“I Could Do $1 Million in An Hour.” Makeup Artist, QVC Queen and Founder Laura Geller on Going Viral (Again) at 67

0:00The following podcast is a dear media production.

0:08Welcome to Breaking Beauty, the podcast all about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty. We're your hosts, Jill Dunn and Carleen Higgins.

0:21Welcome back to Breaking Beauty podcast, everyone. We're your co-hosts, Jill and Carleen, here with you every single Wednesday, like we always are for nine years in a row now, okay? So we're always serving up the breakthrough people, products and moments in beauty. That's why we're so excited today to welcome a true icon to our microphone. It's an honor to have makeup artist, entrepreneur and founder of her namesake brand, Laura Geller. Now, for those of you at home who may not have heard the name Laura Geller, you have to check out your TikTok for you page because Laura's brand has seen 140 % increase in revenue year over year as of 2024 because her classic products seem to be going viral now.

1:06That's right. I mean, Bethany Frankel, I'm just going to say it. And a lot of it is in part to people searching for makeup over 40. And I don't have to tell you, Carleen, like Gen X, Gen X is everything. Gen X is Gen excellent these days. Laura Geller's famous marbled baked Balance and Brighten Foundation is now the number one bestseller in foundation makeup on Amazon. The foundation has over 27 ,000 five-star ratings, with reviewers specifically praising that it doesn't cake at all and won't settle into wrinkles or on mature skin. And I can tell you that I'm on a lot of Facebook forums for makeup over 40 as part of my research, and I can't tell you how often Laura Geller's name comes up.

1:55Yeah. And a lot of you might be familiar with Laura's famous spackle primer too. I'm wearing it today. And it's incredible. And Laura had her first appearance on QVC back in 1997 and her eponymous line recently relaunched on alto.com and launched on sephora.com. So Amazon as well, like we mentioned. So there's this whole 2.0 happening and I feel like we've caught her at a great time. Yes. Laura's mission is to make beauty uncomplicated, inclusive, and fun. And she's here in the studio to give us all the practical pro artist tips we need to update our routines and make our makeup feel cool again.

2:33And don't forget to watch this episode on YouTube. Like and subscribe. Welcome to Breaking Beauty Podcast, Laura Geller. Well, thank you for that beautiful introduction. And now that you've said it all, there's nothing else to talk about. I mean, is there anything else to talk about? No, So I tell you the truth, I'm an old school makeup artist, meaning I have a feeling that the questions that you may ask me and ideas about tips and tricks may be the same today as they were from when I started. I'm just saying. Well, that's okay. And I'll tell you why, because Jill and I have said this many times.

3:09There's so many old ideas on TikTok that have been re-raised in a new way. and trust us nine years in doing this all the makeup artists are sitting there going this is not new underpainting is not new thank you contouring is not new exactly all the same stuff that's right and they act like they invented it yeah and so so i think that a lot of the tips and tricks we're going to get from you today will be just as valid and just applicable to everyone in 2026. Exactly. So Laura, you went from a theatrical makeup artist working on Broadway to a major beauty CEO. With your career, can you share with us the most memorable moment that you've captured?

3:50What a juicy story here, Laura. People love an anecdote here at Breaking Beauty. Oh, I've got a good one. Is there somebody that's dead that you can talk about now? Well, I did work on Audrey Hepburn. Yeah, I did work on Audrey Hepburn, but it was, you know, hands off. I mean, they were very clear about that she doesn't want pictures, but someone did sneak a picture of me doing her makeup. You know, it's funny when you talk about stage and theater, the first thing that comes to mind is that the very first Broadway show that I was sent out to work on, because Broadway doesn't really have a budget for makeup people.

4:28But if there's a lead actress that wants it, or they need to have someone come in and show her, what she needs to do for every, you know, every appearance, they'll bring someone in. So I went in to do a very, I am, she's still alive, so I can't say her name, but she's, she was on a sitcom with Fran Drescher, called The Nanny, just saying. And she's older. Yeah. Older than Fran. And I remember them saying to me, you know, go in and just let her know, because she's going to ask you who you've worked on and just make it up. And I'm like, oh, geez. And sure enough, I went in. She goes, who are you?

5:09I went, Laura Geller, makeup artist. And she's like, well, who have you worked on? And I just went, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand. I was like, what does she want to hear? I was like throwing names at the wall and hoping it'll stick. And she said, well, all right. And so. Thankfully, there was maybe no Google at that time for her to check. Yeah, I gotta tell you, thank God there was no Google. And they sent me to a spa here in Manhattan where she gets her skincare from. It doesn't exist anymore to learn how to use her skincare routine because they wanted to make sure that I used everything that they gave her.

