left Florida because I still never got to speak to the owner and I never, and to this day, I never found out why.
[00:28:49] Lindsay: Do you feel like, did, in that ti- at that moment, did you feel like, ugh, I'm getting back on a plane, and I don't want to use the word that you failed because you tried, but that like-
[00:29:01] Tricia: Defeated.
[00:29:02] Lindsay: You really thought that the outcome was gonna be different?
[00:29:05] Tricia: I did. I did. I really, truly did. I thought that I would at least have been able to talk to him. By going to his home and a business that I knew he was at, I couldn't believe that I was leaving with no information.
[00:29:18] Lindsay: And even, did you talk to his mom about the possibility of her sharing the formula with you if she had it or not?
[00:29:29] Tricia: I did, and they are just not interested.
[00:29:33] Lindsay: Do you know why?
[00:29:34] Tricia: Do not know. I don't know anything. It's still a mystery. It's still a mystery.
[00:29:40] Lindsay: And we think it's all safe, right, for your hair?
[00:29:44] Tricia: There are a couple of ingredients that are not up to today's standards, but those ingredients can be removed and replaced; the diet itself is fine.
[00:29:57] So I'm not exactly sure why, but I decided to move on after that because I tried. I tried. I went through great lengths to find out what happened with the actual company, and I was really interested in working with them and seeing what we could do together in today's world.
[00:30:19] Lindsay: Okay. So that's not the end.
[00:30:23] Because your quest continued. Yes. And so what's next?
[00:30:28] Tricia: So I decided to work with a chemist in a manufacturing company later on that year. And-
[00:30:36] Lindsay: How'd you find the chemist?
[00:30:38] Tricia: I looked them up. I just started researching different manufacturers and I called,, and they were interested. So I took another flight.
[00:30:46] I went to meet with them. They were all legit. Everything was great. And then, unfortunately, where were they? They were also based in Florida. They were based in Florida, and they were very deceitful. So that did not end well. unfortunately. But I moved on again, and I worked with a business advisor who told me to go back to Florida one more time and go to a global trade show to meet with a chemist there.
[00:31:18] I found a chemist there. There were gonna be tons of people. Oh. So I did. And there were people from everywhere, Turkey, Italy, France, everywhere.
[00:31:28] Lindsay: And what kind of trade show was it?
[00:31:30] Tricia: It's the Cosmoprof Trade show in Miami, Florida.
[00:31:35] Lindsay: Wow.
[00:31:36] Tricia: Yeah. So it's all beauty. It's nails, hair, makeup, skin, you name it.
[00:31:42] It's there. So I met someone there. I met a woman there. And she was the woman. Everybody told me this was the woman you need to speak to.
[00:31:53] Lindsay: Chemist?
[00:31:54] Tricia: Not, yes. A chemist, yes. But not willing to work on my story, but was able to help me find a chemist. But to get hold of this woman was extreme. I called this woman for four months.
[00:32:11] I emailed her four months after I met with her, and it was everything from she's out of the country for 10 days to her voicemail box being full. So every Monday, I would call or email, and this went on for four months. And my wife, it was this ongoing joke that she didn't believe that this woman was real.
[00:32:28] And I was like, "No, she's real. I met her. I'm telling you she's real. I don't know. She's just a busy woman on the go. She's very busy." So one day she did, she magically answered the phone, and she introduced me to the chemist that I've been working with.
[00:32:44] Lindsay: Wait, so when she answered the phone after you're trying and trying- Yeah.
[00:32:48] Take me through that moment.
[00:32:49] Tricia: She apologized. She apologized.
[00:32:51] Lindsay: Take me through that.
[00:32:52] Tricia: Yeah.
[00:32:53] Lindsay: As the phone's ringing, what happened?
[00:32:56] Tricia: So she answered, and I said, "Oh, hello."
[00:32:59] Lindsay: And are you like, "How are you feeling internally?" You're like, "Oh
[00:33:02] Tricia: Yeah, I couldn't believe it. Like, I felt like I won the lottery. Like you answered the phone.
[00:33:06] Oh my God, hello." And I told her who, again, I reminded her, "I met you at this trade show in Miami. This is my story. You told me to reach out to you, and I have been for the past four months." And she was like, "I am so sorry. Please, you know, tell me your story again. I wanna hear everything, so I'll tell her again."
