Abby Connolly
Over time she worked extremely hard, paying her dues and building her portfolio. She fought through various challenges during this period.
She was a single mother and often faced discrimination for her ethnicity. This led her to working with more actors and workers in the film industry of color. For example, she has worked with Kerry Washington, Regina King, Brandy, etc.
After working so hard for so many years, it began to pay-off for Rea Ann. She got a job as a makeup artist on the set of Girlfriends, a sitcom that premiered on the United Paramount Network. The show was filmed in high definition (HD), which was a challenge for Rea Ann as a makeup artist. High definition often emphasizes any blemishes or imperfections on an actor’s face.
Rea Ann tried all sorts of makeup-applying techniques while working on set, and realized that using a sponge was her preference. However, old makeup sponges were more likely to be imprecise or couldn’t cover certain areas of the actor’s face.
That’s when she began playing around with sponges and creating her own designs. After some experimenting, she landed on that famous egg shape that makes the Beautyblender so unique. The shape made it so that one can easily get makeup into the tight crevasses of the face and seamlessly blend products into the skin. She began using the sponge on her clients. It worked so well that her coworkers would start stealing them!
Rea Ann knew that she needed to turn these sponges into a business. She started her own company, which she named Beautyblender, out of her home in California. She used her connections in the industry to help her manufacture and sell tons of sponges. They became popular fast! After all, the Beautyblender has qualities that a normal makeup sponge simply does not have. It’s reusable, works with all kinds of makeup, and gets the job done better.
The Beautyblender made its way from film sets, to the hands of YouTube creators, to everyday people all around the world. By 2008, Rea Ann was able to open a manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania, where her success has continued to grow. Now, Rea Ann has her own line of foundation called Bounce, and Beautyblenders are an essential part of any makeup user’s collection. According to Forbes, Beautyblender had made $175 million in sales in 2019. How cool is that?
Rea Ann continues to be a powerful reminder that with hard work, perseverance and creativity, you can have your own success story.
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