5:48And she was very insistent. And I think I was making her up one day and maybe I picked up the wrong thing. I can't remember what happened. And she punched me. she literally punched me. She went and I went and she said, what do you, what did you just use? And I said, oh my gosh. And I can't remember what it was that I did or didn't do nothing that was out of the ordinary. But I remember thinking, okay, I don't know that I want to work in theater again. And she was a nice human, but eccentric. And she's still eccentric today when I see her on on social media because she does it sometimes. But so that's my most memorable theater experience.

6:33I mean, have I had a lot of crazy run-ins? Yes, I have. After the amount of years I'm in this business, I have many stories. Seen it all. Yeah, I've seen it all. And sometimes I forget them and then something will come to my mind. I have to start writing them down. Yeah. I was just about to ask you, do you have a manuscript going underneath your bed? A memoir. A memoir. I think I may need to do that. Yeah, and then do an audio book as well. Yeah, I may need to do that. I know, it's in the cards. It's in the cards. Yeah. Definitely. What's maybe a stage makeup trick that you learned or still apply to this day with someone like an Audrey Hepburn?

7:11Because that is just so iconic that you worked with her. I was working on a show that worked with Living Legends in Burbank. And so I got to do the most incredible faces of their time. They were older at the time, but for stage, that was film. So it wasn't something that I did makeup-wise that was unique. But in theater, you have to make the skin look almost white and then contour like crazy. That was probably the first thing I learned when I studied theater and film makeup was the evolution of contour and highlight. In fact, it was my first collection that I launched on QVC in 1997 was a contour and highlight kit before it was like a thing to do.

8:00So, I mean, for stage, there's that. I'm putting a red dot in the center of the forehead, which I was like, wait, what? And it just it sort of brings the camera to the face, you know, to the stage. If you're sitting in an audience, those were a few theater. Interesting. And so that would be an underpainting thing? Yes, it is an underpainting thing. You put a foundation over it, but there's a dot here. And I think it's for the cameras to follow the talent around in the room. And also, I'm not sure I did it, but I don't know what it was exactly. Maybe the camera picked it up or something. Oh, and the red dots were here too, by the way.

8:39The corner of the eyes. Yeah, the corners of the inside of the eyes. Wow. That was the other thing. But actually it was doing TV and film that had me launch and create one of the first ever under makeup primer spackle. Because the thing that you learn about people on TV, film and theater is never to put moisture underneath their skin and to work on a matte skin because they're onto hot lights and it has to last for so long. And that was nearly impossible when I worked on talent, they wanted something hydrating on their face. That's what made me sort of launch the idea of an under makeup primer.

9:17Yeah. I used it this morning. I mean, I'm sure it's been reformulated over the years probably. Yes. Yes. With newer ingredients, we took parabens out, different things like that. But it's very fresh and modern, I would say. Yeah. I like that about it, that I think some primers are too slippy. Like they're going to feel too much moisture. Whereas this one is more water-based. And it sets to a matte finish. And it's second so that you can go and do your makeup very quickly. I always say like, put it on, then go to do your eye makeup. If you're doing eye makeup, by the time you're done with your eyes, this will be set.

9:56And you can use liquid, powder, baked. It doesn't matter what formula you use.

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12:40Hey, I'm Josh Peck. And I'm Ben Soffer. And we're the good guys. On our show every week, we talk about buzzy pop culture stories. Maybe answer a couple of your voicemails and go into a moment of the week that makes you say, what are you nuts? And I swear it's so much better than this promo. Anyway, there's a lot of guys out there, but we're the good ones. Stream good guys every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts, Apple, Spotify, anywhere. You know what? Don't listen.

13:16the baked balance and brighten foundation say that three times fast everybody it's alliterative which i like and the gilded honey illuminator which i've not tried those are viral sensations so what does it feel like to have your products you know that you created, you know, a while ago suddenly be going viral and creating this excitement for a whole new audience. It's the best feeling in the world. And it's also a time where I'm like frustrated because I wish when I launched it, I realized the magnitude of what it was and that it might be that I was innovating something that the world hadn't seen and that it would stick around.

