MEET THE FOUNDER: NY MAKE UP ARTIST LAURA GELLER
Get to know New York make up artist {Laura Geller} in her natural habitat – a NYC coffee shop, beauty magazines piled high, a hot cup of coffee waiting for her and a muffin in the middle of the table to nibble at while we talk…
{Laura Geller} It would have to be when I was twelve or thirteen years old, growing up in the suburbs of New York City. I had a neighbour whom I was fascinated by. She worked in the cosmetics business, and I was amazed by the way that make up could transform her. I would spend as much time as possible hanging out with her and asking questions about make up - my natural curiosity was peaked! Make up excited me! From that point on, instead of going out with friends, I wanted to spend every spare moment behind the make up counter.
{LG} As a teenager, I was mostly exposed to Yardley Soap and Il Makiage – and then to street and stage make up. It all seemed so vibrant and so avant garde. How could anyone not be enthralled and drawn into this colourful world?!?!
{LG} After years of selling other brands, I was finally able to sell my own product on QVC US in 1997. I was able to take my own learnings from stage and theatre make up and offer a 'contour and highlight' kit to teach others – which is one of my favourite things to do. Taking make up artist theory and finding ways to adapt and simply if for women at home was the best part.
{LG} My philosophy on make up is about enhancement. You don’t need to be fully made up – you just need a little bit of 'tszuj-ing'. Consider the canvas first – start with {Spackle} to lend skin a beautiful, lit-from-within lustre then follow with {Balance-n-Brighten} to blur imperfections and unify uneven tone. With a beautiful base, you can then add blush, shadow and lip colour as desired but remember, the ultimate look should be 'you but better' - if it doesn't look like you, then what's the point?
{LG} First, {Lipstick} is a must – but I treat it more like an accessory than a make up product. Lipstick is probably the only thing I am consistently changing in my make up routine - the girls in the office know, my son, Daniel, knows – I change my lipstick colour everyday – whatever suits my mood and my outfit!
Then most importantly… what I call 'The 3 Es'. I will never, ever leave the house without these. Ever. {Eyeliner}, eyelashes – {DramaLASH} gives some serious separation and volume - and eyebrows. Et voila!
{LG} They’re like all my children - I can’t say I have a favourite! However, if I must pick one, I would probably pick {Spackle} because I almost always use a primer… though I'm also addicted to {Balance-n-Brighten} because it's so versatile - camouflaging, highlighting and unifying skin in just one sweep.
{LG} I believe I find inspiration from “HER” – my customer. I am so dedicated to innovating, not imitating. Finding new, breakthrough products that help women find a new or better way to update their beauty routine. How can I help please “HER” in a way that surprises and delights? For me, it’s more about this than it is about anything else – if I can make “HER” happy with this breakthrough innovation, the trend will follow. I want to be the brand that appeal to women aged 19-99, without exclusion – we have something for everyone.
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...
