Who is helena rubinstein

She never actually used it, and it looked different, older than all of the other mascara she had. Madame, as she was known, literally and figuratively changed the face of the beauty industry.

Throughout her over 60 years of work in the cosmetics industry, she encouraged women to embrace their individualism. Born Chaja Rubinstein in Krakow, Poland in to Orthodox Jewish parents, her father forced her to leave home after she rejected an arranged marriage at age Not many details of her early life are known, and she kept much of it, including her actual year of birth, a mystery.

Some sources say it was Rubinstein was not a practicing Jew, but nevertheless faced obstacles throughout her life because of her Jewishness.

She had to fashion and create an identity. This and a commission of portraits by several well-known artists at the time established her credibility. She bought the entire building and moved in to the apartment of her choice. The move was largely due to World War I. She carried a bag lunch to work with her although she was a very, wealthy woman with over millions of dollars worth of the masters in art and sculpture.

Despite her frugality, she bought her clothes from the top fashion designers in the industry. Her top executives in the business were relatives as she was very family oriented. In , she went to Moscow where she officially represented the cosmetic industry in the United States at the American National Exhibition. Helena Rubinstein was always involved with her organization and even when her health was failing, she carried on from her sick bed.

She died in New York City on April 1, Her philanthropy, material support for Israel and her enhancement of women looking and feeling more beautiful will long be remembered. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library. Category » Biography. Actors and Comedians. Business Icons. Medal of Honor Recipients. Medal of Freedom Recipients. Musicians and Singers.

She soon bought a Paris salon and installed her sister Pauline to run it. The only thing that slowed Rubinstein down was when she was pregnant and gave birth to two sons in and Rubinstein then opened a New York salon in Salons in San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Toronto followed, as did sales of her products in department stores. The s found Rubinstein in Hollywood, teaching starlets how to properly apply makeup. She re-bought it cheaply soon after however, as the subsequent stock market crash made the business available at a huge discount.

Rubinstein and Titus divorced in , and the following summer she married Russian prince Artchil Gourielli-Tchkonia, who was 20 years younger. A lifelong advocate for healthy living and self-care, Rubinstein died in New York City on April 1, , at age A year later, her autobiography, My Life for Beauty , was published.

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Beauty pioneer Elizabeth Arden opened the doors of her first salon in Her company expanded internationally and changed the face of women's cosmetics.