Q: Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company?
A: I grew up in a New York suburb with my two brothers and two sisters. I’ve always had a love for makeup. When I was probably no older than five-years-old, I decided to make up my younger sister’s Holly Hobby doll. I snuck some of my mom's makeup and gave Holly a brand new look. Years later when I was in junior high, I was still very much into makeup. I’d have makeovers with both of my sisters and my best friend.
In addition to playing with makeup, I also enjoyed all types of sports, especially soccer.
Q: What process did you follow to determine your product’s marketability?
A: From the beginning, I wanted to create makeup that I would use and carry around with me. I’m not a makeup artist and I don’t have a lot of time to fuss over things. I thought about my needs: easy-to-use products, healthy ingredients and chic packaging.
I also thought about innovative products that weren’t on the market. That led me to develop our first product: cheek stain. I designed it to be a modern alternative to the traditional stains that streaked, were alcohol based, dried very quickly and were generally difficult to use. Our gel-based, push-up blush stick became an instant success and continues to be our best-selling product. It’s about filling a gap and then taking it to the next level.
Q: What process did you follow to develop your cosmetics? Did you work with a formulator? How did that process work?
A: We’ve definitely refined our process over the years as the brand has grown. We have a series of questions we ask ourselves when considering a new product launch—the main focus is whether the packaging is aspirational /fashion forward and is it comprised of healthy natural ingredients. Then we make sure it’s easy to use.
Q: Are there compliance issues / FDA standards to meet?
A: Yes—I work with my product development and graphics team to ensure that we stay on top of the recent developments. We’re always checking in with our vendors and reading the latest trade magazines to ensure we have the latest information.
