One of my first toys was a tube of lipstick.
As a child, I lived with my grandmother who owned a perfumery in Berlin. Filled with beautiful bottles, colors, and scents, it was my Disneyland. I spent my days with grown-up women and watched how much fun they had with makeup, how happy it made them feel. It was an endless beauty party that I never wanted to leave.
I feel so blessed to have known what I wanted from a young age.
My first building block was at a company started by a woman but led by men. The men called the shots, but the women got the job done. My dream was to start a cosmetics company and lead it with women.
How did I do it? Part luck, part grit, and a whole lot of passionate planning. I was blessed again at the beginning of my career to meet the love of my life, a renowned New York City dermatologist, Dr. Ronald Sherman. He was my biggest fan and supported every idea I ever had. I know how lucky I was.
The first big idea came when I was working as a makeup artist and realized that easy makeup-application tools didn’t exist. So I made my own, cutting art-store paintbrushes into shapes that made it easy to get great results. I took the prototypes to a manufacturer and, one step at a time, had them crafted by the best of the best. After a joyful, painstaking process of getting everything right, I incorporated Trish McEvoy Beauty, placed a stamp-size ad in Vogue, and watched the orders flood in. The success of this experience gave me confidence in my vision: Maybe I am seeing something no one else has seen. Never doubt your ability to Be a First.
HOW DID I DO IT? PART LUCK, PART GRIT, AND A WHOLE LOT OF PASSIONATE PLANNING.
My husband’s and my next idea was to join forces! We opened the first medi-spa to offer dermatology and makeup services under one roof. Then retailers began asking to sell my makeup. After turning down many offers, I assembled my dream team and entered my first store, Henri Bendel, on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The first year, we beat our sales goal by five times over! This success taught me the value of waiting to strike until the iron is really hot. Of trusting my gut and always being willing to walk away. Of the all-importance of a great team. Because you can’t do anything alone.
Apart from my husband, a handful of wonderful men on my corporate team, and brilliant artists on my sales force, most of my key players over the years have been women. Women who live and breathe the thrill of makeup, from the fun of playing with color to the emotional power of conquering a flaw and turning self-criticism into confidence. Women who know that if you love what you do, you never really work a day in your life. Who support one another. Who are passionate about the power of beauty, push themselves to be the best, and care about passing the torch to others—teaching women the daily high of being their own beauty experts.
I had a dream to live a life of makeup and sisterhood. I stuck to my dream, and to this day, I have never stopped working to keep it alive. Makeup gave me not only a career but also a husband, my best friends, and my chosen family—my team.
If you have a dream, don’t waste a second before chasing it. You are the one and only architect of your life, and the sooner you start planning and building, the sooner you will enjoy a life you love.