| Written by Amy Storer-Scalia, on 03-07-2007 06:18 |
Chic Spotlight: E'LON Cosmetics' Yolanda Webb
International model, entrepreneur and makeup maven. E'LON Cosmetics' Yolanda Webb lives quite a life. Find out how she does it - while maintaining a strong family life - and looks more beautiful with each passing day.
Cincy Chic: How did you get into makeup?
Yolanda Webb: I'm a native of Detroit. I left home after high school
and attended Tennessee State University. After graduation, I married
and moved abroad. I lived and traveled across continents with my
husband and children. While working abroad, I discovered that makeup
and skincare products were not designed for my Ebony-hued
African-American complexion. So, I learned to mix and match colors in
leading cosmetic brands to find the perfect match for my skin color.
Then, I begin to do makeup for my model friends, girlfriends in my
neighborhood and anyone else who would let me "practice" my color
matching techniques on them.
Coming back to the United States when both of my children were young, I
wanted to continue modeling and began to work with John Casablanca’s in
San Antonio, Texas. I went on to model for several big companies,
including a film and tobacco company modeling products for print ads in
magazines.
But I always held on to my dream of one day owning my own cosmetics
company, and in November of 2003, E’LON Cosmetics became a reality.
Click here to check out pictures from the Tri County Mall store's launch.
And E’LON Cosmetics is more than
just about makeup. My mission is to help women see the beauty they
possess within.
Cincy Chic: How do you help women see that inner beauty?
Webb: Aside from the makeup, I'm also an active supporter of the Women
Helping Women organization (now known as the Rape Crisis and Abuse
Center of Hamilton County), I participate in the Urban League’s
YouthWorks Program as a trainer and I'm an active member and supporter
of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority among many other community involvement
activities.
Cincy Chic: What's E'LON stand for?
Webb: E’LON is my daughter Sascha’s middle name. It means "flower" in
Hebrew. Sascha was born prematurely while we were in Misawa, Japan and
"Mama San," as Yolanda affectionately called our housekeeper, kept
saying she had "Élan," the word for a vigorous spirit, and a will to
live. So, the little flower begin to blossom and grow and survived.
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