Victoria Curtis is more than just another beautiful blonde. Although married to gorgeous A-League soccer star, Michael Theo, Victoria wanted to be more than the woman in the shadow of her successful husband. With a background in, and love of cosmetics as well as a degree in accounting, Victoria combined the two and launched Curtis Collection, a professional luxe makeup brand in 2012. It has not been an easy road, Victoria tells us, but all-the-while it has been a rewarding experience to achieve her vision. Made from quality ingredients and injected with a cocktail of vitamins and minerals, Curtis Collection boasts an extensive product range which is highly pigmented, long lasting, and affordable. Having fallen in love with Curtis Collection we were only too thrilled to chat with Victoria...
Victoria,
congratulations on your prestigious beauty brand! How has the journey been so
far? Thank you! So far the journey has been exciting, challenging and
rewarding all at the same time. Luckily I truly love what I do and although
there is a lot of hard work involved behind the scenes, as well as many
sleepless nights ... meeting my customers and hearing their amazing feedback
about our products certainly makes it all worthwhile! Running my own business
has taught me that I can do and achieve anything I want to through hard
work and determination and never settling for second best. I have also met and
had the privilege of working with some amazing people along the way and am
really excited about the future of Curtis Collection!
So how did Curtis
Collection evolve? Having grown up in a family of very talented
hairdressers, makeup artists and beauty therapists, my love affair with all
things beauty started at a very young age. In recent years in my marketing role
at L’Oreal Australia, I spent much of my time working with beauty salons and
felt that there was an opportunity in the market to launch a luxury cosmetics
brand specifically for the salon industry. My vision was to combine the chic style of a department store makeup counter with high quality products,
ingredients and formulas that would complement a salon’s beauty services and
their total skin approach. My quest for the ultimate makeup collection saw me
travel around the globe sourcing the highest grade of vitamins and minerals,
cutting edge formulas and chic sophisticated packaging in order to create what
is now known as the Curtis Collection. Within 8 months of launching our
exclusive Salon Collection the luxurious Curtis Collection Makeup Bar can now be
found in over 20 retailers around the country. Our prestige products not only deliver the quality that you would expect
from a luxury brand, but also the stylish packaging that any woman would be
proud to add to her own makeup collection!
In recent years you
experienced problem skin - could you share your story with Spoilt readers? Admittedly,
in my teenage years I was not so focused on what was in my makeup, but more so in the way it made me look! This unfortunately lead to years
of problematic skin and an ongoing battle to find the perfect foundation that provided
superior coverage without clogging my pores. I very quickly discovered, that
this balance was almost impossible to find and thus made this the main focus of
my research and development when formulating the Curtis Collection mineral foundations.
Our formulas provide the ultimate protection for your skin as well as superior
coverage, staying power and a flawless airbrushed glow! Although I had already
turned to mineral foundation in the past, the fact that these other formulas
contained an ingredient by the name of Bismuth Oxychloride (a mineral derived
from lead and copper), I discovered that this was actually aggravating and
inflaming my acne and explained why I was not seeing any results. I am proud to
report that our cutting edge mineral formulas do not contain this ingredient
and within months of using the Curtis Collection Mineral Liquid Powder Foundation, the texture of my skin immediately improved. Not only was my complexion
smooth, hydrated and nourished, it was also concealed, radiant and glowing. Today,
women invest in a variety of treatments and solutions for their skin. Curtis
Collection promotes a full circle approach providing all of the nutrients and protection
that your skin needs after these treatments allowing skin to heal and improve
without reversing the affects that your professional is working hard to achieve.
Although wanting to
pursue a career in makeup, your parents wanted you to attend university. What
is your advice to others in a similar situation? I would definitely
encourage them to do both! University opened many doors for me personally, allowing me to study in the United States of America which ultimately gave me
the motivation and idea to start my own business! I cannot stress enough how
invaluable my degree has proven to be in my working life. The marketing side of
my degree has taught me the value of public relations, advertising, and networking, with the aim of making Curtis Collection the name on
everyone’s lips and building an iconic brand! We are thrilled to have PR powerhouse Sweaty Betty PR working across our brand, as well as our
recent partnering with Australian fashion designer Rachel Gilbert as their
official makeup sponsor for this year's Fashion Week in Sydney! On the other hand,
my accounting degree has instilled the disciplines of managing the back-end of
my business. It has given me the skills and confidence to oversee the operating
side of my company ensuring that we deliver the highest quality products and
services at all times. I would say that my parents knew exactly what they were
doing when they offered me their sound advice and I have been extremely fortunately
to be able to combine my business knowledge with my passion for makeup and
beauty and ultimately turn this into my career!
In a few words, how
would you describe the Curtis Collection consumer? The beauty of Curtis
Collection is that it is designed for all women at any age and to suit any
lifestyle. I wanted the brand to offer affordable luxury. The Curtis Collection woman is above all confident,
stylish, intelligent, ambitious, beautiful, chic and savvy.
What makes Curtis
Collection different from other makeup brands? Curtis Collection is 'more
than makeup'! It is a premium brand offering luxury cosmetics for the everyday
woman. The comprehensive range of stunning shades and high end products, have
been designed to offer simple, attainable beauty solutions and allow women to effortlessly
achieve the Curtis Collection signature glow. By choosing the right mineral
foundation, women can change the way their complexion appears overnight! Curtis Collection mineral foundations actually protect, nourish
and hydrate the skin - acting as an extension of your skin care routine. This
is why our dedicated Mineral Collection is literally more than makeup! The high quality ingredients are designed to pamper and perfect offering
natural protection from environmental age aggressors and keeping the appearance
of your complexion looking youthful, hydrated and glamorous. The outstanding
selection of products, prestigious image and dedication to developing
confidence building products is what sets Curtis Collection apart from the
rest.
If you could choose
anyone to be the face of the brand, who would it be and why? An
international star would be Blake
Lively. She is always naturally glowing and has incredible sense of style! She
represents glamour and beauty but she appears to be very grounded and down to
earth which I adore! On the other hand I would love to see an Australian model
like Cheyenne Tozzi become the face of Curtis Collection. She is beyond
stunning and I love the fact that she is an Aussie girl who is really making a
name for herself on the international stage. She is also a strong, confident
and determined woman and this is exactly the type of ambassador that I would
love to see as the face of my brand.
Your top 3 Curtis
Collection picks? I guess the best way I can answer that question is to
think about the products that I can not live without! The Radiant Glow Illuminator and the Illuminating Bronzer are my absolute
favourites, these two products always give my complexion the ultimate pick me
up delivering the most amazing, airbrushed, sun kissed glow. I can’t go
without my SuperWear Brow Definer - this is honestly one of my favourites in the
collection. It fills in even the tiniest gaps in the brows and gives the most
natural finish with a stain that will not fade.
What is your best
beauty secret? I love my complexion to have a radiant, airbrushed glow. The
secret to achieving this look is to mix the Curtis Collection Radiant Glow
Illuminator into your Curtis Collection Mineral Foundation for a luminous
finish that will have everyone asking what your secret is!
Victoria, what makes
you feel Spoilt? My husband definitely makes me feel spoilt every single
day because he always thinks of a way to brighten my day!
Curtis Collection: Website | Facebook