Interview with Paula Begoun

Exciting news! Recently, we were lucky enough to get the chance to talk with a unique figure of the cosmetics industry: Paula Begoun. Not only is Paula the author of many excellent cosmetics books such as “Don’t Go the Cosmetics Counter Without Me” and “The Beauty Bible”, she is also the creator of the highly respected “Paula’s Choice” beauty line. Her website www.cosmeticscop.com is also fascinating, with a lot of free information on general skin care as well as many reviews of cosmetics products on the market.

 Paula Begoun struck us as the perfect subject for our Angelview section. She was kind enough to give us some of her time, and provided us with tons of useful and sometimes surprising information. Check it out!

 Angel Child: Hi Paula. I’d like to talk about not just your incredible product line but also about your website and your book and the overall work that you are doing.

Paula Begoun: Sure, ask away! I saw the list of questions and I have to admit they look a bit daunting, but I’ll do my best…

AC: Great! Let’s start with you. How did you first start out in this business? I know you have been a makeup artist for quite some time…

PG: Yes, that is how I started. You know, I was sending myself through university, and one of the things I was good at was doing makeup. I was actually making a lot of money doing makeup. Eventually, I flunked out of my math program. I was going to get my masters, but I stayed doing makeup. It was great! I had a lot of freedom, and when freelance was slow I would work in a department store. That was always a struggle, because the sales representative or the manager would want to train me on how to sell the products. It would almost always end up in an argument. This is not the way to build the best relationship with your manager, and it never worked out. So I went out on my own, moved to Seattle and opened my own stores.

AC: So you started with your own line right away?

PG: Well, relatively… within the first 3 years. I did that for a couple of years and then got a job as a reporter at KIRO television. Then I wrote my first book, using my science background from college and what I had learned through my work in the business and as a reporter.

AC: What would you say were your goals back then, and do you think you have accomplished them in the beauty industry?

PG: Well, I don’t think I wanted to be in the beauty industry at all! So I guess I would have to say I did not accomplish any of my goals. It’s kind of funny that I say that, but back then I had always wanted to be a writer. I love writing, so I thought that after I had written my book on the cosmetics industry, I would go on and write other books. I have written other books, but I always had the most passion for, and sold the most copies of, those that were about the cosmetic industry. So on some level, I have reached my goal: I always wanted to be an author. But if you had asked me this back then, I would have said I was not going to be in the cosmetics industry. It never fails to amaze me how much energy and passion I have for what I do.

Although at times I really feel like I don’t want to look at another product line. Sometimes I can’t believe there is yet another product line, and I get annoyed that they keep making these ridiculous claims. I actually say on a daily basis that I’ve got to get another job, but then I’m still here still doing what I have a lot of love and passion for.

AC: What is your work right now? Are you working on another book?

PG: Yes, I’m working on an update of “The Beauty Bible”,because so much of what we know about skin care has changed. I think it’s about a 30 to 40% rewrite that is new and different

AC: Can you tell us what your books are about?

PG: My two books are “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me” and “The Beauty Bible”. “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me” will tell you what to buy and what not to buy, what works and what doesn’t work, what the research is about a specific product and its formula.

“The Beauty Bible” will help you understand what products you need to choose from, what skin type is all about, what is confusing about skin type, how to straighten it out, how to determine skin type, and how to determine different battle plans for different problems ranging from Rosacea, to dry skin, to oily skin, to psoriases, to eczema, to acne, to blackheads. Before you can choose which product to buy, you need to know what you are treating. You also need to know what types of products are best for you and how to use them. There is also a section on cosmetic corrective surgery and procedures like botox and dermal fillers. I tell you what you need to know if you are interested in cosmetic procedures, and what to consider.

So there is actually a balance between the 2 books.

AC: If you were to reveal one of the secrets from your books, what would it be?

PG: No matter how many times I write about it, what most readers, particularly young readers, don’t know is how often the cosmetics industry tells us things that are not true! The product can’t possibly do what it says on the label! It is either misleading information, or they are outright lying to us.

AC: You have so much free information on your website www.cosmeticscop.com! For example, you have an ingredients dictionary where people can just type in an ingredient and find out what it is. You also provide battle plans for skin problems. Why do you give us all this free information?

PG: Free information versus my book? Well, I hope people will read both! There are always people who read books. But I’ve always felt strongly that in order to help people, you also need to give them some immediate, direct information. While people are running around the Internet seeing that there is so much bad information, I thought it would be useful to have one site with clear, simple facts. I always think of the problem, so if you are looking around, I hope that you find my page and think: “I wonder what Paula has to say about…” The information is readily available, because boy can you get bad information over the Internet!

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