Laura Mercier
| Laura Mercier | |
|---|---|
| Born | Arles, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Other names | Michèle Mercier |
| Occupation | Makeup artist |
| Known for | Makeup, photoshoots |
Laura Mercier is a French makeup artist and businesswoman.
Early life
Laura Mercier was born Michèle Mercier in Arles, France, the youngest of three daughters. At 16, she enrolled as art student at L'Ecole Supérieure d'Arts Appliqués Duperré, a design school in Paris, to pursue painting and drawing.[1] Mercier later enrolled at the Caritas Institute, a combination beauty school and salon in Paris, France. Following her graduation, Mercier worked as a makeup artist at the school and adopted the name "Laura" to avoid confusion with the actress Michèle Mercier, a client of the salon.[2]
Career
Mercier moved to New York City in 1985 to work as a makeup artist at the American edition of Elle magazine.[3] Mercier was hired as Madonna's personal makeup artist, following a photo shoot featuring Madonna for Vogue magazine.[1] Mercier also worked on campaigns for magazines and clients including The Gap and Chanel.[4] Other celebrity clients for whom Mercier has worked with include Julia Roberts and Sarah Jessica Parker.[1]
In 1996, Janet Gurwitch, the former Executive Vice President of Neiman Marcus, founded Laura Mercier Cosmetics with her partner, Gary Kusin. The company's philosophy focuses on what it calls the "flawless face", a concept that is allegedly derived from Mercier's promotion of natural-looking makeup. The company asserts that this idea guides the development and presentation of its products.[5][6]
Mercier continues to work as a freelance makeup artist[4][7] and is a published author. In 2006, she published The New Beauty Secrets: Your Ultimate Guide to a Flawless Face.[8]
On March 23, 2014, she joined with Claudia Poccia for the ovarian cancer Awareness Month and donated some of her savings to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.[9] In April 2014, she launched a new collection called New Attitude.[10]
References
- 1 2 3 S.S. Fair (June 29, 2012). "Laura Mercier: the beauty expert who became a mega-brand". Style.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- ↑ Marlene Montanez (September 2008). "Behind The Flawless Face" (PDF). Arizona Foothills (Mediabistro.com). Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- ↑ Tatin Yang (June 13, 2014). "What primer can do for you". Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- 1 2 "Laura Mercier". Gawker.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- ↑ "Beautiful Lives: Laura Gurwitch". Style.com. 29 June 2012. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ Rebecca Gonsalves (September 3, 2012). "Laura Mercier: 'It's beautiful to think that you can help women to feel more confident'". The Independent. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- ↑ S.S. Fair (April 19, 2012). "Shooting Stars". Samurai Shopper (The New York Times). Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- ↑ "The New Beauty Secrets". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on March 2, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- ↑ "Giving back with the Laura Mercier Ovarian Cancer Fund". The Upcoming. March 23, 2014. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
- ↑ Kim West (March 24, 2014). "Laura Mercier Launches 2014 'New Attitude' Summer Collection". Beauty World News. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
