FEBRUARY 2007

H
H
ECONOMICS & enterprise
a strong foundation
eidi Denha launches makeup line
BY JOVAN KASSAB
Trusting your face to the
hands of a makeup
artist usually sees you
leaving pleased with the
results. But once you get
home, you could be frustrated
because it’s often difficult to
recreate that look.
Heidi Denha designed her
own line of cosmetics for just
that reason. “I felt that makeup
lines had gotten very technical.
The packaging had gotten boring.
They were catering to the
makeup artists and not to normal,
everyday women,” said
the 25-year-old makeup artist.
After working at a makeup
counter for four years, Denha, a
native of Arizona who now
lives in Troy, was convinced
she could do better. In 2003,
after years of being a makeup
artist, she launched Heidi D
Cosmetics, a Michigan-based company
devoted to the principle that
makeup should be fun and easy to use.
Combining a flair for package
design, a sense of play and a determination
to deliver products that don’t
drip or streak when non-experts
apply them, Denha has
planted a brightly colored
pink and black
flag in the world of
beauty.
“I say it’s a glamorous
and girly line
that mirrors the
personality of most
girls and women,”
Denha said. “You
He i d i De n h a g i v e s He a t h e r Ze b a r i a m a k e -o v e r u s i n g h e r l i n e o f c o s m e t i c s .
can be glamorous wherever you go,
even if you only have five minutes.”
To match different skin tones —
something any woman can attest can
be tricky — Denha custom-blends
foundations to perfectly match a
woman’s coloring. She also custom-mixes
lip glosses, sticks,
mineral bronzers and powders
— products she calls “the necessity
for every consumer from A to Z.”
Denha has also created a versatile
brush set and said her favorite design
is her chubby bronzer brush. “This
applies bronzer naturally and
evenly, the way it’s supposed to
be — not to every area of the
face,” she said.
Heidi D Cosmetics also
offers an “everything you
need” 15-piece set that comes
in a chic pink and black
leather apron. Denha also custom
designs brush sets.
If you’ve ever thought young
entrepreneurs are slackers unaccustomed
to big-time responsibility,
you’re in for an eye-opener.
Besides working at 6 Salon
in Royal Oak and Birmingham,
Denha works with a makeup
team that travels for wedding
events, shows and photo shoots.
Her team also does lash extensions
(which last six to eight
weeks), full body waxing and
airbrush tanning.
People have asked Denha
why she never used her bachelor’s
degree in business management
and her minor in marketing.
“I have,” she responds. “I have
successfully used my degree to mix up
a makeup line. I did this all myself —
created by me, for myself and all
makeup lovers.”
And Denha hasn’t forgotten
her ethnic roots. Her bronzer is
called Shim-sha — Chaldean for
“sun.”
PHOTOS BY NORA BAHROU DOWNS
eidi D Cosmetics are sold at 6 Salon in
Royal O ak and Birmingham, the Beauty
Lounge in West Bloomfield and at
www.hdcosmetics.net
20 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2007