In Pictures: Customized makeup kits from founder of Pandora's
Entrepreneur got her start giving plastic-surgery patients a 'new face'
Susan Kirsch got her start by creating camouflage makeup for use by plastic-surgery patients. She parlayed that into a Toronto-based business selling makeup kits called Pandora’s Makeup Box.JENNIFER ROBERTS/The Globe and Mail
The kits, which today sell for $48, hold customized colour palettes that can be inserted and interchanged according to seasonal trends.Geoff George
Ms. Kirsch also purchased a three-storey commercial building in Toronto. Today, the main floor serves as a studio for makeup lessons while the basement is reserved for manufacturing and storage. The goal is to create a one-stop grooming destination, and to that end Ms. Kirsch rents the upper floor to a pair of hairdressers. “I want to create a new retail model for Toronto,” she says.
Meanwhile, to increase sales of Pandora’s Makeup Box, Ms. Kirsch is experimenting. In addition to her bricks-and-mortar location, she has been selling through popular online subscription services such as Ipsy. She is also considering opening a pop-up store.
Ms. Kirsch also sells a series of travel makeup brushes. She says she is not sure which overall sales route would serve her company best: the pop-up store, the online subscription series or her own store.Geoff George
While contemplating sales, she also must keep her makeup line current. Her business, not to forget, is all about creating new looks. “How do I handle the fluctuating inventory, and how do I finance all the individual components, from packaging to marketing, in growing my business?” she wonders.JENNIFER ROBERTS/The Globe and Mail