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lifestyle & arts
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
10/13-10/14/12
SUNDAY BREAKFAST MORDINI’S CAREER PATH HAS SPECIAL GLOW ■
by david sweet
S
oon after graduating from Iowa State University with a bachelor of fine arts degree, Holly Mordini worked in an art gallery and a museum before accepting a few modeling assignments. One day, a photographer she had befriended asked her to fill in as his makeup artist. “He said, ‘You can do this, you’re an artist.’ I said, ‘No I can’t. I paint on canvases, not on faces,’“ recalled the Lake Forest resident. Today, she is the vice president, global artistry and education, at Smashbox, a cosmetics company founded by Dean Factor and Davis Factor, the great grandsons of Max Factor. She has been with the brand since the firm’s 1996 launch and is a staple on QVC, where she introduces Smashbox products on live television to more than 100 million homes. “There’s something freeing about live television. I love the spontaneity of it,” said Mordini. Of course, sometimes what’s broadcast live does not go off as planned. “One time, I was presenting primer. It’s a siliconebased product,” Mordini began. “I started applying it to the model’s skin, and I guess I used more than I typiholly mordini cally would because the sell was so long. The next item was the deepest, black, kohl eyeliner. When I went to apply it, my hands were so slippery, it fell on her face and left a mark on her cheek. “You have to learn to laugh at the awkward mishaps sight forever. I call it Glamour Don’t (after the Glamour and move on. I think the viewers embrace you so much magazine feature).” more when they can tell you’re genuine and real.” Mordini has been a mainstay during QVC’s “Buzz Mordini first appeared on QVC more than a decade on the Red Carpet,” which appears a few days before ago to hawk a first-of-its-kind cream eyeliner during a the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles. Smashbox cresix-minute segment – and ended up selling 9,000 of ates a special item each year for the event, such as the them. Eyeliner, in fact, Red Carpet Radiance has been a big category Palette – “how to get for Smashbox (which that celebrity glow,” is now owned by Estee Mordini explained. “There’s something freeing Lauder), and Mordini She enjoys socializing helped popularize the with the Kardashian about live television. I love idea of using a brush sisters, Nicole Ritchie rather than a pencil for and Joan Rivers. the spontaneity of it.” eyeliner. “She (Rivers) is just “I created a mantra a hysterical person,” — Holly Mordini called ‘Walk It Across Mordini said. “She The Lash,” she recalled. brings it every time.” “You would take the Hanging out with brush, press on the outside of the lash line, move it and world-famous celebrities was far from her thoughts press it again. I’d say the easiest way for a woman to during her childhood in Urbandale, Iowa, where she update her look is to change the color of her eyeliner.” enjoyed the years with her mother Sandra and older Given her background, Mordini is quick to identify sister Dana. the craziest makeup trends she’s seen. “Growing up in Iowa was really fun,” she said. “When “Barely there brows, an overly contoured cheek, or we were kids, summer was swimming and playing outsuper dark lip liner,” she said, “should all remain out of side with our neighborhood friends. Winter was about
walking home from school in knee-deep snow. “I grew up learning to value an optimistic view of life from my mother and grandmother (Helen Clark). It’s much more fun to find something that makes you happy.” Her children – Brooke, a second-grader at Lake Forest Country Day School, and Grant, a student in kindergarten there – both share her love of visiting their relatives (including their 99-year-old great grandmother Velma Stougard) in her native state. “As a family we really enjoy traveling to Maui, but when I ask them about their favorite vacation weekend, they say Iowa,” Mordini said. When they’re not cooking at home for Sunday breakfast, Mordini enjoys going with her husband Bruce and two children to the The Grille on Laurel in Lake Forest for its buffet. She likes the omelets among other specialties and makes sure never to miss the signature bread pudding. In fact, maybe they’ll go there this Sunday to celebrate – after all, she and Bruce have their 10th anniversary Oct. 12. After a mimosa and reflecting upon their years together, she’s also apt to smile when thinking about nearly two decades in cosmetics. “Looking back, I guess I’m not surprised that I landed in the cosmetics industry,” she said. “I love creating and showcasing products that put women in their best light every day.” ■