LIFEGLOSS was born when a precocious eavesdropper crashed a FaceTime catch-up sesh between Susan and Hillary in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel.
"How do I get on the girlfriend list for these calls?"
Then and there, we decided to make it a THING and now, here we are, delighted to meet you.
Decades of friendship and decades in the beauty business together. We've laughed, cried, succeeded, and held new doors open for each other as old doors closed (sometimes, we kick them in).
If we haven't already been through it together, we are going through it with you, here, on LIFEGLOSS.
Join us, and hitch a ride on our star- we are rising together, baby!
Susan Gerdeman
Host
Susan Gerdeman – formerly McAlarney - has been an expert in the cosmetic industry, having held jobs both behind the camera and in front of as an educator, writer, and artist. The majority of her career has been spent with luxury and prestige brands in training and education, sales, and marketing with P.R. responsibilities for over 25 years.
Originally from Boston, she graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Performing Arts and Mass Communications. She worked as a professional make-up artist in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York , putting her education to use with years of training as a public speaker and began educating others.
Susan has held positions at: Mac Cosmetics as part of the first US based make-up team, Nordstrom - as the first female Regional Beauty Director, and spent 10 years in training and education at Chanel as the National Make-up Educational Executive for North America based in NYC. While at Chanel, she was the first ever recipient of the “Education Executive Of The Year” award.
Susan then joined Coty Prestige in NYC as the U.S. Training and Communications Manager. Her responsibilities in this prestige start-up division of Coty, Inc included – training and education for the U.S., communications liaison with P.R., and marketing for specialty retailers, dotcoms, and Home Shopping Network. This included the launch of Lancaster Cosmetics and Home Skin Lab to the U.S. market from France.
Looking to balance both family and career - Susan then launched her own consulting company – SMG Creative Development, LLC with clients such as Revlon Inc., Benefit Cosmetics, Coty Prestige, Market For Drama and the denim brand Restoration of the Monarchy.
Eventually Susan went back to her artistic roots in live television and was a Fox News Network make-up artist in NYC for celebrity talent and anchors.
A product maven and walking cosmetic ingredient encyclopedia, Susan is respected in the cosmetic industry for her ability to find beauty in the most ugly of places and using humor to demystify the often-intimidating world of makeup.
She is a multi-dimensional creative consultant with a passion for artistry, education, and cosmetic trends.
Susan’s artistic talent has been seen at, in, or on - Extra, 20/20, Vogue Trend Watch, NY 1 News, Life & Style, Academy Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, Sundance, and numerous runway shows for the likes of Carolina Herrera, Bradley Bayou and Richard Tyler. She has been featured and quoted in various magazines such as - In Style, 7x7, The Face and Beauty Fashion. Celebrity clients, working women, and cancer survivors have been recipients of her artistic skills.
Hillary Clark-Mina
Host
Hillary Clark-Mina: dedicated to the beauty industry for nearly three decades.
As a third-generation beauty entrepreneur, celebrity makeup artist, and medical esthetician, Clark was the youngest Beauty Director in Nordstrom's history responsible for cross-brand education and events.
When Sephora.com entered the U.S.- she was recruited as their West Coast Beauty Editor where Clark trail-blazed a new path and launched the first online beauty marketplace; teaching women how to shop for beauty online.
Behind the scenes, she formed and led education for Sephora.com’s ‘Beauty Advisor’, an elite team of beauty industry professionals that supported online color, skincare, and fragrance clients. Both positions presented opportunities to collaborate with the beauty industry's best, including Dr. Nicolas Perricone, Dr. Kathy Fields, Dr. Howard Sobel, and Carol Shaw.
Her makeup artistry has graced the runways of major fashion shows and celebrities. Today, Clark can often be found on set and behind the scenes as an ambassador, artist, and international educator for skincare and color brands.
After a few years online - Clark yearned to be hands-on with her clients again and opened her by-appointment beauty atelier, Blush Beauty, on Union Street in San Francisco. Blush Beauty is recognized as the first to provide edited collections of must-have products in a private boutique setting. Allure magazine regularly featured Blush Beauty in their national Directory and her services were covered in the New York Times Style section.
Over time, Clark was tapped to lead product development for color brands carried at Sephora and major beauty retailers. Those engagements honed her conviction for the use of natural, pure, and ethically sourced ingredients.
Ever the consumer advocate, Clark's mission is to spotlight skin-loving, efficacious color and skincare solutions.
Clark’s expert advice is regularly featured on podcasts and in top media, including VOGUE, WWD, ALLURE, The Zoe Report, Glamour, and Seventeen among others.
" Hillary is a tremendous asset to the beauty industry at large and I enthusiastically give her the highest recommendation."
~ Nicholas V. Perricone, M.D.
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