About Face November 2006 Holly Mordini has always appreciated art and beauty. Born in West Des Moines, the former New York and Los Angeles runway model graduated in 1991 from Iowa State University, where she studied painting and sculpting. “Modeling was fun for a while, but I always wanted to be talking—those two things don’t go together,” laughs Holly. With her experience as a model, a flair for color and artistry, and a desire to teach, she began her career as a professional makeup artist in Iowa. She not only enjoyed her work, but also found herself passionate about and frequently called upon to train other local makeup artists and models with camera-ready techniques. “It was a great way for me to combine my college education with my experience and personality,” says Holly. A turning point in her career occurred shortly after her 1996 arrival in Chicago, where—while thumbing through an issue of W magazine as she sat in a downtown beauty salon—she read an article about a new cosmetic line that was being launched by Dean and Davis Factor, the great-grandsons of cosmetic giant Max Factor. Six years earlier, the two had founded Smashbox Photo Studios in Los Angeles, which soon became the hottest location in Los Angeles for photo shoots and industry events. Dean and Davis had set out to offer to consumers the specially developed cosmetics and the beauty knowledge that they were using on supermodel and celebrity faces gracing the covers of such fashion magazines as Allure, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar. “I read how they were just putting the line in select stores and felt a rush of excitement at the thought of working in this type of start-up environment,” she recalls. “It was just the opportunity that I was looking for. And when I crossed the street after my salon visit, they were actually just putting the makeup in the window display at Henri Bendel’s. I knew it was meant to be.” She contacted the studio, flew to Los Angeles, took a studio tour, and was hooked on the idea of working for Smashbox by the time she was on a plane back to Chicago. Shortly thereafter, the Factor brothers hired her as Midwest Training Director for their new cosmetic line, a position in which she trained new makeup artists on how to use Smashbox cosmetics. With the surging demand for the cosmetics, Holly was named the company’s National Account Executive in 1999. By that time, the Smashbox Cosmetic brand was well-represented in exclusive retail stores, including Bendel, Nordstrom, and Sephora. Then, QVC called on Smashbox with an invitation. Would they be interested in joining other successful cosmetic companies by marketing their products via live television? Given this opportunity to market their line in a new and intriguing way, Smashbox quickly accepted the invitation, and in April of 2000, Holly was elevated to the position of Smashbox Cosmetics Spokesperson, a role she continues to play along with that of the company’s Vice President of Global Artistry & Education. Today, she is sought after and respected within the international cosmetics industry, having proven herself very effectively at translating the unique and innovative photo studio message of Smashbox Cosmetics worldwide. “QVC reaches 87 million homes, or 8 million at any given moment,” Holly notes. Of the 30 or so lines available on QVC—including YSL—Smashbox is consistently among the top five in sales. Although department store sales have continued to flourish, sales from Holly’s show account for nearly 40 percent of the company’s earnings. “Being on the air has also had a positive effect on retail sales,” Holly adds. One of the aspects of her career that Holly finds most rewarding is that she is able to be the spokesperson for Smashbox Cosmetics and work with a team to manage the broadcast retail division of the company, while remaining active in development of marketable products. “I am an idea person, not a chemist,” Holly says. “We are developing studio-inspired products. The photo studio is where we get our inspiration. We intimately know how to get performance from products.” Of course, she is most interested in developing the products that she can bring to QVC and has a goal of developing three to four new products every year. “It is easy to sell a concept or product that I have helped to develop,” says Holly. “Endorsing and selling the product follows naturally and genuinely.” Today, Holly works from her home office and travels to state-of-the-art QVC TV studios in Philadelphia to do live broadcasts six times a year. “Live TV is very honest,” laughs Holly, whose TV time ranges from 24 to 30 hours per year. “If we make a mistake, we just say ‘oops.’” Describing the format as very conversational, she talks to the TV hosts and special guests about Smashbox, demonstrates the product using live models, and fields live on-air telephone testimonials from consumers around the world. “You never know what to expect —it’s always fun and always new,” she says. In addition to traveling to Philadelphia, Holly visits the Los Angeles area on an “as-needed basis” for business meetings. Her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Brooke Alexandra, whose looks and sweet personality make her a likely candidate as an aspiring model, frequently accompanies Holly on her travels. “I am so happy that we can spend this special time together,” she says. Indeed, Holly is emphatic that home and family are at the centerpiece of life at the Mordini’s. “I feel very fortunate to have the lifestyle that we have,” says Holly as Brooke clings to her mother’s leg and, from time to time, affectionately kisses Holly’s protruding belly during the interview. “Bruce (her husband) works from home as well, so there is always family around.” The couple is anxiously anticipating the birth of a son on Christmas Day. “We are all so excited,” says Holly. An article she wrote for QVC Insider magazine following Brooke’s birth sums it up in a nutshell. In it she writes, “Working for Smashbox Cosmetics, I’ve been offered the opportunity to experience many types of beauty…We have always taken great pride in the fact that we help women feel beautiful. As a makeup artist, I’ve helped create beautiful faces for 15 years…Still it’s nothing like the beauty I find in my arms and in my little girl’s eyes. It’s a beauty that every mother comes to know the first time she holds her baby close. Beauty to me now has an even deeper meaning.” To learn more about Smashbox Cosmetics or to find out when Holly will make her next television appearance, visit the QVC Web site at www.QVC.com. Click on “Beauty,” and enjoy.