11 min read
AN EARLY START As the only child of a single parent, Rebecca started contributing to the family household at an early age. In 1964, Rebecca’s mother, Jean, realized her job wasn’t going to provide them with the lifestyle she envisioned after her second marriage ended in divorce. A small party planning company selling cosmetics from Dallas had just started looking for women in California to join their team. Seeing an opportunity to merge her background as a fashion model with her core belief that when people looked their best their self-confidence became stronger and their lives went better, Jean became one of the first Mary Kay women on the West Coast. Within a few months, her business grew to need another hand. So Jean recruited her 10-year-old daughter, teaching her the company’s skin care methods and philosophy, how to do a facial, apply makeup, and how to sell. Sometimes the two were so busy they’d work Thursday and Friday nights as well as Saturday and Sunday. By 14, Rebecca was contributing half the rent and utilities, had her own phone and was putting a little money away for college. Then the tax man came calling. “I don’t know if she Read More
- Published in AIA Legend
6 min read
equipment. She lived a very nonconventional existence during that period, and her stay in that country had a very profound bearing on her personality, strengthening her restless and adventuresome spirit and her natural inclination to explore new cultures. This later brought about world travels, with her acquiring through these a gamut of experiences and a most impressive culture. The educational development of Mari Paz has led to a great scientific and technical knowledge without diminishing her humanistic capacity. Her basic education was through religious schools. She later completed her studies in Business Administration and worked for major Spanish companies. At the age of 21, Mari Paz received her Cosmetology license just to discover her real vocation was aesthetics. Her attraction to this new world was so great that it went on to fill her entire life through today. Read More
- Published in AIA Legend
9 min read
Those who know Jan Marini refer to her as a visionary. While Jan might agree in principle, she sees this characterization as both a strength and a weakness. She envies those who are able to savor the moment. Where others view life in snapshots that capture real time, Jan sees broad borderless landscapes and endless possibilities. She does not see a product, she sees a business and in that same instance her mind is flooded with the business plan and all the accompanying details. Even when she is not envisioning empires, she is never satisfied with the status quo. Given her background, perhaps this is an understandable if not necessary survival tool. Jan’s mother, Florence, was a single mom of three boys in an era when divorce carried a major stigma. Florence remarried and unexpectedly gave birth to Jan late in life. The family struggled to live a very meager existence. Her father died when she was eight years old and the family was thrust into poverty. Florence worked only menial jobs and food was often scarce. It was no wonder that Jan viewed her world not as it was, but as it might be, and that she softened Read More
- Published in AIA Legend
11 min read
The life and achievements of skin treatment pioneer Danné Montague-King, are not easy to summarize. Where to start, after more than 40 years of research and travel, pioneering a skin revision methodology that for the most part was decades ahead of its time, and then to only now have his achievements recognized in his native U.S.? From Russia to Tibet, Europe to Australia and beyond, Danné Montague-King has sought out knowledge in pursuit of his dream to bring aesthetic medicine and beauty therapy together. Long before cosmeceutical and para-medical became marketing buzz words, and long before Heads of State and members of royalty became believers, Danné was committed to hands-on research and hard work – wherever it took him. When asked how he managed to sustain such an incredible journey, this enigmatic man with the Peter Pan grin simply shrugs. “I just got on with it – and I had a lot of help!” Read More
- Published in AIA Legend
11 min read
The life and achievements of skin treatment pioneer Danné Montague-King, are not easy to summarize. Where to start, after more than 40 years of research and travel, pioneering a skin revision methodology that for the most part was decades ahead of its time, and then to only now have his achievements recognized in his native U.S.? From Russia to Tibet, Europe to Australia and beyond, Danné Montague-King has sought out knowledge in pursuit of his dream to bring aesthetic medicine and beauty therapy together. Long before cosmeceutical and para-medical became marketing buzz words, and long before Heads of State and members of royalty became believers, Danné was committed to hands-on research and hard work – wherever it took him. When asked how he managed to sustain such an incredible journey, this enigmatic man with the Peter Pan grin simply shrugs. “I just got on with it – and I had a lot of help!” Read More
- Published in AIA Legend