[00:33:26] And, yeah, she's like, "I have somebody for you. Let me call them first just to make sure they're willing to speak with you. " And she did. And she definitely called me back that day. I think she felt bad, but she did. She called me back after we spoke, and yeah, I now have a chemist and a lab that I have worked with since last July.
[00:33:48] So that was a really great find.
[00:33:50] Lindsay: I'm just so proud of you. That's huge. Like that, because that is one of the top women who is an expert across this field, and she puts you in touch with someone who is like ... So you went from working with a group that we think maybe the deceit was trying to steal the whole thing anyway, correct?
[00:34:11] to, to not give up and you're just being so persistent, but getting to the point where you have someone who you know is extremely legit that is actually trying to help work ... Okay, keep going. Sorry.
[00:34:24] Tricia: Yes. So I meet with the lab, and I tell them my story and see if they're interested, and thankfully they are, and they're great.
[00:34:35] I've been working with them. We've done a lot of trial and error. This is the, so on my hair right now is the second batch that we have come across, and Beautiful. Thank you. It is the closest to Old Faithful that I have seen so far on myself, whether it's, you know, this shade, my shades, or, you know, other companies out there, but it, I, you know, it's UV reactive, so I blow in black light.
[00:35:04] It does a couple of things that Old Faithful did that no other brand does. So there are a couple of little tweaks we're still working on, but we're very close.
[00:35:13] Lindsay: Tricia, I mean, when I look at this, it looks to me like your tried and true hair, like Old Faithful. So, just like what isn't the same?
[00:35:23] Tricia: There is no formaldehyde because okay.
[00:35:27] So that's a good thing. It's a great thing. That's a great thing. You know, there are brands out there that still have formaldehyde as well as parabens, which are endocrine disruptors, right? Like someone who, you know, has PCOS, I know how important it is to use things that are not endocrine disruptors, and I'm not having that in my hair dye, and you don't need to have it in there.
[00:35:50] So, it's not the same as Old Faithful. It's gonna be better. It's better than Old Faithful.
[00:35:58] Lindsay: Wait, so, okay, so that's a good thing. What are the things that you wish were more like Old Faithful? 'Cause I can't tell the difference at this point.
[00:36:06] Tricia: The longevity. We're tweaking the longevity still. So with Old Faithful, you could wash your hair in hot water, and it would last, which is very unheard of for a vivid.
[00:36:16] It's always cold or cool water so that it doesn't fade. I never took a cold shower in 25 years, ever. Not once. It's really surprising because when I look at my hair dye chart, and I tried all of these, and I washed my hair in cold water, the majority of them still washed out. With cold water, I'm taking cold showers, and it's still washing out.
[00:36:40] Lindsay: I can't even imagine that. Like having to take a cold shower just to keep your…
[00:36:47] Tricia: The longevity is what we're still tweaking a little bit.
[00:36:51] Lindsay: You also said that it's got a little, like a purple-ish hue on the outline. Yes. I actually think it is radiant. I love that part of it. And when you s- when I saw you in perso,n and I know it hadn't been like freshened up, it's really cool.
[00:37:10] Tricia: Thank you.
[00:37:12] LindsayYeahah. Okay. But so at the salon, when you came in, and I was in the process of foils in my head, and you brought all these things, like you had some ex- like hairpieces- Yeah... but you had your jars of this product. Yeah. Like so,o at this point, do you have Old Faithful left or-
[00:37:30] Tricia: I had half a bottle. I had half a bottle left of Old Faithful, which is not much at all.
[00:37:37] It's not. So it's a very small amount. Yeah. I think I'm close enough at this point that I think I have the shade nailed. It's just really the longevity, but I do have several of their other colors, and my goal is to recreate a majority of the line, especially the ones that people, you know, again, with all of these pages and pages
[00:38:06] and pages and pages and pages, I know what colors were the most popular ones, and I have a lot of the bottles. So just replicating.
[00:38:15] Lindsay: So what are you- Have you told that community that you've gotten this far with what you've created?
[00:38:22] Tricia: I haven't.
[00:38:23] Lindsay: They don't.
[00:38:24] Tricia: I haven't.
[00:38:26] Lindsay: So, do you have a plan? How are you? What's your timetable?
