Anyone heard of these products? Just tried them and I think they are really good! (got the Perfectly Amazing kit and bought the Velvet Brush and the lip gloss) I will probably order more from them.
http://amazingcosmetics.comHollywood's Secret WeaponBy Kristine Blenkhorn Rodriguez
February 10, 2008
When Beyonce, Brooke Shields or Demi Moore has something to hide, Sue Katz and Lisa Thurman step in.
Since starting their company in 2000, the co-founders of Amazing Cosmetics have helped some very famous faces ( Calista Flockhart, Nicole Kidman and Heidi Klum, to name a few others) conceal everything from blemishes to age spots with their Amazing Concealer.
What started as a small business with $7,000 in seed money has blossomed into a multimillion-dollar cosmetics line that has Hollywood's glitterati raving, with screen credits that include "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Sex and the City."
It all began on stationary bikes at the gym, as two suburban friends talked of combining their talents. Katz, a former stockbroker and Lancome makeup artist, and Thurman, a former retail manager and restaurant owner, wanted something for themselves as their children reached school age.
"We're not ones to go out to lunch and go shopping every day," Katz said. "I was working part time to give me a reason to wash my hair and talk to grownups. I wanted real goals again."
In 2000, the two started Amazing Cosmetics, launching their now famous concealer. They followed with bronzers, lipsticks and more.
The owners knew the quickest way to advance their product was to let some big names do it for them. Rather than approaching celebrities directly, Katz and Thurman targeted celebrity makeup artists, working through large agencies that provide stars with freelance makeup professionals.
Terri Apanasewicz, a makeup artist with the Cloutier Agency, introduced Laura Dern to the Amazing Concealer, powder set and Velvet mineral powder foundation. Dern loved the products and took them with her on a trip to New York, said Apanasewicz. While there, Dern ran into Courteney Cox Arquette and Isabella Rossellini. Each commented on Dern's flawless skin. Out came the products. "Word gets out the way it does between any group of female friends or acquaintances," says Apanasewicz. "Women share beauty secrets. At least, the nice ones do."
Apanasewicz says the products have truly amazing staying power. "I used them on Megan Mullally for her talk show and rarely needed to touch up even after incredibly long days."
Apanasewicz has seen the makeup survive the steam treatments that many rock stars do before a show to preserve and prime their voice: "You put it on and it just stays put."
Amazing Cosmetics opened its first brick-and-mortar store Feb. 1 in its hometown of Libertyville. Designed by Chicagoan and Bravo's "Top Design" winner Matt Lorenz, the boutique offers not only the company's full line but also hard-to-find celebrity favorites. "We read In Style and other fashion magazines like a lot of women," Katz says. "And in the suburbs of Chicago, it's hard to find a celeb's favorite candle or jewelry that you've read about. We want to give women the 'ooh' experience you can have while shopping in L.A. on Melrose, etc., but here in their own back yard."
Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, actress and wife of tennis star Pete Sampras, swears by Amazing Cosmetics.
"The concealer lasts forever and a drop does everything you want it to do," she says. "And the bronzer is the only one I use."
But, part of the appeal is the women behind the brand, she said.
"Many times you may love a product but when you meet its creators, they're lukewarm and your enthusiasm wanes," says Wilson-Sampras. "Not in this case. I call these women the Amazing Ladies."
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With believers like these ...
Marisa Miller, Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model
Uses: Amazing Concealer, powder set, Velvet mineral powder foundation, saying. "I generally don't like to wear a lot of makeup. I hate wearing foundation. But, when I put on the Amazing Concealer and the Velvet mineral powder, it's so sheer yet so full coverage that I don't feel like I have makeup on."