14:00Who knew, you know? And I wish I would have done things like a trade market or like own the formula because I didn't know then. And so I was like creating it. I didn't know it would have that stickiness factor to it, that it really held out. It will be 22 years in 2026 that Balance and Brighton Foundation is still out there. And then coming back now, Gilded Honey, I'll never forget when I launched Gilded Honey, it was a decade ago. And social media wasn't really a thing that much. And we did something called BeautyCon at the Javits Center. We had a booth there. And I remember these content creators coming up to me, who knew?

14:49I didn't know. I mean, I'm also older than they were coming up to me and going like this. And I was like, what? You're the gilded honey girl. And I was like, and you know who that was? He came up to me and when he walked away, everybody was like, Patrick Starr. I'm like, I don't know. But now I know. I mean, he has the best line one size is amazing. Oh my God. Talk about locking in your makeup. I love that setting spray. It's so good. I also like his melter. He has this makeup dissolver in a can, similar delivery, and you just spray it all over. Things melt off? Yeah. Now, I was doing research before our interview, and there's a Reddit headline from a month ago that reads, Laura Geller making a comeback in Sephora was not on my 2025 bingo card.

15:41That made me giggle. And you also relaunched on Alta.com last year. So what is a brand that's focused on the mature consumer back in these major retailers that are often seen as the playground of Gen Z? What does that say about where we're at? It says that everybody was slow to get to this. And I also didn't lean into that when I knew that that was my consumer. Right. You know, I'm on QVC now 28 years. And QVC used to give you the inside secrets about your demographics. We had strategy meetings and we quarterly strategy meetings and they would tell you how old the age of your customer was, where they lived, their household income.

16:26And I took it for granted, but I always had heard that my customer was over 50, over 40, predominantly over 50. And I remember being on QVC and not using older models myself, guilty and then said, I got to make that shift. I want to use an older model because I got to be true to who my customer is. And not that anybody was complaining that I wasn't using them, but I put an older model in the chair and I'll never forget that the sales, when she came on air, went down. Really? Yeah. And people questioned why I was doing it. And I even questioned, I was like, well, geez, because people were saying it's not aspirational.

17:16And she, you know, I'm not, this is not, I want to look like the 20 year old you have on there. And I was one of the first to do that. And I never stopped doing it because I thought there's no way I'm not going to represent who she is at home. And fast forward in the last three years, three to four years, the brand has been out. We have been making such inroads to speak to her, but not just through product, but featuring her, like putting her on our website. And, you know, they're called Geller Gals and we have Geller guys too. So I feel like, you know, once you learn who you are, you should be leaning into it.

17:58You really should. And that is a life lesson, right? Like once you embrace that, then it's like these other retailers are taking notice, right? Back to your question, sorry. No, no. I can go off. It was Ulta and Sephora that came to me to come bring me back in. And both said, our customers are looking for you. That's right. We need you back. And I was so flattered. But when you asked, It took them a minute to realize that she's out there and she is aspirational and she has every right to shop in these stores as well. Absolutely. I mean, they're paying for the Gen Z's products. They may as well have something for them in the same store.

18:42Absolutely. Now, the 2.0 of mature makeup seems to really get behind the idea of more moisture, more glow. You know, you think about Jones Road and that tinted balm that's gone viral everywhere. And conventional wisdom kind of says that you don't want to put too much powder on mature skin for the wrinkles can settle into fine lines and you want to get that glow. So where does your signature Italian baked powders fit into this concept? And is there anyone who you might steer in a different direction? Yeah, I mean, I always say, and this is what I said when I started, some things don't change. You have to meet your needs of your skin where you're at, at that time of your life or season.

19:26And so while I may say to somebody, balance and brighten is perfect for you during the summer, it may be not good for them during the winter or vice versa. So therefore, we make other formulations so that we can meet the needs of people where they're at. I'll give you a perfect example. As I'm now 67, my skin has been so dry and I do everything right. But I still, but probably because I use, you know, exfoliants and things like that, my skin's always peeling, which I don't mind. Keep coming off. But if I put things that look like a powder on my face, you're going to know it. And so I'll start off with something that's very highly moisturizing and then maybe set it a little less with the powder.

20:13But in the baked formulation, what makes it so unique, which is this process, literally I found it almost two decades ago, in my lifetime, and I've seen makeup being made, I couldn't believe how this was made. So I think the beauty of it is that it starts its life as a mousse. It's a cream. And it's baked on terracotta. And the terracotta sustains the hydration. It's like I always say, your plants at home, you don't have them in metal pots. You have them in more terracotta pots because when you pour water in, the terracotta holds the moisture and it keeps seeping through. And that's the beauty of the bake formula is that it's on these terracotta tiles and baked that way.