[00:38:30] Tricia: My plan is, well, I'm meeting with a manufacturing company in June, so I am waiting to see what they say. So next month, it's May. So next month, I am eating with a manufacturing company, and the goal is to launch the pink. That's the goal. You know, I'm a self-employed makeup artist, so I don't have a giant amount of funds to recreate and rub, you know, all of these shades in today's world.
[00:39:01] So the goal is to launch the pink and use the funds from the pink to then fund the rest of it.
[00:39:10] Lindsay: Goodness.
[00:39:11] Tricia: Yes.
[00:39:12] Lindsay: This is just, this is such a fascinating story. How much of this has had to be hustled on your part?
[00:39:17] Tricia: So much hustle.
[00:39:18] Lindsay: And I know you're still in it.
[00:39:19] Tricia: So much hustle and so much sacrifice. So much sacrifice. I have sacrificed a lot of vacations, oh my gosh, like just shopping, I don't shop, I don't get my nails done.
[00:39:34] I mean, they're kind of safe pink anyway, but there are so many things that I used to do for myself, I don't because I'm sacrificing to put all of my money towards this.
[00:39:44] Lindsay: Wow. Yes. So I guess when you look back and think about what it is that you've done and the sacrifice and the lengths, like what, has this revealed to you just about the human experience?
[00:39:59] What can you share? What is the thing that no one tells you that you're living in?
[00:40:05] Tricia: It's kind of an out-of-body experience, to be honest. Sometimes I feel like I do these things, such as going to this person's house or calling this woman every Monday for four months, and I'm just in the motion, and then what, after I do it, and I stop, and I reflect on it, and I'm like, "I did that.
[00:40:25] I can't believe I did that. " Like that's so hardcore. Like that's so intense. Like that's really, like nobody I know would do that. That takes a lot of guts to do. And I think that I have these out-of-body experiences, but it's just because I love my hair color so much, and I know other people love their hair color so much,h and I just want everybody to have their hair color again.
[00:40:50] And that's what keeps me motivated.
[00:40:53] Lindsay: It's not just having their hair color, like what is it about, like what has that hair color helped you through at the core of it? What does it represent?
[00:41:03] Tricia: So much. It's like my armor, right? Like I style my hair, and I'm ready to take on the world.
[00:41:11] I don't know. I wish I knew more of the answer to that. I don't know exactly why. I just know, I know that I love it. And it's funny because I have this, this, it's called a compliment scale, and it's something that has started within the past, I would say, like six years. And the amount of compliments I'll get when I have Old Faithful in my hair is endless.
[00:41:36] It's, I can be stuck anywhere by anyone, and it's endless amounts of compliments. And then I try another brand, and I get maybe one, maybe two.
[00:41:47] Lindsay: Really?
[00:41:48] Tricia: Yes. And it's not because I'm fishing for compliments by any means. I'm just, it's just something that I can tell because again, I've had this hair color for 22 years, so I know the compliment scale very well.
[00:41:58] So since I've been wearing this, the compliment scale is, has been, we've been going up, we've been going up in the world. So it's pretty cool to know that people really like it too. And I know, and when I know, I feel that I know right now.
[00:42:15] Lindsay: And maybe, it's also a confidence scale.
[00:42:17] Maybe what people are really seeing is you exuding the confidence of you just being your true self. And it's funny because when we were at Milexi's salon, she, and she, I know she doesn't mind if I say this, but she was telling you, "You are not just pink hair." And so, I was listening to that because I'm like, she was just trying to make the point that, like, you are such an amazing person, it doesn't matter what color your hair is, it doesn't matter if you don't have hair.
[00:42:47] Right, right. It makes me wonder, like, when you were that nine-year-old dip in your hair and Kool-Aid or the, you know, 13-year-old, however you were when you first did it, at that time when you think back, like, were there, was there something that you were trying to put armor on for? What was it that you were battling?
[00:43:09] Tricia: Ooh, that's a deep question. You know, I think it was, I think it was a lot. I never felt like I fit in, especially in my town, where I grew up. I never felt, you know, just brown hair for me just didn't work. It just, I felt like everybody looked the same, and I knew that at a very young age that I didn't feel like I fit the mold, and I think that was the start of many things in my style, and that's where I am today.
[00:43:43] Lindsay: Do you know why? Like, do you know why you felt or what it was that made you feel that way, you know?
