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Great Makeup from Cable TV?
Believe it. And it's right from our own backyard.
by Jennifer Morrell
September 1, 2005
F
or most women, it would be highly inadvisable to show up at work without "our face." It's
been decades since I've gone anywhere in public without makeup on. My feeling is that if I don't
like seeing me without my face on, why would anyone else. Problem is, putting on make-up - at least
the way most cosmetic lines would have you do it - takes way too much time.
With some amount of red-faced embarrassment, I must confess that I
discovered the best makeup I've ever worn on the Shop-at-Home Network, one of those cable-based
shopping channels where celebrity has-beens and others hawk their "miracle" wares that are
guaranteed to make you prettier, smarter, thinner and a better cook. It was all perfectly innocent:
while channel surfing (The bigger question here is how come there are hundreds of channels, but
nothing to watch?) one evening, I stopped on the Shop-at-Home Network while a cosmetic line called
Pür Minerals was in full pitch. It caught my attention for several reasons: The powder foundation
had an SPF 15 factor, it brushed on in a few seconds and (supposedly) covered rosacea.
So, I listened to the pitch (which, if you've ever watched these shows, wears you down just
by their long-winded deliveries), and figuring I had nothing really to lose by spending $30 on
something I would normally do so at a department store, decided to dial that 800 number.
Was I surprised.
It's the best foundation I've ever worn. People are always telling me how great my
complexion looks, and I swear it's the powder. It sits on top of my skin instead of sinking into my
pores as a liquid foundation would. I know I sound like Tony Robbins, but I'm serious.
According to the website, Pür Minerals makeup is made of finely ground minerals that are
naturally good for the skin. The makeup has a natural SPF of 15, there aren't any chemicals or
dyes, which can cause an allergic reaction; and the powder doesn't have any talc in it either.
But here's what's more intriguing: Pür Minerals is based in Smyrna.
Natural Birth
Pür Minerals President Joli
Baker has worked in the skincare industry for 25 years, 16 of which were spent with Clinique. When
Smyrna-based Astral Brands created Pür Minerals in 2001, the brand was struggling. The company
brought Baker on board as president to turn the company around. Baker says the makeup and skincare
lines "synergize" nature with technology. "Many brands are riding the 'mineral wave' but aren't
creating cutting-edge products," says Baker. "Pür Minerals does both and, as a result, virtually
every woman who tries the product falls in love with it."
The decision to sell Pür Minerals products through televised home shopping and Internet has
been deliberate, says Baker. Though she and her team mulled the idea of a celebrity or national
spokesperson to introduce and demonstrate the products to viewers on Shop-at-Home and
Canadian-based The Shopping Channel, Baker felt only she could deliver with the benefits of her
product line.
Because of the nature of the cable delivery and website models, the Pür Minerals pitch
reaches people who would not be inclined to make a relatively high-end purchase like this in a
department store. Further, it caters to busy women who are Internet savvy and have no problem
making purchases on the Web.
The website is very good, and features not only the powder in various incarnations (loose,
pressed, bronzers, blush), but many other serums and potions, along with some pretty nifty kits for
a reasonable price.
Baker hasn't ruled out the idea of marketing Pür Minerals in a retail setting but makes such
decisions carefully. "We are still feeling our way and finding the right fit," she says.
But for right now, the company is enjoying tremendous success from television marketing and
hopes to bolster Web sales to about 30 percent of total profit following its upcoming site
rejuvenation (www.purminerals.com). Last year, annual sales were $4
million, and the company is expected to hit $6 million in sales this year ...that's a lot of powder
at $25.50 a pop.