20:56So it goes on with the ease of a powder. It's quick, like you like about a powder. It's a quick application, but you don't get the look of that dry powdered finish. You just don't get it. But I'm going to ask you, would you have a tip for Jill who maybe hasn't used powder foundations for, you know, 15, let's say 20 years? Yeah. You know, she's now 20 years older. So what would be the difference in making sure, again, that you're getting this like seamless look, even though we have texture now? Well, you know, it's trial and error. And while I can't guarantee, I mean, I'm a makeup artist first and foremost, 100 % you can use Balance and Brighten.

21:38and it would look amazing on you. Like I can tell when I look at somebody exactly what they need. So I would say to you that if you use something like Balance and Brighten and you feel that it's settling into your lines, are you using first an under makeup primer that's going to give you the right slip? Maybe if it's settling here, don't do it here or put it on here instead of with a puff. Under the eyes, she's pointing to. Yeah, sorry, under the eyes. put it on here with a loose brush. Right. You know, as opposed to a puff. It's so much is in the application. I agree. And what you use beforehand.

22:16Tell me the Laura Geller moisturizer. What do you stock up on in your bathroom for you personally? Oh, me personally. Oh, it's funny that you said that because we are working on something. Oh, okay, okay. Scoop alert. You know, scoop alert. I will tell you there are two things I stick with forever. and it's making a huge difference on my skin because I don't have great skin. And the gal who does my makeup for television always says to me, your skin has changed dramatically. What have you done? And I now know what it is. I didn't think, I thought she was just, you know, being nice. I use those pads, those glycolic pads that you use after you're done cleansing.

22:59And I use it for one reason, but I didn't realize I was getting the benefit of it. I wash my face. I use Philosophy's exfoliating wash. I love it because I like feeling the exfoliation and I wear a considerable amount of makeup, you know. So I want to feel it come off. But when I take that glycolic pad, and almost every brand has one now, and I go like this, I cannot believe the amount of makeup that's still coming off and out of my pores. Yeah. So I use it mostly for that reason because I won't stop until it gets clean. Yeah. But it's exfoliating my skin without hurting my skin. So it's Dr. Adrienne Dines is a dermatologist.

23:45It's her glycolic pads. I also like Dr. Dennis Gross and Peter Roth. Oh, yeah. They're Thomas Roth's pads. They all three have great ones. Yeah. And then for moisturizer, obsess with Beekman 1802. Okay. Really? Their goat milk moisturizers, their milk moisturizers are incredible with exosomes. Yeah. Nice. Interesting. Those are the two things. I like it. Okay. Thank you for sharing. I want to talk about your primer spackle because that's one of your most iconic products. And I used it this morning. What did people think about this extra step when you launched it? And how would you compare it now with the latest primers?

24:27It's like glazed donut, grippy skin. Yeah. Put it in context. I think people still to this day, I think there's a lot of people who are like, don't give me something else I have to use. And I can't blame them. But I always say if you're going to do your makeup, whether you spend five minutes or 50 minutes, what takes seconds to do will help your makeup endure longer. Because the whole idea of our primer, the way it was originally made, which that base hasn't changed. The only thing that really has changed is we've added some skincare ingredients that are really hydrating for the skin surface. The way we created primer is so that it doesn't break down makeup.

25:10shop because I think, you know, my learnings from when I went to theater and film makeup school is that if you want your makeup to last, you have to do it on a matte skin. If you put moisturizers or serums or now they have so many names for moisturizers. Yes. I think it's so confusing for her when she shops. It's going to break down your makeup. Yep. So, but it wasn't practical. So I came up with something that really doesn't penetrate. It hovers and it creates the second skin effect and it mimics the look of a better skin on contact. It's the best way I could describe it. So I've converted a lot of people to believing in under makeup primer.

25:53I mean, let's talk about the word spackle because I think that could have a negative connotation back in the day. Is it a bit tongue and cheek? Is that why you called it Spackle? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I think, what's Nora Ephron, the comedy writer? Love. Yeah. She used to use the term. Yeah. I need some Spackle. That was her thing. Yeah. And I was working on a very famous news anchor who's still out there and in the nineties. And she was the one who said to me one day when I opened my makeup kit to do her. She's like, I hope you have more than makeup in your makeup kit. I need some spackle today. And I left there and I had that aha moment because I was doing her makeup and it was very dry looking.