When Lisa King ‘88 realized few makeup products worked on her middle-aged skin, she decided to create her own line.
In 2004, King created b-Glowing BEAUTY, a makeup collection for older women based in Portland, Oregon. King said she designed it to make mature women feel more included in the beauty world.
Last week, 59-year-old actress Jamie Lee Curtis modelled the Illuminate + Shine palette and told King she loved it.
In an American Association of Retired Persons article about old age, Curtis challenged the idea that beauty and strength decline as one gets older.
“I want to be a new version of the 70-year-old woman,” Curtis told the reporter. “Vital, strong, very physical, very agile.”
King said she shares the same vision for all women—her makeup line’s motto is “age-embracing beauty.”
“We won’t allow women 35-plus to be ignored or excluded in the beauty community,” King said. “We will continue to push back on the outdated beauty norms.”
One of those norms, she said, is the prevalence of dark eyeshadow palettes for older women. King said her 13 years of working in the makeup marketing industry and her own experience as a 49-year-old consumer inspired the colors featured in her Illuminate + Shine palette.
King worked with Erika D’Amboise, creative director of b-Glowing BEAUTY, to create warm and shimmery colors for the palette. The product went on sale on her site in December 2017 for $85.
“When you’re of a certain age, people tell you to stop wearing shimmer, and [King] was like, ‘This is total BS,’” said D’Amboise.
The bases of the makeup were designed to complement the drier characteristics of older skin, D’Amboise said. Hyaluronic acid and collagen, known to plump and smooth dry skin, were incorporated.
Darren Scala ‘87, who used to work in marketing for Revlon, voiced support for King after she advertised b-Glowing BEAUTY on the Emerson College Mafia page.
Scala said there are visible changes in skin quality as women mature. He said a successful eyeshadow for older skin would require moisturizing qualities that would counteract drier skin.
“We always found that women’s skin needs changed from decade to decade,” Scala said. “You really want creamier formulas that are not going to lay in the creases of the eye. It can’t accentuate any skin flaws.”
Local boutiques and makeup artists are advertising the product. This summer, King said the palette will be featured on a major shopping network, which has not yet been announced.
In the fall, King said she plans to release a new brush set to add to the line.
“The Gen Xers and baby boomers are still embracing life and want to be the best they can,” King said. “They deserve to have products that are luxurious and have formulations of colors that work with their changing needs.”