There’s a new beauty queen in town.
Alice Kim has managed to parlay dissatisfaction with her puny lashes into the beginnings of an international beauty empire, as founder and president of Elizabeth Mott.
Kim said she went through tube after tube of different mascaras to find one that offered curling and lengthening without smudging or clumping.
Unable to find “the one,” she made do by borrowing a trick from makeup artists and launching the Lash Card in 2009. The sanitary shields are placed between lashes and eyelid while applying mascara, preventing smudging while also separating lashes for longer, fuller and more even results.
Lashes with two coats of It's So Big mascara.
On the strength of the Lash Card, Kim grew confident that her search for the perfect products would resonate with other women, starting with mascara. Thanks to smart partnership with the subscription cosmetic service ipsy, founded by YouTube makeup sensation Michelle Phan, Elizabeth Mott’s It’s So Big mascara ($19.99) became an overnight hit when it debuted last September. It quickly rose to become the No. 2 best-selling mascara on Amazon.com, where it had to compete with such behemoths as L'Oreal and Maybelline.
Newer introductions include three Smooth Shadow gel liner pencils ($14.99) in “Raven,” “Pearl” and “Penny,” which has the sheen of a newly minted copper coin. There are also “pop! goes the shadow” eye shadows ($12.99 each) in “Stars at Night,” a shimmery black; “Champagne,” a highlighter; and “Antique Brass,” a shade to build depth.
I love how the products are as easy to use as promised and work so well together to create a naturally beautiful look. The creamy, rich formulas also have the feel of a luxury brand, though at department store prices.
Kim explained, “I’ve been in stores where you have endless choices so you end up not knowing what you want. With Elizabeth Mott, I tried to come up with desert island favorites. This is what you want to have with you in any situation.”
Admittedly eye-centric because of her own needs, Kim said the next product from Elizabeth Mott, due in a few months, will “have something to do with lips,” with more to come in May 2015.
On Oahu, Elizabeth Mott products can be found at Belle Vie in Waikiki, In My Closet at Kahala Mall and Pearlridge, Etch Salon, the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Khakara Spa, The Spa at Trump Waikiki, Abhasa Spa at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Global Village in Kailua, Beyond Bare at Ala Moana Center and Gara’s Beauty Image in Aiea. The full list of national retailers can be found at www.elizabethmott.com.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instragram and Rebel Mouse.
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