Carol Shaw (make up artist)

Career as make-up artist

Shaw was inspired to become a make-up artist after receiving a make-over at the age of seventeen that she says "changed her life". She attended beauty school at the age of nineteen, following in the footsteps of her parents: her father was the owner of a salon and her mother was a manicurist. Her first job was in the same salon where she had received the make-over that inspired her to pursue a career as a beautician. She then began working as a make-up artist on photo shoots. Her photo shoots included a cover for Vanity Fair Magazine on which Cindy Crawford shaved the face of k.d. lang, doing the make-up for Winona Ryder for the October 1993 cover of Vogue Magazine, and an eye wear advertising campaign for Donna Karan. Her clientele has included Farrah Fawcett, Nicole Kidman, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Watts, Debra Messing, Teri Hatcher, Jill Hennessy, Lucy Liu, and Fran Drescher.

Lorac cosmetics

In 1990 Shaw founded a line of sensitive skin care products, including a foundation formula meant for extremely sensitive skin. She used the money she had saved for purchasing a condominium to start the business, and began using the foundation on the film and photo shoots she was working on. The original line had no oil, ten shades of foundation, four shades of cover-up, three shades of loose powder, a face wash, moisturizer, and toner. In 1995 she incorporated the line, under the name of "Lorac", which was taken from the reverse spelling of her first name. Shaw stated in 2001 that her foundation was "known for what's not in it: no silicone, no sunscreen, but titanium dioxide, and no fragrance". She began selling her line retail in 1993 at Fred Segal Apothia in Los Angeles. After her line had expanded to other retail establishments, including Henri Bendel, she was encouraged to create a line of color cosmetics as well. The line included hand-mixed lipsticks, and eventually a line of lipsticks each named after a Hollywood or fashion celebrity.

In 1995 Shaw added color eye shadows and lipsticks to her line. She hired her brother in 1996 to help expand the company, which up until this point had been run out of her apartment. In 2005 she created a line of lip-plumping products for Lorac as well, and Shaw has continued to be the creator and designer of all Lorac cosmetics. In 2006 Shaw formulated additional skincare products, including an oil free makeup primer. In July 2007 Lorac launched a limited edition color palette with the fashion label Miss Davenporte. In 2008 Lorac doubled the distribution of its cosmetic products, adding about $5 million in additional retail sales.

Media

Shaw has been an expert Q&A responder for cosmetics questions published in Cosmopolitan Magazine and Redbook Magazine.