Rea Ann Silva

Rea Ann Silva (born 1961) is the creator of the Beauty blender makeup application sponge and the founder and CEO of the Beauty blender company. Silva created the sponge while working as a make-up artist for the Girlfriends television series. In 2019, her company's sales were expected to reach $215 million.[1][2][3][4]

Rea Ann Silva
Born
Rea Ann Silva

1961
Los Angeles, CA
EducationFashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
Occupation(s)CEO/Owner, Rea.Deeming Beauty Inc.
Known forFounding Beautyblender
Partner(s)Rory Nix (Current)
Eric Dickerson (1984-1987)
Children2
Websitebeautyblender.com

Early life and education

Silva was raised in Los Angeles, California, to a working-class Latino family. Her mother was a waitress and her father worked as an auto mechanic at a Ford Motor Company factory.[5] She attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, California.[6]

Career

Silva initially entered the beauty space by selling perfume at a department store, but eventually moved over to the store's cosmetics counter. She became a make-up artist, eventually switching from retail into TV and Film makeup. She has years of experience, working for artists such as Dr. Dre, Eve, Tupac, and Brandy during her tenure at  MTV.[7][8] She also worked with entertainers such as Regina King, Kerry Washington, and Macy Gray, according to the National Museum of History.[9] According to IMDB Silva also worked on sets for movies such as “Friday” (1995), “Money Talks”(1997), and “Idle Hands”(1999) in addition to  T.V shows like  “Girlfriends” and “Moesha” prior to her creation of the Beauty blender.[10][11]

Creation of the Beauty Blender

According to MSNBC, the beauty blender was created as a tool to avoid the hassle of having to use an airbrush, which required actors to be pulled offset, to apply foundation on set. Because of the sponge's convenience, Silva was able to create a simple prototype of the sponge. In 2002, she began to capitalize on the product.[12] She worked alongside Catherine Bailey, at the time an executive assistant at Victoria Vogue (a cosmetics manufacturing company), at first catering the product to industry professionals, such as make-up artists.[13][14] In 2008, Silva began selling direct to consumers, first through small boutique makeup stores. The brand had a short partnership with Victoria's Secret, prior to the company taking its beauty business in-house, and then expanded into large makeup retailers, like Sephora in 2012 and Ulta Beauty in 2018.[15][16][17] The beauty blender would go on to win her multiple awards as well as elevate her company to the top of the beauty industry.[18]

Personal life

Silva has one daughter with the ex-Rams running back, Eric Dickerson, and a son named Cruz Nix with her husband Rory Nix.[19][20]

Silva identifies as Latina coming from Mexican, Spanish, and Native American on her Mother’s Side and Portuguese and Irish background on her father’s side.[18]

References
  1. NBC NEWS. "How broke, single mom Rea Ann Silva built her Beautyblender empire". NBC News. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  2. CEW. "Cosmetic Executive Women". Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. Smithsonian. "Rea Ann Silva, 1961 -". Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  4. "10 Fun Facts About BeautyBlender CEO—And Birthday Gal—Rea Ann Silva". beautyblender. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  5. Moten, Crystal Marie (20 November 2020). "Rea Ann Silva: The woman behind Beautyblender". National Museum of American History: Behring Center. The Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  6. "Latin Entrepreneurs: Rea Ann Silva, creator of Beauty Blender". The Latin Way. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  7. NBC NEWS. "How broke, single mom Rea Ann Silva built her Beautyblender empire". NBC News. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  8. CEW. "Cosmetic Executive Women". Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  9. "Rea Ann Silva". National Museum of American History. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  10. "3 Things You Didn't Know About Our Founder Rea Ann Silva". beautyblender. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  11. "Rea Ann Silva". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  12. NBC NEWS. "How broke, single mom Rea Ann Silva built her Beautyblender empire". NBC News. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  13. Kornfeind, Morgan (30 September 2021). "Get to Know Catherine Bailey, Senior Advisor at beautyblender". Lehigh Valley Style. Innovative Designs & Publishing. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  14. Voytko, Lisette. "How Beautyblender Founder Rea Ann Silva Reinvented A Sponge And Created A New Category". Forbes. Forbes Media LLC. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  15. Segal, Lindy (11 November 2021). "AN ORAL HISTORY OF HOW BEAUTYBLENDER REINVENTED THE MAKEUP SPONGE AS WE KNOW IT". Fashionista. Breaking Media, Inc. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  16. "Our Story". beautyblender. beautyblender. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  17. Fasanella, Kaleigh (18 April 2018). "Beautyblender Might Be Coming to Ulta Very Soon". Allure. Condé Nast. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  18. "How broke, single mom Rea Ann Silva built her Beautyblender empire". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  19. "Eric Dickerson Found Love Again & Enjoys His Beautiful Family". FanBuzz - Sports News - NFL | NCAA | NBA | WWE. 2021-05-22. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  20. Sportswriters, the National; native, Sportscasters Assn A. Los Angeles; loader, he started at The Times in 1976 as a truck; Up, Literally Worked His Way (1987-07-15). "Dickerson Calls Paternity Suit an Attempt to Cash In on His Fame and Wealth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
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