Beauty

[Tantallum]

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@Nunyabisinis wrote:

I'm giving Mally one last shot. I didn't know Laura Geller sold her company. Does anyone know who bought it? I knew she sold her NY store.

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I wonder why they sell their companies?  Is it straight up just to make money (nothing at all wrong with that, they created a successful company and deserve it)?  or is it that they are sick of running it?

Just curious, I always figured if I had a successful company I would love to stay in charge and continue doing it as I want to.  Because it seems like so many beauty companies that start out small and have great products, get so successful because their products are great, then they go and sell and the brand goes downhill....

Of course, I do not own my own business, nor am I very familiar with hte beauty industry so my opinion doesn't mean anything 

[Trix]

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@tantallum wrote:

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@Nunyabisinis wrote:

I'm giving Mally one last shot. I didn't know Laura Geller sold her company. Does anyone know who bought it? I knew she sold her NY store.

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I wonder why they sell their companies?  Is it straight up just to make money (nothing at all wrong with that, they created a successful company and deserve it)?  or is it that they are sick of running it?

Just curious, I always figured if I had a successful company I would love to stay in charge and continue doing it as I want to.  Because it seems like so many beauty companies that start out small and have great products, get so successful because their products are great, then they go and sell and the brand goes downhill....

Of course, I do not own my own business, nor am I very familiar with hte beauty industry so my opinion doesn't mean anything 

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Most successful cosmetic brand which begin independently end up being sold to a corporate conglomerate.  Among the leading reasons is because the founder's buyout package is millions they might never earn trying to operate the company on their own dime. The second is all about the business of doing business in the competitive world of cosmetics.  The independent simply can't compete in the areas of growth which include: product development allowing the brand to introduce more new products to the line; advertising/marketing; adding retail partners (brick and mortar and internet retail).  

Those retail partners are expensive as the brands pay for privilege of being sold at such and such.  In the case of brick and mortar-- the deeper the pockets the better position in the store they can pay for.  It's not a coincidence that a big shooter ($$$) such as Lancome always has a prime counter location in department stores, Sephora and Ulta.   As the power house corporations gobble up more smaller brands-- operating like gangsters-- they expect their brick and mortar partners to make space in their stores for their brands even if they have to kick a little guy out.  The stores play along because they are being paid even if the squeezed out brand had decent sales and they keep their powerful partner happy.  Sometimes I feel the only reason the new independents are allowed to get a foothold and develop a customer base is so that the big corporations don't have to do any creative brand development... they just buy one which is already established.  

[beach-mom]

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@tantallum wrote:

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I wonder why they sell their companies?  Is it straight up just to make money (nothing at all wrong with that, they created a successful company and deserve it)?  or is it that they are sick of running it?

Just curious, I always figured if I had a successful company I would love to stay in charge and continue doing it as I want to.  Because it seems like so many beauty companies that start out small and have great products, get so successful because their products are great, then they go and sell and the brand goes downhill....

Of course, I do not own my own business, nor am I very familiar with hte beauty industry so my opinion doesn't mean anything 

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I'm going WAY out on a limb here and speculate about some things. In the case of Stila, founder Jeannie Lobell had married a popular actor, Anthony Edwards, and had become the mother of 4 young children. She sold the company to Estee Lauder, then stayed on for a few years under the sales contract. (EL sold it shortly after). I remember at the time reading that she wanted to go in a new direction and try new things. She still does work as a makeup artist but has no interest in developing another makeup line. Laura closed her downtown store, Daniel is getting older, and she probably was happy to be able to spend more time with him. I think things were a little different for Mally. Because of her company's financial situation she was forced to sell. She is not on QVC as much as she used to be. 

Stila products changed drastically after Jeannie left. EL was trying to attract a younger clientele and discontinued a lot of the line's staples. Some of these have been brought back.

I just have visions of Laura and Mally being front and center for products other people are creating. Laura's products do look the same, and I'm still buying them, but just not as much. We don't see Johnny on air any longer either. I know he's still there behind the scenes, but I miss seeing him fill in for Laura. He seemed to stop doing this when the changes took place. Same with Mally, although some of my favorites from her are now gone too.

But again, I'm just wondering. I may be totally off base!  

[mimi5775]

For me, too small a company [both] and not to be trusted as far as and stopping  many times far too often, Mally and Laura. But love a few things in Laura's line as with all lines there's alays a few things! and with Mally as much as I love her shows and maybe a few things of hers I rarely use them...also I'm not happy knowing I will like something they may go bust! (Mally's liner - that black one) is great.

[SahmIam]

Laura Geller never worked for me though I love so much of what she offers; products that address specific issues. SHame.

Mally is a different story. Her eye products are/were fantastic. I've given them as gifts and have raved everywhere about them. Sadly, something has changed. Mascara, eye and lip products HAVE been reformulated (as per CS and Mally herself) and they have been awful. At this rate, I doubt I will be using Mally products once I use up what I have. I loved her lipglosses but now.... awful. : (

[HappyDaze]

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@SahmIam wrote:

Laura Geller never worked for me though I love so much of what she offers; products that address specific issues. SHame.

Mally is a different story. Her eye products are/were fantastic. I've given them as gifts and have raved everywhere about them. Sadly, something has changed. Mascara, eye and lip products HAVE been reformulated (as per CS and Mally herself) and they have been awful. At this rate, I doubt I will be using Mally products once I use up what I have. I loved her lipglosses but now.... awful. : (

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@SahmIam I know Mally mentioned the shadow sticks being reformulated but I did not hear about the eye, mascara or lip products. I don't remember her ever saying that. Had you emailed her CS and asked? If so, do you know about when you did and when they said they were reformulated? TIA!

[SahmIam]

@HappyDaze: Her head office is about 20 minutes from where I live (shipping headquarters too). I called there due to not being able to find specific products. Her eyesticks have been discontinued and were brought out as a new product available on QVC (I started a thread about that). They also confirmed that she was slowly phasing out many of the lipglosses for the new serum gloss and that discontinued shades were coming back this way; true , they did.

It was a few months ago I spoke with CS. I can still find her old products here and there and have been stocking up on the few still available.

[HappyDaze]

@SahmIam thank you for the great information. Very diappointing to hear.

[ctinaw]

I didn't realize they had sold. Guess I haven't been paying attention much. I haven't purchased much from either of them for awhile anyway. I am also beginning to move away from kits. It seems to be better for me to just purchase individual items as I need them - as things tend to last me forever! 

[ctinaw]

I feel that LG is an experienced enough professional to have not taken the decision to sell lightly. She knows her products and knows what she's doing as a businesswoman. I wouldn't really worry about her line. Sounds like Mally may be a different story though. Too bad, she had a few products I did like.