Welcome back ladies, as many of you noticed in my most recent blog entry titled “The Search for the Perfect Red Lipstick Ends at Lipstick Queen“, I spoke about my new found obsession with Lipstick Queen’s specialty makeup line.
Now that I’ve found a truly wearable red lipstick, I was intrigued to find out more about the creator of this brand and her back story. My interest arose during my research by the fact that this woman created a company that simply specializes in everything lip related.
I asked myself, “How can you be successful in the makeup world by only focusing on one area of the face when there are so many other major brands which are all encompassing?”
I ended up ordering her book “Lessons of a Lipstick Queen” off amazon.com and it helped answer m
y question. It is an easy read and an inspiring book for any budding entrepreneur. Her book is for anyone looking to cultivate and develop their great idea but don’t quite know where to start…hehem, me! Originally from Australia, Poppy was just the tender age of 18 when she began her quest for finding the perfect matte lipstick. When she didn’t find exactly what she was looking for, she decided to make it herself. This tenet and act of entrepreneurship changed her life and is the cornerstone upon which Lipstick Queen began its rise to the top! After finishing my homework on Poppy King and Lipstick Queen I soon came to realize that it’s all about finding your passion, not giving up and following it through to the end.
I took a shot and contacted her company and was able to land a mini interview with Poppy herself! Wow, how amazing that a CEO of an uber successful specialty makeup empire would take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few of my questions!
Here are Poppy’s answers to my 5 burning questions, and at the end, check out the celebrity who I think could most use a little Lipstick Queen in their life:
JennySue :: At what point/defining moment did you realize that you had come up with a successful product in Lipstick Queen?
Poppy :: When I started seeing all the blogs online and saw how much women were loving the product!
From reading her book, there was one instance that she speaks about that gave me chill bumps for her and her success! She started her little lipstick brand by just selling it in small fashion boutiques, then eventually got it in a large department store with a tiny counter in the back of the store. And one day as she was working the counter herself, she was overwhelmed with at least 30 customers lined up waving twenty dollar bills at her to buy her products. That seems like an “a-ha” success moment to me!
JS :: Do you have any interest in expanding the brand into other areas of the face besides the lips- eyes, cheeks, skin/foundation, etc?
Poppy :: Not at this stage. I am obsessed with the lips and I feel that is an area where there is too much of the same. I like doing it differently and I have so many ideas for shades, textures, finishes and delivery when it comes to the lips. The only other way I would do any other product is if I genuinely felt I would could do it differently.
e up with revolutionary lip products such as an Invisible Lip Liner ($18) that works with any lipstick or gloss to keep it from bleeding- genius. So there’s no need to try to match the perfect color liner with your lipstick…because it’s invisible!!
JS :: I know this is going to be a toughy, but if you HAD to choose one, which one of your products are you most proud of?
Poppy :: Hmmm….that is tough! Medieval is something I am extremely proud [of] because it is bringing women to the joys of wearing red lipstick without being intimidating.
I know this question was like asking a mother to pick her favorite child-rather difficult and you feel slightly terrible actually saying the answer out loud! But I appreciate her honesty.
JS :: What makeup product/products from another makeup company do you (a) wish you had come up with yourself and (b) can’t live without on a daily basis?
Poppy :: (a) Shu Uemura Eye Lash curlers…they are brilliant. (b) I can’t live without them.
Ditto! I am a religious user of the Shu Uemura curler ($19)every single day I put on makeup. You can’t have successful eyelashes without using this device first!
JS :: What is the best piece of advice you received from someone else while taking the leap of faith to pursue your dream of Lipstick Queen?
Poppy :: Authenticity is key. Be authentic to who you are and that will make the path clear.
A line from Poppy’s book which has personally inspired me to keep going ahead with a few ideas I’ve been dreaming up were these – “All that matters is that that you are honest with yourself about what you want from your idea. Once you’ve figured out what you want, you’ll be motivated to go after it. It’s that simple.”
Now to end my blog on this lipstick note, there is one celebrity who I think could really use some Lipstick Queen in her life…Miss Jennifer Aniston! I belie
ve she could really use Poppy’s fav lip color, Medieval, and wear it easily. To me, Miss Aniston has gotten in a makeup rut lately and wears the same dang nude lip in every single picture I see her in!! Here is a my subtle hint from one Jennifer to another, change the look up a little bit and go get Medieval on your predictable lip look. You can thank me and Lipstick Queen during your next Oprah interview 🙂
Thank you Poppy and Cara.
