NEW YORK — Behind the beauty industry’s first $20 makeup sponge are two very determined makeup artists. The duo needs to be driven, seeing that they’re trying to get store placement for an item that usually retails for 16 cents.
But their moxie is paying off. This spring, Beautyblender, a hot pink, teardrop-shaped, rubber makeup applicator — complete with its own pedestal — will be available in Victoria’s Secret’s beauty catalogue, as well as on the Victoria’s Secret Web site. Rea Ann Silva and Veronica Lorenz, the creators of the high-end makeup applicator, are scheduled to debut their item on QVC in April in a six-minute segment, and they’ve hired sales representatives on both coasts, as well as in Chicago, to develop distribution.
Indeed they’re making strides to get noticed, but Beautyblender’s Los Angeles-based parent company, Silenz Beauty Inc., is like many start-ups: Eager to get into doors, but challenged by gaps in the marketplace.
“The application process of makeup is an ignored area. Every brand eventually creates an applicator line, but it is an afterthought. None cater to evolving the tools. We are doing that, and at the same time, providing the consumer with our secrets from film and TV,” said Silva. Their film and TV credits include work on “Lost,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Girlfriends.”
The Beautyblender sponge comes with a plastic pedestal — an alternative to a germ-infested bathroom counter — and an organza bag, a detail they hope will eliminate the “dirty, brown, ugly sponge that was probably supposed to be thrown out months ago” tumbling inside makeup bags.
Privately funded, Silva and Lorenz have poured more than their heart and soul into Beautyblender. But they’re pleased to be able to bring the public an item that they — and their peers — have been using for years.
“The shape of the sponge is not a marketing tool, it is a functional shape,” said Lorenz, explaining that makeup artists usually cut off the sharp edges of traditional, angled sponges to more evenly apply makeup.
“It’s a secret we know, and that all our peers know, but no one has ever thought of it for the masses,” she said. Beautyblender is best used a little damp for any type of cream makeup. “You’ll see your pores and the texture of your own skin — if you want to,” Lorenz said.
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Blendercleanser is also available, for $17.95, to keep the sponge clean. “Women will spend thousands on skin care and cosmetic surgery, but not think twice about rubbing a dirty sponge on their face,” said Silva. The cleanser is soy-based, hypoallergenic and utilizes a fresh fragrance. And, the sponges are recyclable. “They are rubber so they don’t disappear. We found someone who can recycle it into stuffing for stuffed animals or carpet padding,” said Lorenz.
For QVC, the two created a pedestal that can hold two Beautyblender sponges, which will sell for an introductory price of $29.95. They are also using Hollywood connections to get the word out: Product placement in Warner Brothers’ gift bags at the Academy Awards March 5 will likely get Beautyblender in some of Hollywood’s most glamorous hands.