Edgewater—Most women have been through the task of trying to find the perfect makeup color. Someone will go to a makeup counter, try on what they think is the perfect hue, only to go home and find the color has turned an unsightly orange or pink after a few minutes on their lips or skin. Lu Meshulam was familiar with this problem, too. She had always been fascinated by makeup, and as a young child loved watching her mother apply makeup. She started out working as a makeup salesperson behind the counter. Even with all the selection these large companies had available, Meshulam still found colors lacking when it came to matching unique skin tones.
Meshulam saw a need in the makeup world; she knew there had to be a way to create a line of cosmetics that would work with the wearer’s natural skin undertones, rather than sitting on top of the skin and clashing with it. Working closely with a chemist, Meshulam took her idea and developed her line of lip makeup, known as LuMesh. Paraben and phthalate free, vegan, with natural moisturizers, LuMesh cosmetics actually “work with undertones and transform to the person wearing it,” explained Meshulam. She described her background as different from that of other makeup professionals. Most people in the makeup industry are artists, claimed Meshulam, with makeup lines geared toward their artistic ability. But not having artistic skill meant that Meshulam geared her makeup toward the “every woman.” With strong, pigmented lip products, and a dual-purpose lip and cheek color, Meshulam looks to “bring reality to beauty,” with a “minimal, practical, but not typical product geared toward the busy lives we lead as women, whether as business executives, mothers, teachers or anything else.”
Meshulam further explained that her use of makeup goes beyond a purely superficial exterior. She uses makeup for women to feel good about themselves. “We are all our own celebrities within ourselves,” she said, “but we have to bring it forward.” Meshulam furthers this ideal and uses her expertise not just doing makeup consultations for clients, but she volunteers with the New York Department of Domestic Violence, helping women feel good about themselves, and donating many of her products, and her time, to them. “Where someone is at now does not define who they are,” she said.
For now, Meshulam is building her client base and looking to expand what her makeup line offers. She loves this new area of work, since it allows her to incorporate the parts of makeup that she has always enjoyed, working with people to get to know them, what they want and how to bring out their inner beauty. Meshulam stresses how important it is to her to listen to her clients, and not merely apply makeup with her vision, but rather to ensure her clients look the way they want to appear. She attributes much of the success to the high standards she searches for in her products. Eliminating harsh chemicals not only gives her clients peace of mind, but will help them in the long run. Many cosmetics contain high levels of chemicals, and different people react to these chemicals in different ways, but over time it will take a toll on everyone’s skin, Meshulam explains. Her lip gloss, besides being perfect for sensitive skin, and a non-irritant, contains a very moisturizing plumper that actually works with blood vessels in the lips to increase circulation. This was intended to activate the color-development phase so that each color transforms into the perfect shade on any complexion.
Right now Meshulam looks to increase her line with the same high standard she has achieved in her lip products, with a moisturizing primer in the works. Like her lip glosses, only a few shades are needed as the pigment works with the wearer’s skin tones to adapt. The ease Meshulam hopes to bring to women takes some of the guesswork out of the color matching many people struggle with.
Meshulam is also producing a show on a new Spanish network, Buena Vision, where she brings in companies that, like her own, feature an extraordinary product but need extra publicity to get the word out there. And while she has had to cut back on many of her celebrity clients in order to launch LuMesh, she still maintains relationships with many and works with a select group, including Miri ben-Ari, a hip-hop violinist from Israel.
Urging women to “listen to our skin,” Meshulam hopes to transform the makeup experience for everyone to one of reality, ease and inner beauty. For appointments, where to buy products or more information, visit her website at www.lumesh.com.
By Jenny Gans
