By Keydra Manns
Women of color have always complained about lack of cosmetics on the market that are on the famous name counters. That can be disheartening to say the very least. So on your wedding day that problem can send you into a panic. You don’t want to look back at your pictures and then notice that your foundation was two shades lighter than your actual skin tone. Nor do you want to have the increasingly horrible experience of having an allergic reaction to a product that sends you to the emergency room.
When looking for foundation, shadows, or lip colors, finding the right shades that complement your skin, enhance your visage, read well in images is the primary goal for a woman on her wedding day. But some today still face that challenge. While traveling, some find it difficult to get great products at affordable prices that do what they say they will do for their skin. But lucky for us we were able to catch up with a legend and highlight her success and solve some of your makeup needs on your special day.
Immensely talented cosmetic guru Vera Moore has gone global. Moore is a staple in the cosmetic industry. For over 30 years Moore has been producing a quality skin care and makeup line for women of color. The affordable premium line known as Vera Moore Cosmetics is now available in China, and Mrs. Moore graciously credits the National Minority Business Council (NMBC) and the Global Entrepreneurship Center (GEC) for their part in propelling this milestone.
Moore is no stranger to breaking barriers and continues to win against all odds. Moore began her career as an actress in the soap opera Another World. Another World featured the first black family on NBC, so while working on the show she saw a void in the market of quality makeup for women of color. This began the birth of Vera Moore Cosmetics. After creating the line, Moore went on to obtain some amazing cosmetic credits on projects such as The Cosby Show, the Antwone Fisher Story (starring Denzel Washington) and Saturday Night Live. That wasn’t enough for Moore, during the 80s the Green Acres Mall in Long Island was being renovated and she saw this as an opportunity to expand. “I shop in that mall so I should be able to sell my products in that mall, it’s about economic empowerment. It took me three years to get in there but we were the first black tenants in the history of Green Acres Mall. We integrated that mall.” Fast forwarding to 2012, Vera Moore celebrated selling her product in select nationwide Duane Reade and Walgreens stores in their upscale LOOK boutique. Now for 2014, Moore can rejoice again because her brand will be sold in a boutique located in a historical area of Shanghai, China.
Moore gives credit to the GEC for making the connection and putting entrepreneurs and business women together. She says going global is all due to the NMBC. After meeting with one of the members of GEC and giving her a consultation, it only made sense for her to take the line back to Shanghai to be dispersed from her boutique. Since the product has made its way overseas, it has been flying off the shelves and in a week’s time products have had to be reordered. Moore says “this is magnificent and the first time we are truly going global and this is all thanks to the NMBC.”
So Moore’s ambitious moves to grow her company has now allowed her to cross the waters to be able to address the needs of women of color now in Shanghai, China. Obtaining great beauty products is a universal thing that all women share. So when we are shopping for products that complement our skin we want to find a brand that we can trust and has proven throughout time that it is able to deliver.
So for some of our brides in the Shanghai area, please visit your local boutique and go try out Vera Moore Cosmetics products and give us some feedback on your experience.
For more information on Vera Moore Cosmetics visit veramoorecosmetics.com.