[00:43:50] Tricia: Oh, why, do I feel that I didn't fit in? I think everybody was so, like, they were just basic, and there's nothing wrong with that. I just didn't feel like that. I didn't ... And, you know, I live in a city now where there are so many different types of people walking around from so many different backgrounds, and I feel like I fit in.
[00:44:10] So I just, I think I, I don't know what the deep reason is as to why I didn't fit in or why I started dying my hair. I think it's really just a lot of, like, being influenced by 80s cartoons and feeling like it's kind of like my superpower. And it brings people joy. Like, my wife will say to people, even if I don't notice, just like people are smiling when they look at you.
[00:44:32] Like, it brings them such joy when they see your hair. Little kids stop, you know, and they like, you know, "Can I touch your hair?" I'm like the Easter bunny, you know? And it's cute. It's super cute. So I'm just, I'm grateful. It's fun. It's just fun.
[00:44:46] Lindsay: I love that. And I love that it's, that it, is a direct sort of connection to this whole conversation, which is really about confidence and about what makes us feel like ourselves.
[00:45:02] When you mention discontinued items, I think that is something that I've never thought about talking about, but when we first did, I was like, "You're exactly right," because immediately in my head, there were two things that popped up. Number one, this perfume that I was wearing for, like, two years consecutively every day called Bath that was Bobby Brown.
[00:45:25] It was my scent, and I don't care who else smelled it. I just felt like it was myself. And with perfume, you know, now that I have kids, and it's funny, because on occasion, my daughter specifically will be like, "Oh, that smells like you. " And it's like, "Oh, that's nice." But there is confidence. And when that was discontinued, I remember having a conversation at the store where I bought it, and I was like, "Wait, what do you mean?
[00:45:48] Like, are you guys out of it? " And they were like, "No, they discontinued." And I was like, "Whoa, it is crazy how you feel like part of you feels like it's a betrayal." It is. And I was like, "What do you mean?" So, since then, I'm actually saying this out loud for the first time, and it's becoming clear to me how this is exactly what you have just been saying.
[00:46:08] Like, I have been trying to find some version of that fragrance. And then what happened to me in COVID is I lost my sense of smell, and I lost it for a very long time,e and mine became altered. So things don't smell the same to me now. But now, enough time has passed that it's a new memory, so I know what the smells are.
[00:46:27] and it's not that way for everything. Some things have come back, but some things I think will never. And my taste has changed also because smell and taste are so ... Anyway, my point is, I'm sort of, it's created this new door for me, well, maybe that wouldn't smell the same anyway. So now I choose, and I think I found a fragrance that I like, "This might be my forever fragrance now."
[00:46:49] Tricia: You better stock up, though.
[00:46:51] Lindsay: Gotta stock up. Yep.
[00:46:52] Tricia: Got to stock up.
[00:46:53] Lindsay: Truly. Butalsod, there's lipstick. There is a Nars lipstick called Raquel that they just stopped making. And I was like, but this was the thing that I could put on. I didn't care. It was exactly what I needed for my daily life. And, you know, I can mix some stuff and find versions of a similar thing, but it's just not the same.
[00:47:10] It's not the same. So I- There's just so much validity. And then when you bring the conversation about community into it, it's like there's so much behind the fact that we have to feel like ourselves, and just also being yourself is enough. And sometimes yourself is exactly right. It's Jem in the holograms, vivid, bright, pink, and that's enough because it just is.
[00:47:35] I also love Jem and the Holograms. I grew up on that. Aja, the whole thing, like, yep- The whole thing, real I would barter with my mom. I would be good for, like, a certain event and be like, "Can we go to Toys R Us now and get a Jem doll?"
[00:47:49] Tricia: Yes.
[00:47:50] Lindsay: But, okay, so this, your story is not done because you're very much
[00:47:54] I wanna end, I guess, with the fact that you say that you do also want to have closure, right? Yeah. Like, you're still trying to find the formula. Does it matter?
[00:48:07] Tricia: It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. no. I think I've put it to us. I think I've tried every avenue with that, and I'm going my own route now, you know?
[00:48:20] I'm going my own route. I feel very confident that we are extremely close, and I'm just, I'm ready. I'm ready for some investing. Like, I need some investors, Lindsay. Like, let's go, you know?
[00:48:31] Lindsay: Instead of going. All right. Anyone out there who is passionate and can help, I think, is awesome. Thank you.
