Luxe Beat Magazine SEPTEMBER 2014 | Page 65

Fashion A bout five years ago, I, Maralyn, was introduced to Iredale Mineral Cosmetics when I had a facial in Rockland, Maine. The RN/esthetician did a wonderful job convincing me, I had to try them. After starting out simple, I have increased my use of the product line.. Sherrie is allergic to many cosmetics, so I was eager for her to try these products with their potential for our Luxe Beat reader. However, we wanted to tell you more than our experience, we wanted to share the story of the founder and President of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. So we asked for an interview. Maralyn: How did your interest grow in developing a simple and healthy line of cosmetics? Jane: I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, but along the way I picked up all kinds of unrelated experiences that finally came together to equip me for my present career. I had a career in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, but eventually got showbiz burn-out. What I’d always wanted to do was to be involved with something that would enhance the lives of women and have some healing aspect to it. I’d seen the bad effects of makeup when I worked with actresses and models as a casting director and as a producer, so it suddenly occurred to me that there was a place for makeup that was good for the skin. I’d spent so many years working with women whose careers depended on having a flawless complexion, and the heavy makeup they were using to cover up skin problems was actually aggravating their skin concerns, instead of improving them. I started thinking about a solution – a makeup with true skin care benefits. I have always been interested in fashion, in wellness, in beauty, and in personal expression, so the leap into makeup was a very natural one for me to make. By Maralyn D. Hill & Sherrie Wilkolaski Maralyn: Was it a difficult challenge to develop products that were a combination of foundation, powder, concealer and sunscreen and yet good for the skin? Jane: It has been challenging to stick to our mandate of producing as natural a makeup as possible and at the same time satisfying the consumer who wants variety and innovation. Sometimes it’s really hard to give her what she wants without compromising our formulas.