Irish Women in Business – Entrepreneur and Make-Up Artist Annie Gribbin

For the latest in our Irish Women in Business series, we're talking to entrepreneur Annie Gribbin. A woman after our hearts, Annie has always had a grá for make-up and decided to carve out a career in the beauty industry. Celebrating twenty five years in the industry this year, Annie clearly knows the recipe for success. We spoke to the businesswoman to find out more... Tell us a little bit about your background and how your career began. When I left school I worked in a bank and discovered through selling a party brand makeup line at night called Oriflame that I had a natural flare for make-up. I decided to put myself through an evening course in beauty therapy which was run by Lori Porter. She knew that I wanted to specialise in makeup artistry and encouraged me to enter a makeup competition in 1984 which I went on to win! The prize was to study makeup make-up artistry at the prestigious Christian Chauveau School under Dany Sanz, the creator of Make Up For Ever which is how I came to be involved with the brand. When I returned to Dublin several months later I became a freelance makeup artist working with photographers and specialising in the beauty, fashion and music industry. It took me all over the world working with amazing clientele from Hollywood actors and actresses to music legends. My makeup kit was full of Make Up For Ever’s amazing products which performed so well on camera and I was continually getting asked about the brand by clients and whether it could be bought here in Ireland. Knowing that there was a huge demand for products of this quality, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to open a Make Up For Ever boutique in Dublin dedicated to service and educating woman in the art of good makeup application. Why did you decide to start your own business? Being a freelance makeup artist, I wanted to be more financially secure. I also wanted to create something unique. My vision was to open a specialist makeup boutique where woman could have their makeup professionally done by a pro makeup artist and also learn to do it properly for themselves. I wanted to create an authentic place where the customer could be given expert advice in a non-judgemental way and without feeling like they had to buy products they didn’t need. I didn't come from a business background and was incredible naïve. I had no retail experience but I was extremely passionate and had great self-belief and vision. I loved doing makeovers and transforming people so I focused on turning what I loved into a business! Talk to us about your own brand Face 2 and why you decided to introduce it to the highly competitive beauty market. In 1995 I created the brand Face 2 to sell alongside Make Up For Ever, mainly to offer choice. I went to the USA to manufacture the product and choose my own colour palettes and foundation tones totally geared towards Irish skin tones. It was very exciting to pull something like that together. Before I set up Face 2 I had been producing top quality makeup brushes for years in Ireland and needed a name for them. So the brushes and my own make-up brand felt like a second phase in business for me and I thought the name Face 2 reflected that. My brushes have won several beauty awards over the years which is a wonderful achievement in this very competitive market. What challenges did you meet when starting out? The main challenge was convincing the bank to give me a loan which I managed in the end, and overspending on the initial refit. I also realised my strengths were on the creative side instead of business. Getting customers in through the door was also tough as it was a totally new concept. Most people thought I was crazy to contemplate opening a shop dedicated to make-up in a recession! For someone who hasn't used Make Up For Ever/Face 2 before, what are the stand out products from both ranges? Make Up For Ever is constantly innovating and the HD collection is best in the world. I love the foundation, blush and powder and they work together to give incredibly flawless, camera-ready skin. For Face 2 I would have to say the brushes because of their quality. What does 2015 have in store for both Make Up For Ever and Face 2?  In 2015 my motto is onwards and upwards! I am celebrating 25 years in business this year and am looking forward to reinventing myself for the next 25! Coming through the past five years has been very difficult in this recession so I would like to mark the anniversary with something special. Watch this space.... What are your personal must-have beauty buys? My Face 2 brushes, especially the short handled for practicality and quality. Make Up For Ever primer and foundation and Mary Loumanizer from The Balm. The new graphic liner from Make Up For Ever is also amazing and for long lasting lips I love Face 2 superwear lip duo. What advice would you give to others hoping to start their own business? Have a solid business plan with a view to long term success. You also need a good support network as the first few years of any new business can be tough. I would also recommend if you’re going into business with someone else, choose your partner carefully and be sure to surround yourself with a good team. Know what you’re strengths are and play up to them and above all have passion for what you do! Mistakes are inevitable but the key is to learn from them and move on from them. What is it about Make Up For Ever and/or Face 2 that makes it stand out among other beauty brands? Make Up For Ever has a cult following. It is a specialist makeup brand with over 1,600 products on offer. It’s the biggest in the world from that perspective offering the most natural makeup to the most creative and it’s unlike any other brand. It is recognised for its advanced formulas that deliver a high quality performance to camera making the HD collection a must have for any makeup artist. The brand is also a leading authority in makeup education and has over 18 Academies worldwide. I call it the Harvard of makeup schools. Face 2 is unique in that it’s an Irish brand created with the Irish women in mind. Annie Gribbin is creative director at Make Up For Ever, 38 Clarendon St, Dublin 2 and to find out more, check out the Make Up For Ever website.