Making It Big

As the founder of IT Cosmetics, Jamie Kern Lima has left an indelible impression on the beauty industry, yet the 44-year-old entrepreneur and investor admits her road to success wasn’t easy. 

In 2008, Kern Lima and her husband, Paulo Lima, who met while at Columbia Business School, quit their jobs and used a combination of savings and investments to launch a cosmetics company from their apartment in Studio City, Calif. It took hard work, numerous rejections and untold financial struggles for It Cosmetics to become a reality. 

While her story sounds like the plot of a made-for-television film, Kern Lima says many people only know the highlight reel. 

“If you Google my story, you read headlines such as, ‘Denny’s Waitress Builds Billion-Dollar Empire,’” she says. “And while I did work at Denny’s while attending college, that’s only a small part of my story.”

To set the record straight and help others achieve their dreams, Kern Lima recently wrote, “Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable” (published February 2021).

“I get so many messages on social media from people telling me they love the It Cosmetics line and want to know how I launched my business,” Kern Lima says. “Many of them also have a business idea that hasn’t gained traction yet. I hope my book will inspire people, while also helping them feel less alone.”

While Kern Lima and her husband didn’t know anything about creating beauty products, they did know they had a good idea. Kern Lima had previously worked as a television news anchor at an NBC affiliate in Washington state and had been diagnosed with rosacea, a common skin condition that causes flushing and redness of the face. She struggled for years to find makeup that would camouflage her rosy cheeks on camera. 

Despite applying several layers of foundation to hide her rosacea, Kern Lima found it also caused her skin to become dry and cracked, making her look much older. Unable to find a durable and breathable cosmetic solution, Kern Lima decided to create her own.

Although she had no connections in the beauty industry, Kern Lima and her husband began meeting with plastic surgeons and dermatologists. Their goal was to develop a line of skincare/makeup hybrid products for sensitive skin that offered an airbrushed appearance. Once they had a product in hand, they began marketing it to stores, including Sephora and Ulta, but were repeatedly turned down.

In the early years of the company, when Kern Lima and her husband tried to raise capital for their business, one investor opted to pass on the opportunity. When asked why, he told Kern Lima, “I’m just not sure that anyone would buy makeup from someone who looks like you, you know, with your body and weight.”

For Kern Lima, that was a defining moment. While his words stung, she also knew deep down that he was wrong. She truly believed there was a market for products that addressed common skin concerns such as acne, dark circles, rosacea and hyperpigmentation.

“Every rejection was a lesson in overcoming self-doubt,” Kern Lima says. “It’s easy to take rejection personally, but over the years, I came to realize that rejection is part of the journey.”

While Kern Lima admits there were many nights she cried herself to sleep, she never woke up ready to throw in the towel.

“In my gut, I knew we had a good product,” she says. “I discovered how to turn the volume down on those who expressed doubts and who questioned whether we could really launch a successful cosmetic line without any experience.”

The company’s big break came in 2010, when the home shopping channel QVC offered Kern Lima a 10-minute spot. Although she had approached QVC before and had been turned down, Kern Lima received an invite to the network after QVC executives saw her Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer at a beauty trade show.

Kern Lima knew she had a lot riding on the QVC appearance, but she’s never been one to shy away from a challenge. In the late 90s, while attending Washington State University, she won the Baywatch College Search, appearing on an episode of the popular television show of the same name. She also won the title of Miss Washington USA 2000. On a dare, she auditioned for, and was chosen to appear on, the first season of the popular television reality show, “Big Brother.”

So, despite a strong case of nerves before her first QVC appearance, Kern Lima felt comfortable appearing before the camera. When the segment began, she removed the makeup from one side of her face, revealing her rosacea. Using the Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer, Kern Lima showed viewers how applying the product hid dark undereye shadows and the redness of rosacea, without looking caked or causing creases. In 10 minutes, Kern Lima had successfully sold out over 6,000 tubes of concealer, while also ensuring her company’s future success.

Kern Lima’s QVC appearance was the first of many, and two years later, It Cosmetics also signed an exclusive deal with Ulta. On future QVC appearances, Kern Lima utilized models of every age, shape, size and ethnicity to showcase the beauty challenges and concerns of real women.

On the day her company sold to L’Oréal, Kern Lima received a call from the investor who had turned her down years before. He apologized and admitted he had been wrong about her brand. He added that, had he agreed, It Cosmetics would have been the most successful investment in his firm’s history.

“In retrospect, that rejection was the universe’s way of steering me in a different direction,” she says. “If he had said yes, I probably would have given him the majority of the company since we were struggling at the time and so desperate to stay in business.”

Today, Kern Lima is embarking on a new chapter in her life. In addition to promoting her new book, she’s enjoying being a mother to her daughter, Wonder (born October 2018) and son, Wilder (born May 2020).

“I hope to teach both of my children how to be true to themselves rather than living a life that is based on others’ expectations,” Kern Lima says. “And to show them not to fear rejection and failure.”

Over the past year, Kern Lima has also spoken at various engagements. In February, she hosted a free confidence-building virtual event featuring actress Chrissy Metz, “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts, author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins and many more.

“It was one of the most fulfilling days of my life,” Kern Lima says. “In Tony’s studio, I was able to look at the faces of the participants as they listened, laughed and cried, as I spoke about believing in yourself. It was an amazing experience.”

Kern Lima also believes in championing the success of others. She’s an active investor in over 15 companies and regularly gives back to the community. One hundred percent of the proceeds from her book are being donated to the hunger-relief organization, Feeding America and Together Rising, a national non-profit that helps families in need of assistance, due to a job loss, natural disaster or other crisis.

While she’s not positive what the future holds for her, Kern Lima is excited to find out. She wants to use her skills and knowledge to continue motivating other female entrepreneurs and to inspire them to overcome self-doubt and kick their inner critic to the curb.

“I’ve learned to be intentional about how I spend my time,” she says. “And it’s a mindset I’d like to share with other aspiring female entrepreneurs.” O