[00:48:38] This has been awesome.
[00:48:39] Tricia: Thank you.
[00:48:40] Lindsay: Before I let you go, I haven't yet had a chance to ask a professional makeup artist. What is imperative in your daily routine? What can't you live without? What should we be using right now?
[00:48:54] Tricia: I really love this Shantakai rose tint primer. I love it.
[00:49:00] Lindsay: It's for your what?
[00:49:01] Is it for your lips or your teaser?
[00:49:03] Tricia: Nope, it's for my skin. Oh. I'm very dry, and I put it on before I put my makeup on, and it keeps my makeup from separating or moving, and it gives my skin a very beautiful, like, glow underneath my foundation. I love that product. I can't live without that one.
[00:49:23] Lindsay: How do you use it?
[00:49:24] What do you do? Like, you put it?
[00:49:26] Tricia: I put it, so it comes in a little jar and then I use my foundation brush and then I just lightly just, like, just lightly paint it on my skin very lightly. And I'm also into it, I have a couple of Gucci blushes. I have a good friend who works at Macy's who's been hooking me up with a discount, but I've been getting some really pretty Gucci blushes, not just for me, but for my kid, of course.
[00:49:50] I can't live without those right now. And MAC lipstick. I'm still a MAC girl.
[00:49:54] Lindsay: I love MAC.
[00:49:54] Tricia: Tried and true. It's my jam. I love a good MAC.
[00:49:57] Lindsay: I love MAC Captive. Do you use any E.L.F. products?
[00:50:00] Tricia: I don't.
[00:50:02] Lindsay: Okay.
[00:50:02] Tricia: Should I?
[00:50:04] Lindsay: You should try. One of my favorite products is the E.L.F. lip gloss that is, which has a tingly, amazing feeling.
[00:50:13] And I love it because it's also at the same time super creamy. This is an E.L.F. shimmer gloss that I love because it is also sort of like a plumper.
[00:50:25] Tricia: Ooh. Which I find it. Applicator. It's a nice app.
[00:50:27] Lindsay: Yeah. It's really good. It's really ... Yeah. And it's, like, wide. And my daughter tries to steal this from me all the time.
[00:50:34] Tricia: Of course.
[00:50:35] Lindsay: Tricia, it's so good to talk to you and to see you again. And I loved it. I loved running into you. I think that it happened for a reason. I'm so excited for you.
[00:50:43] Tricia: You did.
[00:50:44] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:50:44] Tricia: Thank you so much. It was so good to see you too.
[00:50:47] Lindsay: I know. All right. Well, so best of luck. I know that this is gonna work for you, and I can't wait to hear more of this story, and you're gonna have to come back and tell us.
[00:50:57] Tricia: Of course. Let me know. I will be back.
[00:51:00] Lindsay: Thank you.
[00:51:00] Tricia: Thank you.
[00:51:02] Lindsay: I hope you took something out of that episode. I just, I'm so appreciative of Tricia being so open, but also I, man, I relate to everything she talked about with the 80s and Jem and the Holograms absolutely. But, but really just the notion that you can't settle and relax if you're not getting an answer to something.
[00:51:23] That's something that I've realized along the way that I really struggle with is, like, if you're not getting a no, maybe something's no. Maybe it's not gonna go your way. But if you don't get closure for something, that can be really hard. And especially, you know, in Tricia's example, like, not getting closure on a why is one thing, but also, I am just, I'm really excited to watch her journey and see what she can do.
[00:51:46] And I think that this is supposed to be all part of her story. The fact that she didn't get an answer and doesn't exactly have that formula in her own hands. And now she has a chance to create something that is very much her own, that are maybe the best parts of that, but are really something that she knows through her own experience.
[00:52:04] So thanks for listening and watching. As always, from our whole team here at Things No One Tells You, thanks for being a part of this community, and we would love for you to rate, review, subscribe, and share an episode with a friend. We will see you right back here next week. Thanks so much for joining me.
[00:52:20] I can't wait to see you back here next week. Please don't forget, follow and subscribe to Things No One Tells You. And of course, if you're listening to Apple Podcasts, don't forget to leave a five-star review because that's really what helps people get more listeners. We would love to grow this community.
[00:52:35] We are so grateful that you're a part of it. See you next time.
