[my] style files
Fashion + Beauty + Skin Care

In December, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alison Raffaele. Immediately, we hit it off. And why wouldn’t we … we both love makeup. We are passionate about helping women enhance their lives. We love the TV show House. We love Hugh Laurie’s character even more. And we were born the same year, 2 months apart! Obviously, I am a big fan of Alison. Her products are simply fantastic!

Alison started her career in 1992 as Head Assistant to Bobbi Brown herself. Soon thereafter, she became Bobbi Brown’s first National Makeup Artist and International Trainer. Alison worked in the lime light - on famous celebrity faces for both print and television media. She was always off on photo shoots. In 1998, her heart pushed her toward finding something truly fulfilling - that would get her closer to products and people again. At the same time, she was on a quest to find the perfect concealer (being obsessed with dark circles). She couldn’t find one, so she created one. After having worked with makeup for so long, she knew how to create products. However, she lacked the business knowledge. There was so much to learn about marketing, design, packaging and engineering. Here is where Alison’s adventure began.

What you may not know is that one product can take over a year to go to market. A ton of research goes into developing the right product. Alison researched incessantly at the New York public business library, looking into contract manufacturing companies. She went through a number of chemists to get the right one. Through her research, she met her husband, Glenn. Glenn’s background as a global packaging engineer provided a key partnership for the business with regard to products and packaging.

Based on two core products, Alison launched her company in 2000 with, the now legendary, True Concealer and Transparent Finish setting powder. Her goal has always been to help every woman become a beauty pro herself, creating their own professional look with confidence and ease.

“It’s miraculous when a product gets to the shelf. People take it for granted. When it’s done right, it appears effortless.”

You may have read about Alison Raffaele’s line in InStyle, Bazaar, Fitness, People, Self, RealSimple, Zink, or one of many others. And you’ve unknowingly seen her work on TV, as television makeup artists love to use her products on actors. HDTV makes it even more important to project a flawless look. Just recently, makeup artists on the set of House (yeah!!) have started using Alison’s products - especially the concealer - saying it’s the best they have ever used. Alison’s products can be found online, in boutiques around and outside of the country and now at Holt Renfrew, a high end department store in Canada.

On making the decision to develop her own line, Alison says

“It’s a leap of insanity. You have to put aside rational thought. It’s not a job or a career. It has to be your life. A commitment. You have to stretch beyond your comfort zone, every day. I embrace the motto - if you do what you love for a living, you aren’t working a day in your life.”

What’s next for Alison? She is relaunching her line this February, with an environmentally responsible focus. It will showcase the new logo and packaging (some recyclable), but more importantly, the fact that her products are now free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oil/petrolatum, talc and fragrances. Also added into the mix is antioxidant enriched Frutta di Vita complex, with three powerhouses - pomegranate, goji berry, and resveratrol.

Visit Alison Raffaele online today at www.alisonraffaele.com.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 12:08 pm and is filed under skin care, beauty. You can follow responses via my RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your site.