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Winning a Cosmetic Executive Women Insider's Choice Beauty Award is like winning an oscar in the beauty industry. Every year QVC partners with the CEW to discover a product or brand that not only delivers great results, but also one with a compelling and powerful story behind it. 

This year the QVC Beauty Quest Award recognizes Scalisi Skincare! I was able to ask the creator and founder, Jill Scalisi a couple of questions about her brand as a way of sharing her story with you.

Jill embodies the characteristics you would expect of teh woman behind a revolutionary ant-aging skincare line; accomplished, well-educated, surrdonded by top tier scientists and driver to share her precisely forumulated success with you.  Today, as founder and CEO of the Scalisi Skincare line, Jill offers four products which she is personally confident will help with your complexion. 

Now it's your turn to hear from Jill! Check out our interview below to learn more about her and her award-winning brand. 

Q: How did you get started in the industry?

Jill: My first career was on Wall Street where I spent 20+ years. Then in 2008, the firm where I worked not only went bankrupt but I was also diagnosed with skin cancer. I needed surgery; was told I was at risk going forward; and I needed to use SPF 30 every day. The problem was I could not find great anti-aging products with SPF 30. That's when I started researching which led to partnering with scientists and chemists to create the line we have today.

Q: How does it feel to be the winner of this year's QVC Beauty Quest Award?

Jill:  I have beat many odds - and many close calls.  Two years ago we were nominated for the CEW QVC Beauty Quest Award - I went with my mom who had just finished chemo and my sister to the awards luncheon at the Waldorf.  As we waited to hear the winner we were so excited and nervous - and then it wasn't Scalisi - my mom was still proud - but my sister had tears streaming down her face - I told her - don't you dare cry - you walk out of here with your head held high! - we are probably the smallest and youngest brand here- don't you dare cry, we won just by being here and we will be back.  This year I went to the award ceremony and I took my children and dad who I thanked on stage along with my mom.  My mom passed away Nov 29, 2013 so she never got to see me win - but I think in her eyes I had won the first time. 

Q: What is your star product or biggest breakthrough?

Jill: Our breakthrough product is our Anti-Aging Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It is based on years of peptide technology and is the lightest feeling SPF 30. It also contains antioxidants to help fight free radical attack. It is approved for Broad Spectrum; Dermatologist tested; contains no parabens, phthalates, silicone or mineral oil. it really is unique.

Q: Who/What inspires you?

Jill: My mom is my greatest inspiration. I remember when I got up the nerve to tell her I wanted to resign from Wall Street and do Scalisi Skincare full time. I was prepared for her to tell me I was crazy and irresponsible. Instead she said, "I'm going to buy you a t-shirt". I had absolutely no idea what she meant until she said...."you know the Nike one .....the one that says... Just Do it". I was shocked - and then I think I cried. She's also the one that ordered the Georgetown University application without telling me and said I wasn't allowed to have dinner until it was completed. Sometimes you really need someone great to push you outside of your comfort zone and my mom seems to do that often.

Q: In all honesty, do you have any other favorite beauty products outside of your own?

Jill: I absolutely love Lancome's Hypnose mascara in black. It was given to me by a friend of mine who is a make up artist and I have been hooked on it since then. It creates the long baby doll lashes without the need for false eyelashes and the straight wand allows you to get into the corners and outer edges of the eye. The other product I can't live without is Neutrogena Body Oil Light Sesame Formula. I put it on every morning after my shower - it's like a little spa in a bottle. It's moisturizing but also smells amazing so it is very relaxing.

Q: If you could imagine the future of the beauty industry, what do you foresee? 

Jill: I think we will see a convergence of the three different skincare categories: 1) organic 2) medicinal and 3) beauty into one. I think we will see more beauty lines focus on the science and become cosmeceuticals so as to meet the demands of what the consumer expects in a product. At the same time, these science and beauty lines will become more like the organics by being respectful of the ingredients they use. I also think using a beautiful anti-aging SPF 30 product every day will become the norm. Similar to having fluoride in our water ... we don't debate it or discuss it, it's just there because we need it. As more women learn that a majority of their wrinkles are caused by the sun and that UVA rays go through glass....the more it is going to catch on that anti-aging isn't just about repairing wrinkles - it's about preventing them too.

Q: Do you have any beauty insider tips for our customer? 

Jill: The secret to dewey soft skin is really having a fresh canvas to work with. First, you need to exfoliate and I recommend doing this daily. If you have dry skin and daily exfoliation is too much for you then try 2-3 times a week. It's really important to remember that your moisturizer can't work as well if it's sitting on dead skin cells. Second, you and your skin needs to stay hydrated. I hate the taste of water but it is so good for me and I know I need to drink more - so I put a slice of lemon in my glass and refill it throughout the day. Finally, I use a humidifier often and not just when I have a cold - it adds moisture back into the air and I can feel the difference in my skin the next morning.

I hope you will join us this evening for our CEW Beauty Insiders' Choice Awards starting at 7pmET. I am thrilled to present Scalisi Skincare for the first time ever on QVC and recognize the brand for it's compelling story and quality products in the world of skincare and beauty.