Lime Crime Makeup

An interview with the creator of

First published in Cut Out + Keep’s Snippets – thanks to Cat and Tom for letting me post it here too! Original article – http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/snippets/issue24/lime-crime

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What inspired you to create your own makeup brand?
I’m a self-styled makeup artist and often couldn’t find the makeup I liked. Everything was too sheer; I wanted pure color that looked the same in the packaging and on your lips/eyes. You could say the brand was born out of frustration and a burning desire to make the impossible possible!

Another source of inspiration is solving a problem — such as eyeshadow creasing and fading during daily wear. I have rather oily eyelids and no primer worked for me, so I went into the lab to develop a waterproof eyelid primer. We call it Eyeshadow Helper — it keeps my eyeshadow crease-free for 20+ hours! In fact, you can even swim in it. If I can continue making products that make people’s lives even a tiny bit easier, I’d be a happy woman!

You get fans to write stories about your lipsticks. How do you pick them?
It is true — we have fan-written vignettes for almost all of our products. We love them! I believe that each color has a story to tell, and our customers seem to agree! We’ve held a Vignette-Writing Contests in the past and published our favorites on our website.

You started out as a fashion designer. What are your fashion influences?
It’s hard for me to distill it down to specific sources, but here is a list of random things I like: the fancy & delicacy of the Victorian era, the firece glamour of the 1930s, silhouettes from the 50s, pastels of the 60s, bold patterns of the 1970s, the swinging London… For designers, I’m a fan of Anna Sui, Erin Fetherston, Betsey Johnson, Vivienne Westwood, Luella Bartley..

Do you have any tips for the crafty folks on our website wanting to go into fashion?
I recommend taking a few courses — just something to get you started! The idea is to get you exposed to new ideas and people. That’s how I discovered my passion for color and design, through my stint at Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Also — communicate and learn from others online! Obviously, if you’re here you’re in the right place for that. (smiles)

You have some fantastic makeup names – Airbourne Unicorn, No She Didn’t, My Beautiful Rocket to just name a few. How do you come up with them?
We love us some word play here at Lime Crime! Myself and my partner/husband Mark come up with with cheeky puns and rhymes all day long, it’s just how we are. My favorites are No She Didn’t (a blue lipstick) and New Yolk City (yellow lipstick).

You’ve been in a few bands as a singer. Would you consider getting back into it the music business?
I’ve been surrounded by music since I was born. My mother is a pianist; I began playing piano at 5 and graduated from music academy in Russia at 15. After I moved to the US, I formed a rock band, put on a festival, and even made a silly disco-pop solo recorder under the moniker Doe Deere! (That’s how I got the name.) I’m grateful to have had those experiences and though I no longer do music professionally, it will always be in my blood!

Who would you say your musical inspirations are?
I love pop, rock and electro. Some of my favorites are Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Dragonette, Type O Negative, The Green Children and Ultraviolet Sound. I can’t get enough of my 80s hair metal — Guns N Roses, Skid Row, and Bon Jovi are my guilty pleasures. My favorite movie of all times is The Metal Years, it’s a documentary about LA heavy metal scene in 1987.

You tour around the country giving makeovers; when do you think you’ll do your next rounds? Would you consider going overseas?
We did a UK tour last April which was amazing. It was incredible to meet our customers face-to-face — and make over some of those faces! We also just did our first appearance at IMATS, the makeup show, this June. We are always doing something, so keep an eye on our Facebook page!

You seem to pretty much have it made – husband, cats, successful company – not to mention your stunning looks! Do you have any advice for young women trying to get what they want and be happy?
Thank you so much. I try to be very appreciative of everything I have, every day. At the same time, I’m not sure there is such a thing as ‘100% content’ for me — I see happiness as the process of achieving it, not a destination, and am happiest when there is an exciting goal to work towards!

If I were to give a few words of encouragement to the readers, I’d say go after what you believe in, fearlessly — you’ll be glad that you did!

You have a quote on your website that says, “Those who break the rules of Today make the rules of Tomorrow.” What rules have you broken in your time?
I’ve broken quite a few, but it almost never happens on purpose. It’s usually when I’m trying to express something, and it’s the only way I know how to get there. The first few labs I approached about developing a lipstick range pretty much told me I was crazy, but in my heart of hearts I know it was possible! I think blue lipstick looks beautiful, and I wasn’t going to let anyone tell me otherwise!

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