Ashley Maurin Rodden shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Ashley, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I am on the dance and cheer convention tours now…my most proud moment was handing Julianne Hough one of my makeup palettes at Dance Teacher Summit in New York City. Also – I’ve been tapping into this new market and some great opportunity’s are panning out after several years of work – one is being a guest expert / writer for a large online dance publication!
I was also a presenter at this year’s Dance Teacher Summit for performance makeup!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ashley Maurin Rodden and I started LOVER Cosmetics in 2006 – since that initial launch I have redeveloped the line to cater to women’s two biggest makeup dilemmas: “I don’t know how to do my makeup,” and “I don’t have time.”
I quit my job in 2008 and moved to Paris, France, to study makeup artistry at the renowned Christian Chauveau makeup artistry school. Upon returning to the Midwest, I launched my own studio space where I teach women our 5-step makeup routine!
I also have another arm to our company that caters to performance makeup; we produce and customize makeup kits for dancers and cheerleaders nationwide, including the NYC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – one of my favorite clients!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
One of earliest moments of feeling powerful and proud was walking through the Tuileries in Paris on my last days there after completing makeup school. I made it all happen myself – I got the funding for my makeup school in Paris, bought my own plane ticket, paid for my own apartment, secured my own travel and health insurance, and left for a wonderful adventure that was all me!
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I want to give up multiple times a month! I think the biggest challenge with any entrepreneur is being flexible and adapting to changes quickly. Many things in my line of work are constantly changing and it’s up to me to adapt quickly and find creative solutions!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
The beauty industry is constantly changing…new colors, new makeup fads, but the one thing most women aspire to is FEELING their best because they look their best. This often comes with first, great skincare and personal care, meaning you take care of yourself inside and out. THEN, you can add a little makeup to make you feel good! I love that we get to change our look everyday when we wake up – maybe today I do a bold hot pink matte lip – maybe tomorrow a nude gloss. Makeup is supposed to be fun!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired today, I think our customers would miss our natural approach to makeup. I teach lessons in our Brookside studio that really cater to a woman who wants to look good, but not overdone. I also take a 5 step approach to break it down simply. I think many women don’t wear makeup because it takes too long or they are intimidated and don’t know how to apply. We break that all down, make it simple and make women feel amazing, but in a natural way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lover-cosmetics.com/
- Instagram: @shoplovercosmetics – https://www.instagram.com/shoplovercosmetics/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lover-cosmetics-1a3a1b32b/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LOVERCosmeticsKC/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lovercosmetics392?si=8y4cpFQ2SHg_xayu
Image Credits
Kenny Johnson Photography on model images
